The Karata or Khkhiridi people are a small ethnic group from

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...

North Caucasia The North Caucasus, ( ady, Темыр Къафкъас, Temır Qafqas; kbd, Ишхъэрэ Къаукъаз, İṩxhərə Qauqaz; ce, Къилбаседа Кавказ, Q̇ilbaseda Kavkaz; , os, Цӕгат Кавказ, Cægat Kavkaz, inh, ...

. The Karata mainly reside in the Akhvakh and Khazavyurt district. They primarily speak the

Karata language Karata () is an Andic language of the Northeast Caucasian language family spoken in southern Dagestan, Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is t ...

History

The Karatas and Avars share a close history. By the 18th century, the Karatas formed an autonomous "free community". There was frequent conflicts between the Karata and neighbouring peoples over control of grazing lands and pastures. In the early 19th century, the region was conquered by the Russians although an administrative structure did not emerge until the 1870s.

Culture

The Karatas have historically engaged in raising livestock, farming, and

bartering In trade, barter (derived from ''baretor'') is a system of exchange in which participants in a transaction directly exchange goods or services for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money. Economists distingu ...

. Common animals raised were sheep, horses and cattle. Terraced farming was done due to adverse natural conditions and lack of cultivable land. Rye, flax, wheat, potatoes, and vegetables are staple crops grown. The Karatas are Sunni Muslims. Islam first arrived in the region as early as the 8th century but the locals only adopted the religion by the 16th century.

References

Ethnic groups in Dagestan Muslim communities of Russia Peoples of the Caucasus {{Caucasus-ethno-group-stub