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The Karachays or Karachais ( or ) are a North Caucasian-Turkic peoples ethnic group primarily located in their ancestral lands in Karachay–Cherkess Republic, a republic of Russia in the North Caucasus. They and the Balkars share a common origin, culture, and language.
| + Self-Identification and External Names of the Karachay-Balkar | |
| Karachay-Balkars | AlanĖmma Shirii︠a︡zdanovna Geni︠u︡shene, Zlatka Guentchéva, Reciprocal Constructions, Vol. 3, John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2007, s. 971 |
| Mingrelians | Alani |
| Nogais | AlanM. A. Habichev: Ob etnonimax alan, byzynnyly, malkarly, karačajly, tegejli, 1971, s. 126 |
| Svaneti | AzМизиев Исмаил. История карачаево-балкарского народа с древнейших времён до присоединения к России // Ас алан. М.: «Мир дому твоему», 1998. № 1. - С.2-102 |
| (Ossetians), Digor | Asiag |
| (Ossetians), Ironian | Asi, Asson |
| Abkazians | Azuho, Akarach |
Ankara University's professor Ufuk Tavkul, another specialist, locates that the ethnogenesis of Karachays-Balkars and Kumyks inside the Caucasus, not outside; he then succinctly describes the ethnogenesis of peoples of the Caucasus, including the Karachays and Balkars, thus:
Other research by Boulygina et al. (2020) shows Karachays' genetic connection to the pre-historic Koban culture. A recent genetic study states the following: "Balkars and Karachays belong to the Caucasian anthropological type. According to the results of craniology, somatology, odontology, and dermatoglyphics, the native (Caucasian) origin of the Balkars and Karachays and their kinship with the representatives of neighboring ethnic groups and a minor role of the Central Asian component in their ethnogenesis were concluded."
The state of Alania was established prior to the Mongol invasions and had its capital in Maghas, which some authors locate in Arkhyz, the mountains currently inhabited by the Karachay, while others place it in either what is now modern Ingushetia or North Ossetia. In the 14th century, Alania was destroyed by Timur and the decimated population dispersed into the mountains.
In the nineteenth century Russia took over the area during the Russian conquest of the Caucasus. On October 20, 1828 the Battle of Khasauka took place, in which the Russian troops were under the command of General Georgy Emanuel. The day after the battle, as Russian troops were approaching the aul of Kart-Dzhurt, the Karachay elders met with the Russian leaders and an agreement was reached for the inclusion of the Karachay into the Russian Empire.
After annexation, the self-government of Karachay was left intact, including its officials and courts. Interactions with neighboring Muslim peoples continued to take place based on both folk customs and Sharia law. In Karachay, soldiers were taken from Karachai Amanat, pledged an oath of loyalty, and were assigned arms.
From 1831 to 1860, a large portion of Karachays joined the anti-Russian struggles carried out by the North Caucasian peoples. Karachays actively participated in the resistance alongside their neighbors, including the Circassians and Abazins, against Russian colonization. One of the most notable uprisings was the Karachay Uprising of 1855, which was part of a broader North Caucasian rebellion against Russian expansion. During this revolt, Karachay fighters launched attacks on Russian military outposts and played a crucial role in the regional resistance movement.
Between 1861 and 1880, to escape reprisals by the Russian army, some Karachays migrated to the Ottoman Empire although most Karachays remained in their ancestral lands.
In 1930, the Karachay Uprising broke out as a reaction to Soviet collectivization policies. The forced seizure of land, grain requisitioning, and repression of rural elites sparked armed resistance among Karachay peasants, particularly Kulak and middle peasants. The uprising began in March 1930, with rebels seizing several key towns, including Mikoyan-Shahar (now Karachayevsk), Kislovodsk, and Batalpashinsk (now Cherkessk). The Soviet government responded swiftly, deploying Red Army forces to crush the rebellion. By April 1930, the uprising was brutally suppressed, with many insurgents executed or imprisoned. This event was part of the broader anti-Soviet resistance in the North Caucasus during Stalin’s early rule. All Karachay officials were purged by early 1938, and the entire nation was administered by NKVD officers, none of whom were Karachay. In addition, the entire intelligentsia, all rural officials and at least 8,000 ordinary farmers were arrested, including 875 women. Most were executed, but many were sent to prison camps throughout the Caucasus.
During the parade of sovereignties and the collapse of the USSR on November 30, 1990, KCHAO withdrew from the Stavropol Territory and became the Karachay-Cherkess Soviet Socialist Republic (KChSSR) as part of the RSFSR, which was approved by a resolution of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR on July 3, 1991. In 1989–1997, the Karachay national movements appealed to the leadership of the RSFSR with a request to restore a separate autonomy of Karachay.
On November 18, 1990, at the congress of Karachay deputies of all levels, the Karachay Soviet Socialist Republic (since October 17, 1991 — the Karachay Republic) was proclaimed as part of the RSFSR, which was not recognized by the leadership of the RSFSR. On March 28, 1992, a referendum was held in which, according to the official results, the majority of the population of Karachay-Cherkessia opposed the division. The division was not legalized, and a single Karachay-Cherkessia remained.
Karachays were also forcibly displaced to the Central Asian republics of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kirghizia during Joseph Stalin's relocation campaign in 1944. Since the Nikita Khrushchev era in the Soviet Union, the majority of Karachays have been repatriated to their homeland from Central Asia. Today, there are sizable Karachay communities in Turkey (centered on Afyonkarahisar), Uzbekistan, the United States, and Germany.
The Karachays are very proud of the symbol of their nation, Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, with an altitude of 5,642 meters.
Karachay people live in communities that are divided into families and clans (Tukkhum). A tukum is based on a family's lineage and there are roughly thirty-two Karachay tukums. Prominent tukums include: Abayhan, Aci, Batcha (Batca), Baychora, Bayrimuk (Bayramuk), Bostan, Catto (Jatto), Cosar (Çese), Duda, Hubey (Hubi), Karabash, Kochkar, Laypan, Lepshoq, Ozden (Uzden), Silpagar, Tebu, Teke, Toturkul, Urus.
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