History of Dagestan

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 31. Chapters: Caucasian Albania, Khanate of Kazi-Kumukh, Shamkhalate of Kazi-Kumukh, Treaty of Gulistan, Caucasus Emirate, Army of Islam, Insurgency in the North Caucasus, Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus, Sarir, North Caucasian Emirate, Avar Khanate, Djamaat. Excerpt: Albania (Latin , Greek , in Old Armenian: ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Aluank¿, Parthian Ardhan, Middle Persian Arran, usually referred to as Caucasian Albania for disambiguation with the modern state of Albania; the native name for the country is unknown) is a name for the historical region of the eastern Caucasus, that existed on the territory of present-day republic of Azerbaijan (where both of its capitals were located) and partially southern Dagestan. The Parthian name was Ardhan ( Middle Persian: Arran). The Arabic was ar-Ran. The name of the country in the language of the native population, the Caucasian Albanians, is not known. Aghuank (Old Armenian: ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Aluank¿, Modern Armenian: ¿¿¿¿¿¿ Agvank') is the Armenian name for Caucasian Albania. Armenian authors mention that the name derived from the word "Aghu" («¿¿¿¿») meaning amiable in Armenian. The term Aghuank is polysemous and is also used in Armenian sources to denote the region between the Kur and Araxes rivers as part of Armenia. In the latter case it is sometimes used in the form "Armenian Aghuank" or "Hay-Aghuank". The Armenian historian of the region, Movses Kaghankatvatsi, who left the only more or less complete historical account, also explains the name Aghvank as a derivation from the word Aghu (Armenian for sweet, soft, tender), which, he said, was the nickname of Caucasian Albania's first governor Arran and referred to his lenient personality. Moses of Kalankatuyk and other ancient sources explain Arran or Arhan as the name of the legendary founder of Caucasian Albania (Aghvan) or even as the Iranic tribe known as Alans (Alani), who in some versions was son of Noah's son Yafet (Japheth). James Darmesteter, translator of the Avesta, compared Arran with Airyana Vaego which he also considered to have been in the Araxes-Ararat region, although modern theories tend to place this in the east of Iran. Caucasian Albania until 387 In pre-Islamic times, Caucasian Albania/Arran was a wider concept than that of post-Islamic A