Beliefs of Karachaevs

Karachaevs live in the Karachaevo-Cherkesskaya Republic and in the Stavropol Territory. They are Moslems-sunnites of hanafit kind. Christianity came to the territory of Karachai from Byzantium and Georgia before Islam and coexisted with the local beliefs. In the 14th century the ancestors of Karachaevs were influenced by the hanafit olden Horde. The Kabardin princes ruled here in the 18th century and performed the mass Islamization. By the first half of the 19th century each village in Karachai had several mosques.

The pre-monotheistic beliefs of Karachaevs include two components. One of them are the common Caucasus gods and protectors, the main of which is the god of fertility, thunder and lightening Choppa. The other component, common for Turk nations, includes the supreme god Teiri (identified to Allah), the goddess Umai, spirits-owners etc. These beliefs as well as the common for Karachai worshipping of trees, stones etc. was gradually replaced by Islam. Islam was the ideological basis of Karachai?s struggle during the Caucasus war.

During the years of the Soviet power the anti-religious policy brought a great harm to the beliefs of the Karachais. Since the beginning of 1980-ies in Karachaevo-Cherkesia like all around the country there?s the revival of traditional religion. Again there?s a mosque in every village which is the center of religious life. Religious literature is published, including the literature in the native language. More and more people follow the regulations of Islam, especially the lent and Mohammedan prayer. Uraza-bairam and Kurban-bairam are widely celebrated as well as the birthday of the Prophet (Mavlid). The funeral ritual became Islamic; there exists the ritual of redemption of the sins of the late person (deur).