Everything about Tats totally explained
» For Tattoos, also called "tats" see, Tattoo.
The
Tat are an
Middle Persian-speaking ethnic group in the
Caucasus. The Muslim Tats are considered an
Iranian ethnic group in the
Caucasus and the Jewish Tats have adopted the language of Tati in ancient times. The Tats speak a southwest Iranian tongue called Tati, which is also referred to as Tat-Persian by some linguists. The Tats descend from
Persians that moved into the Caucasian mountains in the 5th and 6th centuries. The majority of the Tats of
Dagestan (825 as of
2002) live in
Kaitag,
Magaramkend,
Derbent, and
Makhachkala. A small number have settled in the North Caucasus (
Gorny and
Nalchik).
The Tat, according to the official census of the
Republic of Azerbaijan number about 10,900 (as of
1999). According to 1897 ethnic census, there were 95,100 Tats living in the Caucasus. . According to USSR census of 1926, there was a total of 28,443 Muslim Tats in the Soviet Socialist Republic of Azerbaijan. Together with the Mountain Jews, the number of Tat-speakers was nearly 70000 in 1926. These number however represent a decrease. According to the Encyclopedia of World Cultures:
Also according to the book 19th century book Golestan-e-Aram, written by
Abbasgulu Bakikhanov, Tati was widespread in many areas of Shamakhi, Baku,
Darband and Kuba
The Tat of Azerbaijan live in the mountain valleys of the north and north-eastern parts of Azerbaijan, along the
Caspian shore, with important concentrations in
Absheron,
Khizi and
Ismayilli. There is some debate on the origin of the
Mountain Jews, with some opining that they're not Tat at all but simply Jews that took the
Tat language, while others argue that they're the descendants of Tats that converted to Judaism.
The
Turkic-speaking peoples originally coined the term
Tat to designate settled groups of non-
Turkic origin. Tats speak the
Tat language, which is also native to Mountain Jews and the Christian Armeno-Tats.
Although the Tat have been an agricultural people from the beginning of their history, they've also developed a strong urban community. Farmers living in the valleys raise
wheat,
barley,
maize,
grapes and
cattle. Those living in mountain villages raise
sheep, bulls and
buffaloes. In the north-eastern area, communities consisting of 80 to 120 households are located in mountain settlements built on ledges. The availability of water determines the villages' location, each village contains a religious building, a bath area, a well, as well as family dwellings.
The rural Tat usually live in one or two story homes, which are constructed of rectangular shaped natural stones cemented with clay mortar. The houses feature flat roofs and front porches supported by wooden pillars. Families living in two-story homes use the upper floor for living quarters and the lower floor for working space. The Tat are considered a closed society because they insist on maintaining ethnic purity by allowing marriage only within the tribe. It can be argued that, for such a small ethnic group, this is the only strategy for survival.
Originally based on an article by Travel-images.com, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License, used with permission.
There are also Tats residing in
Gilan province in Iran.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Tats'.
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