1st Edition

Russian-Muslim Confrontation in the Caucasus Alternative Visions of the Conflict between Imam Shamil and the Russians, 1830-1859

    280 Pages
    by Routledge

    284 Pages
    by Routledge

    This book presents two extraordinary texts - The Shining of Swords by Al-Qarakhi and a new translation for a contemporary readership of Leo Tolstoy's Hadji Murat - illuminating the mountain war between the Muslim peoples of the Caucasus and the imperial Russian army from 1830 to 1859. The authors offer a complete commentary on the various intellectual and religious contexts that shaped the two texts and explain the historical significance of the Russian-Muslim confrontation. It is shown that the mountain war was a clash of two cultures, two religious outlooks and two different worlds. The book provides an important background for the ongoing contest between Russia and indigenous people for control of the Caucasus.

    Preface  Introduction  Note on Transliteration  1. Muhammad Tahir al-Qarakhi, The Shining of Daghestani Swords in Certain Campaigns of Shamil Ernest Tucker and Thomas Sanders  2. Lev Tolstoi, Hadji Murat Thomas Sanders and Gary Hamburg  3. War of Worlds Gary Hamburg  Glossary and Chronology Ernest Tucker

    Biography

    Thomas Sanders is Associate Professor of Russian History at the U.S. Naval Academy.
    Ernest Tucker is Associate Professor of Middle East History at the U.S. Naval Academy.
    Gary Hamburg is Professor of Russian History, University of Notre Dame, US, specializing in the cultural and intellectual history of imperial Russia.