A Strange Archival Document... The Petition of Kaitmaz Alikhan[ov], The Commander of Khunzakh Fortress to The Foreign Affairs Minister of The Georgian Democratic Republic, Evgeni Gegechkori...

Türkçe Tercüme
In the spring of 1920, when the Russian Bolsheviks started to occupy the North Caucasus, Kaitmaz Alikhan[ov], one of the most prominent military figures of Dagestan, paid a surprising visit to Tbilisi and presented a petition to the Georgian Foreign Minister Evgeni Gegechkori.  Although the petition does not bear Kaitmaz Alikhan's signature or seal, the fact that the petition bears the stamp of the Democratic Republic of Georgia and that the document is among the official archival documents convinces us of its authenticity.
On the date of the petition, 2 June 1920, Haydar Bammat was the elected and officially appointed representative of the Union of Caucasian Mountaineers’ Central Committee and the Trans-Caucasian Muslim Committees in Tbilisi. So, why Kaitmaz Alikhan[ov] applied to the Georgian Foreign Minister with such a petition is one of the critical questions that still need to be answered today.   The full text of Kaitmaz Alikhan[ov]'s petition is as follows:

Mr. Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Chief of the Avaristan Colonel Kaitmaz Alikhanov, residing in the Hotel “The Kavkaz”
Report,

The bloody chaos that was brought to the North Caucasus first by the “Volunteers” and then by the "Bolsheviks" has plunged the people of Dagestan, the Avars, into a vicious circle. The influence of Bolshevism has covered only the plains of Dagestan and has strengthened along the coast of the Caspian Sea. The Bolsheviks also came to us, the highlanders of Dagestan, but they were unable to gain deep roots, since we, the highlanders, and especially the Avars, have taken into account very well that both under the mask of "Volunteerism" and under the mask of "Bolshevism" there was and is hidden a desire to gather and unite the former "Russia", i.e. Russians have come to us and are coming with the obvious and hidden slogan "United and indivisible Russia".
What does Russian great power mean, we have already experienced ourselves, as have all the peoples of the former patchwork Russia. Violence, tyranny, darkness, and ignorance - these are the shoots of the Russian sowers. Understanding all this well and remembering the past well, the Avars fought and are ready to fight for their freedom and identity by all means available to them. The Avars have imprinted their love of freedom on the pages of history. For it and in the name of it, they waged a titanic struggle with Russian power for 60 years, led by the Avar Shamil. All of the above results from my observation of my life in the mountains of Avaristan, especially two years of governing this region by the election of the people. As I have already said, the Bolsheviks began to approach us and almost locked Avaristan in their ring. For the past two years, I have been able to protect the population from the hordes of "Denikinites" and "Leninists", but now that the latter has become so strong in the Northern Caucasus that they have begun to assert their ego, we Avars have become concerned about what we have been shedding our own and others' blood for. Our property, our religion, adats, and the honor of our wives and daughters are in danger. The Avars, seeing and realizing all this on the one hand, and on the other not forgetting that Avaristan before the invasion of Timur of Samarkand was an inseparable part of Georgia, and therefore close to it in spirit and blood, although diluted over the centuries, are now turning their gaze, gazes full of hope, toward the Georgian people. For this purpose, a conference of all influential persons in Avaristan was held under my chairmanship. The participants of this conference came to a unanimous decision, namely: to appeal to Georgia so that it annexes Avaria on an autonomous basis, i.e. foreign policy, military affairs, finances, and education should be common, while we are granted internal self-government and a Court on the principles of Sharia.
I was sent here to Tiflis to report to the Government of Georgia the will of the Avar people and to clarify the views of the leaders of the Georgian people on this burning issue for us.
To fulfill the task entrusted to me, I am addressing Your Excellency, Mr. Minister, with this brief note. For the information of the Government, I consider it necessary to indicate the borders of Avaria, the number of the population, and their occupation.
The Avar people inhabit the Andi, Avar, and Gunib districts, part of the Dargin district, and several villages of the Temir-Khan-Shura district. The borders of the above districts are formed from the west by the Andean ridge, then to the south, the border goes in a straight line to the main ridge to Tusheti; from the north by the Tavlu ridge, which has local names depending on which villages adjoin it, such as Chirkakh, Gimri, Karanai, and Arakan, then to Kizilyar; from the east to Kizilyar along a straight line and the Kara-Koysu River to the main Caucasian ridge; from the south by the watershed line of the Main ridge. From the west, neighboring the Avars, live the Chechens (Vedeno Okrug) and partly the Kumyks (Khasav-Yurt Okrug). From the north the Kumyks (Temir-Khan-Shura Okrug). From the east, the Akusha, residents of the Dargin district and Lak of the Kazikumukh district, and finally from the south, the Georgians of the Tionetsky, Telavi, Sighnaghi districts and residents of the Zakatala district.
Within the specified borders lives the population of the Avar nation, more than 300,000 souls. They are mainly engaged in cattle and sheep breeding. Agriculture is in last place since there is little land suitable for sowing. Horticulture and viticulture are highly developed.
I do not think it superfluous to mention here that according to the research of the last ten years, it has been firmly established that the lands and mountains of Avaristan are rich in all kinds of valuable mineral resources, such as gold, coal; mercury and other riches. Not far from the villages of Miyatly and Zubutn, the British have already produced oil, since powerful oil-bearing veins have been discovered. All this serves as proof that with desire and skill, which Georgia does not have to borrow from anyone; Georgia and, in particular, Avaristan will become rich, emerging from the darkness and ignorance so cultivated by the Russian Government. In addition to all of the above, with this reunification, Georgia also receives access to the Caspian Sea.
Considering my task exhausted, I humbly ask you to honor me with an answer so that in the event of the Georgian Government's consent to accept Avaristan, specially authorized representatives of the Avar people could come to clarify all the relations in detail.

Head of the Avar District of the Dagestan Region
K. Alikhanov.
City of Tiflis, 2nd day of June 1920

We do not know how the Menshevik Georgian Government responded to such a petition. In fact, considering the alliance treaty signed by Grigol Uratadze with the Russian Soviet Socialist Republic on May 7, 1920, and the measures taken by the Georgian Government against Soviet opposition activities, it does not seem reasonable to think that the Georgian Government would have officially given a positive respond. Moreover, we also know that during the same period, pro-independence North Caucasian groups were deprived of suitable conditions for their activities in Georgia and that some were even arrested on charges of being supporters of the Volunteer Army. However, this petition of Kaitmaz Alikhan[ov], who was unaware that the Menshevik Georgian Government had made such an evil agreement with the Bolshevik Russians, is very important evidence in terms of showing how helpless he was against the Bolshevik terror in the North Caucasus.

Although we do not know today whether the Menshevik Georgian Government officially responded to this request, we do know from the course of events that the treaty signed by Uratadze with the Russians remained on paper and that when it became clear that the Bolsheviks would also invade Georgia, the Menshevik Georgians agreed to send arms to the north to keep the danger away from their borders. These late and opportunistic decisions were of no use, and Kaitmaz Alikhan, who fought against the Bolsheviks in the mountains for more than 9 months, was martyred after a traitor reported his place to the Bolsheviks and fought to his last bullet.
Cem Kumuk
Istanbul, 6 November 2024