Meredzhi (village)

This article is about the village of Meredzhi. For the river with a same name, see Meredzhi (river).

Meredzhi Мереджи
Selo
Other transcription(s)
• Chechen	Мержа
• Ingush	Мерж, Мерже
Location of Meredzhi
Meredzhi Location of Meredzhi Show map of Russia Meredzhi Meredzhi (Chechnya) Show map of Chechnya
Coordinates: 42°56′16″N 45°07′58″E
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Chechnya
Population  (2010 Census)[1]
• Total	0
• Estimate  (2021)[2]	0
Administrative status
• Subordinated to	Galanchozhsky District

Meredzhi[a] is a non-residential rural locality (a selo) in Galanchozhsky District of the Republic of Chechnya, Russia (Until September 26, 2018, it was in the Sunzhensky District of Ingushetia[5][6]).

History

Background

The village consists of three smaller settlements—Dak-Bukh, Dalg-Bukh and Chork-Bukh(Guloi and Khaikharoi representatives village).[7] It's predominantly made up of wooden buildings[8][9] due to its geographical location—the needed wood is available at nearby forests. Meredzhi was one of the centre villages of Meredzhi Society.[8] The Chechen-Ingush clan (teip) of Merzhoy [ru] originated from it.[10] Due to good climate and hydrogeological conditions, the population of the village was primarily engaged in arable farming and cattle breeding but also gardening.[11]

In the second half of the 18th century (1770s), the German researcher J. A. Güldenstädt indicated the village of Meredzhi among the total number of ingush (Kist) villages which he opposes them with the Chechens.[12] Meredzhi was mentioned as an Ingush village in 1823 by S. M. Bronevskiy.[13]

In 1858, Naib of Little Chechnya Said-Dulla by order of Nikolay Yevdokimov made punitive raids on Shagot-Kokh, Dattykh, Azerze, Meredzhi and other villages, where many abreks were hiding.[14] In maps of 1850s Meredzhi is shown in ruins.[15]

Russian rule

The village Meredzhi on the map of Sunzhensky otdel in 1892.

In 1862, the Ingush okrug was established as part of the Western Department of Terek Oblast. The village of Meredzhi was part of the Gorsky uchastok of the Ingush okrug.[16] In 1866 the Meredzhi was ceded to the Argun okrug [ru] due to them belonging to the same nation as the locals (Chechen) and geographically closer to the central governance of the okrug.[17]

Soviet rule

During the deportation of the Chechens and Ingush, the village's population was deported to Central Asia and became uninhabited. Only tourists wandered in the village.[18] With the abolishment of Checheno-Ingush ASSR, Meredzhi became part of Pervomaysky raion [ru] of the Grozny Oblast and was subordinated to the village of Pervomaysky (modern day Galashki).[19] With the restoration of Chechen-Ingush autonomy, Meredzhi was included in the Sunzhensky raion of Checheno-Ingush ASSR.[20]

Modern

During the Insurgency in the North Caucasus, Chechen militants set up their camp near Meredzhi. On March 28 2011, Russian Air Forces carried out airstrikes using a drone on the camp, killing 16 of the militants including a prominent commander—Supyan Abdullayev during the operation.[10] Although originally assumed that Doku Umarov was among the militants dead, this was disproven as his supposed body wasn't found. Having taken medical supplies, He left the camp few hours before the operation took place.[21]

With the connection to the start of the summer tourist season, the Committee of the Republic of Ingushetia for Tourism, together with local authorities of the Sunzhensky District, organized tourist trips to Meredzhi on 12 May 2018.[22]

Demographics

National censuses done by the Russian empire and the Soviet Union in 1874, 1883, 1891, 1914 and 1926 showed that all of the inhabitants of Meredzhi and its surrounding villages were ethnic Chechens in all 5 censuses.[23][24][25][26][27]

Geography

Meredzhi is located on the right bank of the Fortanga river, on the Meredzhi river, at the foot of the Kyurelam [ru] mountain range. The nearest settlements: in the northwest (downstream of Fortanga) — the village of Dattykh, in the northeast (upstream of Fortanga) — the village of Gandalbos, in the west – the village of Tsecha-Akhki, in the east – the village of Khaykharoy.

Gallery

Tower in between a cliff

Tower in between a cliff

Notes

1. 
    • Russian: Мереджи
    • Chechen: Мержа, romanized: Merzha
    • Ingush: Мерж, romanized: Merzh;[3] Мерже, romanized: Merzhe.[4]

References

1. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1 [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года [2010 All-Russia Population Census] (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service.
2. "Таблица 5. Численность населения России, федеральных округов, субъектов Российской Федерации, городских округов, муниципальных районов, муниципальных округов, городских и сельских поселений, городских населенных пунктов, сельских населенных пунктов с населением 3000 человек и более". |Итоги Всероссийской переписи населения 2020 года
3. Kodzoev & Kieva 2021, p. 37.
4. Доклад о границах и территории Ингушетии 2021, p. 72.
5. Кавказский Узел: анализ картографов 2018.
6. Zheng 2018.
7. Suleymanov 1978, p. 80.
8. Ivanov 1904, p. 50.
9. Kobychev 1982, p. 84.
10. Mashkin 2011.
11. Ivanov 1904, pp. 50–51.
12. Гюльденштедт 2002, p. 242.
13. Броневский 1823, p. 166.
14. Кавказская археографическая комиссия (1904). Акты, собранные Кавказской археографической комиссией [Acts collected by the Caucasian Archaeographic Commission] (in Russian). Vol. 12. Тифлис: Типография Главного Управления Наместника Кавказского. p. 1116.
15. Доклад о границах и территории Ингушетии 2021, p. 91.
16. Сборник статистических сведений о Кавказе 1869, p. 45.
17. "НЭБ - Национальная электронная библиотека".
18. Dzaurova 2017.
19. Доклад о границах и территории Ингушетии 2021, p. 34.
20. Доклад о границах и территории Ингушетии 2021, p. 35.
21. Grigoryev 2011.
22. Tsoroev 2018.
23. "НЭБ - Национальная электронная библиотека".
24. "Statistical tables of populated areas of the Terek region / ed. Tersk. stat. com. ed. Evg. Maksimov. — Vladikavkaz, 1890—1891. — 7 t. p. 60". Archived from the original on May 22, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
25. "Settled results of the 1926 census in the North Caucasus region — Don State Public". Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
26. "НЭБ - Национальная электронная библиотека".
27. http://elib.shpl.ru/ru/nodes/46057-spisok-naselennyh-mest-terskoy-oblasti-po-dannym-k-1-mu-iyulya-1914-goda-vladikavkaz-1915#mode/inspect/page/175/zoom/9

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• Grigoryev, Aleksandr (March 31, 2011). ""Неуловимого Джо" Умарова в уничтоженном лагере в Ингушетии искать бесполезно" [It is useless to look for the "elusive Joe" Umarov in the destroyed camp in Ingushetia]. Argumentti nedeli (in Russian).
• Dzaurova, Tanzila (September 10, 2017). "Экспедиция в Мереджи" [Expedition to Meredzhi]. www.dzurdzuki.com (in Russian).
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