Ingushskiy Okrug

It was located in the central part of the North Caucasus in the basin of the Terek, Sunzha, Assa and Fortanga rivers, covering the territory of modern Ingushetia, parts of the Mozdok and Prigorodny regions of North Ossetia, Sernovodsky and parts of the Achkhoy-Martanovsky regions of the Chechen Republic.[1]

It bordered in the west with the Ossetinskiy Okrug, in the northwest with the Kabardinskiy Okrug, in the north with the Stavropol Governorate, in the east with the Chechenskiy Okrug, in the southeast with the Argunskiy Okrug, in the south along the Caucasus Range with the Tiflis Governorate.

Ingushskiy Okrug on the Road map of the Caucasus region in 1853.

Ingushskiy Okrug on the map of the Caucasus region, 1869.

Formed in 1860. Until 1860 of the 19th century, the mountain population of the North Caucasus was subordinate to the military authorities of the Left (North-Eastern Caucasus) and Right (North-Western Caucasus) flanks of the Caucasian Line. Civil administration was only in the Stavropol province. After the end of the Caucasian War, the military administration of the Caucasus was eliminated. In 1860, the entire territory of the North Caucasus was divided into the Stavropol province, Kuban, Terek and Dagestan oblasts. The Terek Oblast consisted of 8 districts: Kabardian, Ossetian, Ingush, Argun, Chechen, Ichkerian, and Kumyk.

The administrative center of the Ingushskiy Okrug, together with the Ossetian Okrug, was Vladikavkaz. The Ingush district consisted of three sections: Nazranovsky, Psedakhsky, Gorsky and also Karabulaksky which was liquidated in 1865. Significant lands of the plain of Ingushetia in 1864-1865, after the construction of Cossack villages on them, were directly subordinated to the Terek Cossack Host. In 1866, the territory of the Meredzhi and Akka societies was separated from the Gorsky section of the Ingush district and subordinated to the administration of the Argun Okrug due to them being ethnic Chechens and wanting to be in the same okrug as other Chechen societies.[2][3][4][5]

In 1870, the Ingush Okrug, together with the Cossack villages on the Sunzha, was merged with the Ossetian district into one Vladikavkazsky okrug, which covered a vast territory from the Urukh River in the west to the Fortanga River in the east.

On February 2, 1870, a project was approved to establish an agricultural farm and school in the Ingush district.[6]

In 1888, the lands of the Ingush Okrug, together with the lands of the Terek Cossack army on the Sunzha, formed the united Ingush-Cossack Sunzhensky Otdel of the Terek Oblast.[7] The Sunzhensky Otdel in 1909 split into two districts —Nazranovsky and Sunzhensky.

The main population of the district were Ingush (including part of the Orstkhoys) and Cossacks. The largest settlements according to the 1891 census were the following: Bazorkino - 4047 inhabitants, Ekazhevo - 3821, Nasyrkort - 3645, Kantyshevo - 2766, Plievo - 2766, Surkhokhi - 2271, Upper Achaluki - 1938, Middle Achaluki - 1505, Lower Achaluki - 1309, Gamurzievo - 1582, Altievo - 1000, Yandare - 1616, Badgers - 1595, Dalakovo - 1739, Sagopshi - 2098, Psedakh - 1402, Nazran Fortress - 1200.

In administrative terms, initially in 1862 Ingushkiy Okrug was divided into 4 subcounties (uchastoks) and the lands of the villages on the Sunzha subordinate to the Terek Cossack army. However, in 1865 the number of sites was reduced to three. The subcounties of the Ingushskiy okrug were as follows:

• Settlements of Nazranovsky uchastok: Bazorkino, Kantyshevo, Surkhakhi, Ekazhevo, Nasyr-Kort, Alty, Gamurzievo, Bursuk, Plievo, Dolakovo, Upper Achaluki.

• Settlements of Psedakhsky uchastok: Sagopshi, Geirbek-Yurt, Psedakh, Keskem, Lower Keskem, Bekovichi, Guchuk-Yurt, Lower Achaluki, Middle Achaluki, Upper Achaluki.

• Settlements of Gorskiy uchastok: Dzheyrakh, Pamyat, Armkhi, Lyazhgi, Tsori, Khamkhi, Tumgi, Khuli, Egikhal, Bisht, Doshkhakle, Kyazi, Shoan, Salgi, Metskhal, Garkh, Furtoug, Kusht, Koshk Morch, Eban, Kerbete, Harp, Beyni, Olgeti, Tsoli, Niy, Pyaling, Targim, Barkhane, Barakh, Leimi, Kart, Ozdik, Nilkh, Pui, Tsorkh, Kyakhk, Ersh, Ezmi, Kost, Nyakist, Hani, Gadaborsh, Torsh, Tori, Hay, Koli, Myashkhi, Vovnushki, Tsyzdy, Gul. In 1866, the settlements of Akki and parts of the Meredzhi societies — Yalkhoroy, Akki, Vilah, Kerete, Galanchozh, Kerbychi, Orzmikale, Vauge — were separated from the Gorsky section of the Ingushsky Okrug and attached to the Argunskiy Okrug.[2][4]

• Settlements of Karabulaksky uchastok: Botash-Yurt, Gazi-Yurt, Shinal-Yurt, Akhbarzoy, Arshty, Nesterovsky, Bamut, Chemulga, Mergist, Bereshki, Dattykh.[9][10]

• Албогачиева, М. С.-Г. (2015). Горы и границы: Этнография посттрадиционных обществ (in Russian). СПб.: Музей антропологии и этнографии им. Петра Великого (Кунсткамера) РАН. pp. 1–400. ISBN 978-5-88431-290-6.
• Грабовский, Н. Ф. (1870). Экономическiй и домашнiй бытъ жителей Горскаго участка Ингушевскаго округа. // Сборник сведений о кавказских горцах. Вып. 3 (in Russian). Тифлисъ: Кавказскаго Горскаго Управленiя. pp. 115–146.
• Дубровин, Н. Ф. (1871). История войны и владычества русских на Кавказе [The history of the war and domination of Russians in the Caucasus] (in Russian). Vol. 1. Book 1. СПб.: Тип. Департамента уделов. pp. 1–656.
• Baddeley, John F. (1940). The Rugged Flanks of Caucasus. Volume I. London: Oxford University Press: Humphrey Milford. pp. 1–318.
• Картоев, М. М. (2014). Ингушетия в политике Российской империи на Кавказе. XIX век. Магас. pp. 1–603.