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 The flag of the Tsez people | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 30,000 (highest est.) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Russia | 14,881 (2021 census)[1] |
| Languages | |
| Tsez | |
| Religion | |
| Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Georgians,Avars and otherNortheast Caucasian peoples | |
TheTsez (also known as theDido or theDidoi) are aNorth Caucasianethnic group. Their unwritten language, also calledTsez or Dido, belongs to theNortheast Caucasian group with some 15,354 speakers.[2] For demographic purposes, today they are classified with theAvars with whom the Tsez share a religion,Sunni Islam, and some cultural traits. They are centered at theTsunta district of theRepublic of Dagestan,Russia. The term “Dido” is sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to the Tsez as well as theBezhtas,Hinukhs,Khwarshis andHunzibs, which are also categorized as Avar subgroups.[2] According to the2002 Russian census, there were 15,256 self-identified Tsez in Russia (15,176 in their homeland), notated as an "Avar subgroup", though the real number is probably slightly greater.
The Tsez traditionally engaged in raising livestock and limited cultivation. In more recent times, some Tsez have migrated to industrial centers for work.[3] The Tsez adhere to Sunni Islam. Islam became the majority faith of the Tsez by the 17th and 18th centuries though elements of pre-Islamic customs are still present.[3]
According to genetic studies in 2016, the following haplogroups are found to predominate among Tsez:[4]
| Caucasian (areal) |
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| Indo- European |
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| Turkic |
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| Others | ||||||||||||||||||
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