The Kirghiz are Mahomenes, although not very zealous; They have neither separate Muslim sections nor any special fanaticism. Their morals are rougher than those of the Kalmyks; The Kyrgyz are warlike and are still known for their predatory poverty; the stealing of other people's cattle, called “barantoy,” is still the highest thing in the mind of the Kyrgyz. This rudeness of morals was evidently influenced by Islam; The meek religion of the Lama obviously softened the character of the Kalmyks a lot, so much so that she was much less likely to communicate with them with the Khrisans, whose Muslim religion is the Kyrgyz. The clothes of the Kyrgyz are better and richer than those of the Kalmyks; many of them wear silk robes and conical hats. An ordinary headdress for women shchin—two large white scarves; one, falling from the head, covers the hair,
neck and shoulders, the other is wrapped in the form of a high hat. In cases of pa-
The Kyrgyz woman is happy to put a hard cap on her head in the sight of a cushioned cone; The women decorate their necks and chests, decorating them with an abundance of ringing necklaces, coins, pearls, beads and glass beads, so that the walking noble Kyrgyz woman can be heard from afar, as she rings in time with her gait in different ways. Despite the Muslim religion, the Kyrgyz woman does not know seclusion; she is cheeky, hospitable and not at all devoid of daring, manifested in her beautiful riding style. A Kyrgyz girl rushing across the steppe on a dashing horse, which she constantly teases with a whip, is a picture worthy of an artist’s brush.
In addition to the Kalmyks and Kyrgyz, the population of the Astrakhan region includes the Astrakhan Tatars - the ancient inhabitants of the Volga region and the Astrakhan Cossacks. The origins of the Astrakhan Tatars are traced back to the third son of Noah, Taphet, who with 8 of his sons allegedly settled on the Volga, precisely in those very cities where the Golden Horde was located in the late 19th century. In essence, the present-day Astrakhan Tatars are the remnants of those numerous Mongol kingdoms, of which the last, Kiichak, split into two territories: Nrymskaya - under the influence of the Crimean khans (on the right side of the Volga) and Nogaiskaya, where a group of Mongols - the Nogais - roamed. That part of these remnants that lived sedentary gave as a result of the Yurt Tatars, the other part are the direct descendants of the Nogais - the Kundrovsve Tatars. The Astrakhan Tatars are a serious, humble people, but without humiliation, rather cunning and secretive; Their disadvantage is a certain weakness for horse stealing. Despite polygamy, the tribe of the Astrakhan Tatars is gradually decreasing in numbers, a phenomenon whose causes are not clear.
The beginning of the Astrakhan Cossack army dates back to 1730, when the Astrakhan Cossack regiment was formed from Kalmyks who converted to Christianity. In 1801, the teams of Cherny Yar, Enotaevsk and Vrasny Yar were assigned to the army, and in 1804, the former Volzhev Cossacks, who remained on the Volgf for some reason during the transfer of the Volzhev army to the Caucasus in 1777. The increase in the population assigned to the Cossacks made it possible to form two more regiments, which was done in 1817. General control over the Cossacks is in the hands of the appointed ataman.
EZvan!e and the position, combined since 1880 with the position of Astrakhan governor, in one person. The Astrakhan Cossack army is endowed with large tracts of land and fishing grounds. In peacetime, almost the entire contingent of Astrakhan Cossacks is scattered throughout the cities of the province to maintain guards and throughout the Kalmyk uluses as a convoy for the local authorities.
Head of the USH.
ASTRAKHAN.
From a distance, Strazhan looks like a large seaside town, although in reality it is located a considerable distance from the sea. The indigenous city can actually be called the space that lies between the Volga, the Kutum channel and the Varvatslevsky Canal, while the rest are settlements and suburbs inhabited at different times; the oldest of the last - the Tatar settlement, in which centuries after the conquest of Astrakhan they were carved out
Lena Tatars. To the east and south there are vineyards adjacent to the settlements, of which there are a lot in the vicinity of Astrakhan.
By its very location on the banks of a huge navigable river and less than 90 miles from the sea, Astrakhan has long had the significance of a very important trading point, playing an outstanding role in trade relations
Russia with the East.