Pray for the “Mountain Tatars” of Kabardino- Balkaria

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The Balkars

The Balkars are a Turkic people, living in the central Caucasus region of southern Russia. Over time the Balkars have become culturally very similar to their Caucasian neighbors but have faithfully retained their Turkic language. In the 13th century Genghis Khan’s Mongols overran the Balkars, who fought at the side of the Georgian king, the kingdom to which they belonged. They later joined the Turko-Mongolian hordes of Genghis Khan. The Mongols, however, played the Balkars off against the other peoples and brought their land into bloody civil war.

Centuries later the Balkar homeland was finally annexed to Russia. The Russians used the name of “Mountain Tartars” or “Mountain Turks” for all of the Turko-Tatar people groups of the Caucasus. In 1942/43 numerous Balkars joined the German Army and were combined with other Turkish people groups in the so-called volunteer “Turkestan” division. Some were also assigned to the Waffen-SS as their “Turkish” armed unit. This act encouraged the Russians to displace the entire people group to Central Asia in 1943. In 1957 the Balkars were allowed to return to their homeland.

Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria Declared

In 1991 the autonomous Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria was declared, and in 1992 a federation treaty with Russia was signed. Today there are about 85,000 Balkars and 170,000 Karachay, who also have Turkic origins. The Kabardino-Balkaria Republic has significant Islamic roots and is among the poorest regions of the Russian Federation. Widespread unemployment and religious fanaticism are a potentially explosive mixture in the republic, but compared to the neighboring republics, Kabardino-Balkaria has been considered relatively stable until now.

Covering 12,000 sq km, the republic is about double the size of the English county of Devon. A gently sloping and undulating plateau is found in the northern areas, and the great Caucasus Mountain chain dominates its southern frontiers. Covered with glaciers above 3,000 m, Mount Elbruz is the highest at 5,633 m. Much of the republic is a largely unsettled, road less, mountain wilderness. Much of its industry is related to agriculture, lumbering, and mining.

Conflicts and Terror

For generations the area has experienced conflicts between the Karachay, who are in the majority, and the minority Balkars. Often young men from Kabardino-Balkaria have been involved in terrorist incidents in recent years. The extremist organization “Jaruk” in the Balkars homeland is considered the inner core of recent terrorist conflict. The Chechen gang leader Ruslan Gelajev, who was later killed, supposedly founded this clandestine group in 2002. These terrorist fighters want to introduce the Islamic sharia law in the Northern Caucasus.

Prayer guide for Kabardino-Balkaria:

* Pray for peace for the whole region.

* May God’s protection and blessing rest on the small numbers of Christians among the Balkars.

* Pray for reconciliation between Russians and Caucacus peoples.

* May God’s hope and light shine for the Balkars and Karachay.

Background on Kabardino-Balkaria (Wikipedia)

Kabardino-Balkaria consists of two ethnic territories, one predominantly of Kabardin (speakers of a North-West Caucasian language) and the other predominantly Balkar (speakers of a Turkic language). There is also a significant Russian population. While Nalchik is the capital of the republic, Tyrnyauz serves as an administrative center for Balkaria.

The Economy of Kabardino-Balkaria

The economy of Kabardino-Balkaria is primarily agricultural, with lumber production and mining. Most of the industry centers on agricultural processing. The fall of the Soviet Union and the outbreak of the various conflicts in the Caucasus have hit the republic hard, causing a collapse in tourism in the region and producing an unemployment level estimated to be as high as 90%. Poverty is reported to be an endemic problem in the republic.

About Kabardino-Balkaria

Population: 901,494 (2002 est.)

Ethnic groups: Balkars 8%, Karachay 43%, Russians 33%

Languages: Russian, Kabardian, Balkar