Vladikavkaz in the Eyes of Travelers

Shavlohova Elena Sergeevna, Doctor of History Professor

of the Chair Social – Humanitarian Sciences and Regional Studies

Acadamy of Marketing and Social – Information Technologies (IMSIT) Krasnodar.

Visits of well-known people played great role in the history of the Vladikavkaz city. In the first place among them were Vasily Narezhny, Aleksander Griboyedov, Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov and Lev Tolstoy. Their evidence, descriptions and stories spread news about the city trough out the Russian Empire and attracted other people to visit it. Contacts of the Russian center with Georgia and Armenia, carried out mainly through the Georgian Military Road, influenced the growth of the city as well.

Settling of the territories near Vladikavkaz was intense due to the fact that migrants could get pieces of arable land. Frederic Dubois de Monpere during his journey in the Caucasus in 1833 noticed that soils in the mountainous areas of the Northwestern Caucasus had an essential disadvantage – it dried quickly and cracked. Besides, there were no significant areas of land suitable for agriculture. With land shortage the mountaineers had to use terraces, which hindered the field crop cultivation development.

As if confirming Frederic Dubois de Monpere's words the prominent Russian sociologist Maksim Kovalevsky, for a long time living in France and working for College de France and for Ecole de droit, wrote about terracing in the Caucasus as well: “Travelling in the Caucasus I encountered the traces of … archaic farming, it could be proved by the appearance of hills with circular terraces descending from the top. I found them even where there was no trace of farming culture at present, for instance at the bottom of Bermamyt, at some distance from the current settlement Khasaut, at about 50 versts from the Kislovodsk City, at the bottom of Mount Elbrus” [1] He also considered natural conditions of mountain areas of the North - West Caucasus giving mountaineers only limited opportunities for agricultural cultivating. Yet they were successfully compensated by relatively good conditions for livestock development.

It should be pointed out that exiled Decembrists and transit visitors, who came to Vladikavkaz, were prejudiced against the local population, till they had an opportunity to communicate with their representatives in person. “These mountaineers, who I expected to be rude and ignorant in appearance and behavior, turned out to be surprisingly decent and graceful in movements, and moreover there is nothing artificial in them: it’s all natural” – A. Gangebelov wrote in his memoirs about staying at the Vladikavkaz fortress. [2]

Over time the situation was changing. Vladikavkaz, as traveler Kerr-Porter noted in 1819, was growing rapidly, its population was increasing. [3]. Officers and soldiers were starting their families. Highlanders were building their houses, their settlement was extending and stretching forward the fortress. Russians and Ossetians became closer. Vladikavkaz gradually was turning into a transshipment trade post. Russian products such as cotton, glass and crockery, knives, mirrors, scissors, thread, thimbles and other items penetrated here and further into the mountain Ossetian villages. The Ossetians, in turn, supplied the fortress inhabitants with cattle, cheese, milk, eggs, honey, felt cloaks, leather wares, fur hats and handmade cloth. Residents of Ossetia suburb, whose quantity grew rapidly, along with Russians cared about the safety of their communities. In troubled times they helped garrison and set to patrolling and night secrets together.

In addition, the Ossetians, living near the fortress, together with the Russian retired soldiers and their wives were engaged in carting. One of the journalists, describing his trip to the Caucasus in the 30s of XIX century, during which he visited Vladikavkaz en route, noted that on approaching it they were met a mile from the fort by many Ossetians offering to hire horses to the blockage, to Tiflis, and so on. "[4].

For European social scientists, receiving information about the frequent raids of aggressive gangs on other people's settlements for pecuniary gain, "raid economy" was backward and savage. They didn’t take into account the fact that the raids were part of the mountain tribes’ life, the historical tradition of these peoples. In their raids the mountaineers showed courage and intelligence. The cult of military valor dominated here and cowardice was despised. This fact was proclaimed, in particular, by J. Klaproth, I. Potocki and other European travelers of the XIX century. Frederic Dubois de Monpere also noted that "people like the Circassians who consider the robbery the first necessity and even a virtue were puzzled on being accused and charged with a crime for it or on being deprived of this right." [5]. The Circassians raided the most vulnerable Russian and Cossack settlements. According to Jean Charles de Bess who visited the Caucasus line in the late 20s of the XIX century life of the local Cossack population was «extremely hard and wearisome" because of the need of being constantly prepared to protect themselves and their property. [6].

Currently nothing could stop the growth of Vladikavkaz fortress, in time and with the development of the Russian-Georgian and Russian-Mountaineer’s relationships it has expanded geographically, its layout of buildings and living conditions were improved. In its layout and appearance the Vladikavkaz fortress practically didn’t differ from similar fortresses in the North Caucasus. In 1811 M. Engelhard and F. Parrott wrote "The fortress was built by Knyaz Potemkin. Garrison, a few petty traders and sutlers for the needs of the latter and several Ossetian families living out fortifications were its only inhabitants. Fortification ramparts, protected by a palisade, and a moat were powerful enough to defend against enemy attack. "[7]. The similarity of North Caucasian fortresses was intended by their purpose, by the tasks for which they were built.

Список литературы:

1. Семенов П. Географическо-статистический словарь Российской империи. Т. I. - СПБ., 1863.

2. Статистический справочник Северо-Осетинской автономной области. - Владикавказ, 1927.

3. Ракович Д.В. Прошлое Владикавказа. - Владикавказ, 1911.

4. Клапрот Г.Ю. Путешествие по Кавказу и Грузии в 1807-1808 гг. - С.117.

5. Семенов Л.П. Из истории города Дзауджикау. - Дзауджикау. 1947.

6.Семенов П. Географическо-статистический словарь Российской империи. Т. I. - СПБ., 1863.

7. Спенсер Э. Путешествия в Черкесию. – Майкоп, 1994. - С. 53.