Malkh
The Malkh were an ancient nation, living in the Western/Central North Caucasus. They are usually regarded as the westernmost Nakh people,[1] and their name has a Nakh root (Malkh, the sun, attached to the main God, Deela's name as well, see Vainakh mythology). Little is known about them due to a loss of historical writings.
History
Unlike the Durdzuks, the Malkh seem to have to set up a monarchy (possibly after the escalation of the threat of the Scythians and Sarmatians). The Malkh state had a king, who called himself an "emperor".[1]
By the 5th century BCE, the Nakh nations of the North Caucasus (Malkhs in the West, Dzurdzuks in the East, as well as other Nakh tribes such as the Gligvs, "Kists", Khamekits, and Sadiks, though the boundaries between many of these peoples was fuzzy and unsure [2]) were turning to larger states for assistance against the northern nomadic invaders.[1] While the Dvals and Dzurdzuks allied themselves to Colchis and Iberia, the Malkh became strong allies of the Greek Bosporan Kingdom. In 480, Adermalkh, king of the Malkh, married a daughter of the Bosporan king.[3] The later history of the Malkh is unknown.
References
- Jaimoukha, Amjad. The Chechens: A Handbook. Routledge Curzon: Oxon, 2005.
- Jaimoukha, Amjad. The Chechens: A Handbook. Page 31.
- Jaimoukha, Amjad. The Chechens: A Handbook. Page 28