.jpg) | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 13,000 (high. est.) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Russia | 6,890 (2021 census)[1] |
 Georgia | 850 (2009 estimate)[2] |
| Languages | |
| Bezhta,Avar,Russian | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Northeast Caucasian peoples | |
TheBezhta (alsoKapuchi) are anAndi–Dido people living in theTsuntinsky region in southwesternDagestan. In the 1930s along with the rest of the Andi-Dido peoples they were classified asAvars. However, some people identified themselves as Bezhta in the 2002 census ofRussia. They speak theBezhta language, but many of them also speakAvar,Russian or otherTsezic languages of their region. They numbered 1,448 in 1926. According to the Russian census in 2002, there were 6184 self-identified "Bezhtins", though the real number is probably higher.
The territory of the Bezhtas was nominally part of theAvar Khanate. In 1806, the Bezhtas were incorporated into the Russian empire. Tight colonial control of the region was enforced during the 1860s and 1870s.[3] During Soviet rule, the Bezhtas witnessedcollectivization, urbanization, education mainly taught in the Russian language, and a erosion of Islam and traditional Bezhta culture.[3]
The Bezhta are primarilySunni Muslim. The presence ofIslam in the land of the Bezhta can be traced back to the 8th and 9th centuries.[3] Most Bezhta adopted the religion around the 16th and 17th centuries due to the influence ofSufi missionaries.[3][4]
The Bezhtas used to be livestock breeders. They mainly raised sheep, horses and oxen. The Bezhtas also practiced terrace farming and grew rye, wheat and other grains.[3]
According to genetic studies in 2016, the following haplogroups are found to predominate among Bezhtas:[5]
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