The Kryts (self-designated хърыцӏаь) or Gryz ( az, qrızlar) are a people of
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...
who reside in several villages in the Quba, Khachmaz, Ismayilli and Gabala regions, as well as in the cities of
Baku and
Sumgait
Sumgait (; az, Sumqayıt, ) is a city in Azerbaijan, located near the Caspian Sea, on the Absheron Peninsula, about away from the capital Baku. The city has a population of around 345,300, making it the second largest city in Azerbaijan after Ba ...
. They are one of the peoples that have traditionally been called
Shahdagh (along with the
Budukh people
The Budukhs ( Budukh: Будад, ''Budad'') are an ethnic group primarily from the mountainous village of Buduq in northeastern Azerbaijan, one of the Shahdagh peoples. They speak the Budukh language, which is a Northeast Caucasian language ...
and
Khinalug people).
In 2005, the number of Kryts was between 10,000 and 15,000. They speak the
Kryts language
Kryts (Kryc) is a Samur language of the Northeast Caucasian language family spoken in parts of the Quba Rayon of Azerbaijan by 6,000 people in 1975. Its dialects are Kryts, Jek, Khaput, Yergyudzh, and Alyk, which are all quite distinct to the p ...
, which belongs to the
Lezgic branch of the
Nakh-Dagestan language family. In addition, all speak the
Azerbaijani language.
Demographics
The number Kryts according to H. Seidlitz, extracted from family lists in 1886, was 7,767 people. In "The Sociolinguistic Situation of the Kryts in Azerbaijan" it was reported that the number of Kryts was between 10,000 and 15,000.
History
The area the Kryts inhabit was once part of the
Shirvan Khanate
Shirvan Khanate ( fa, خانات شیروان, Khānāt-e Shirvan) was a Caucasian khanate under Iranian suzerainty, which controlled the Shirvan region from 1761 to 1820.
Background
Under the Safavid dynasty of Iran, Shirvan was a leading silk ...
during the 18th century but then became part of the
Kuba Khanate
The Quba Khanate (also spelled Qobbeh; fa, خانات قبه, Khānāt-e Qobbeh) was one of the most significant semi-independent Khanates of the Caucasus, khanates that existed from 1747 to 1806, under Afsharid dynasty, Iranian suzerainty. It bo ...
by the end of the century. The region was annexed into the Russian empire in 1806. During Soviet rule, the authorities imposed themselves into Kryt society, fully eliminating the autonomy the Kryt have historically enjoyed. Traditional beliefs and lifestyles valued by the Kryts underwent rapid change during this period as well.
Lifestyle and culture
Their main occupation is raising
livestock
Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animal ...
;
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
and
horticulture
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
are of secondary importance.
In the development of crafts, they manufacture of carpets, rugs and woollen patterned socks.
The Kryts are predominantly
Sunni Muslims.
References
{{Ethnic groups in Azerbaijan
Lezgins
Kryts
*
Ethnic groups in Azerbaijan
Peoples of the Caucasus