Jon Stewart darkly joked that for most people, Chechnya might as well be Narnia. He was right, and it’s a shame. The Chechens are a distinct and proud mountain people, steeped in long traditions of bravery, daring, and generosity. On the other hand, they also possess a cultural dark side of ruthless banditry, gangsterism, and unreformed ancient practices like bride-stealing. For the last 800 years, they have periodically defied imperial might (from the Mongols to the modern Russians) and tenaciously clung to their values.
Slideshow:
Pictured:
- Rugged Chechen mountains are the heart of most of their insurgencies
- Mongols conquered all of Asia, but not the Chechen spirit
- Timur Leng, the fiercesome conqueror
- Chechen medieval warrior
- Chechen cavalryman, 15th century
- Traditional Chechen “kinzhal”
- Modern Day Chechnya
For Further Awesome Reading…
Allah’s Mountains: The Battle for Chechnya by Sebastian Smith
This is hard-hitting embedded journalism, but Smith does a great job introducing the roots of the Chechen conflict in the opening chapters. From there he covers his experiences on the frontlines reporting the war for the French Press in the mid-90s.
Inferno in Chechnya: The Russian-Chechen Wars, the Al Qaeda Myth, and the Boston Marathon Bombings by Brian Glyn-Williams
In-depth historical look at the conflict and its roots. I wish it had been by a better writer: this is one of those books that you read after you’re already interested deeply in the subject. It wouldn’t make a convert out of anybody else. Still, there’s really useful stuff here and it’s easy to read.
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