Siege of Akhoulgo
Encyclopedia
The siege of Akhoulgo took place in June–August 1839 during the Caucasian War
, when the Imperial Russian army
(approx. 7,000 soldiers) under the command of Generals Yevgeny Golovin and Pavel Grabbe surrounded Imam Shamil
and his followers, numbering about 5,000 men, in their mountain stronghold of Akhoulgo, nestled in the bend of the Andiyskoye Koysu River, about ten miles east of Gimry
, Dagestan
.
The Russians attacked Akhoulgo four times, but to no avail. The siege lasted eighty days (from June 12 to August 22) because the aul
represented a very arduous mountain stronghold (one of the slopes of Mt. Akhoulgo had a 50-degree steepness and was about 100 meters in height). The Russians finally managed to break down the resistance of the mountaineers after bombarding the stronghold with heavy artillery and then undertook a fifth attack on the aul, securing a victory. The Russians suffered about 2,500 casualties in taking the stronghold, while the rebels were almost entirely slaughtered after extremely bitter fighting (which continued for another week after the capturing of Akhoulgo). Shamil and a small party of his closest followers, including some family, miraculously managed to escape to Chechnya
through the Russian siege lines during the final days at Akhoulgo. Following his escape, he once again set about regaining his following and resisting the Russian occupation.
The participants of the siege of Akhoulgo were later awarded a special medal inscribed For Capturing of Akhoulgo ("За взятие штурмом Ахульго").
Caucasian War
The Caucasian War of 1817–1864, also known as the Russian conquest of the Caucasus was an invasion of the Caucasus by the Russian Empire which ended with the annexation of the areas of the North Caucasus to Russia...
, when the Imperial Russian army
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
(approx. 7,000 soldiers) under the command of Generals Yevgeny Golovin and Pavel Grabbe surrounded Imam Shamil
Imam Shamil
Imam Shamil also spelled Shamyl, Schamil, Schamyl or Shameel was an Avar political and religious leader of the Muslim tribes of the Northern Caucasus...
and his followers, numbering about 5,000 men, in their mountain stronghold of Akhoulgo, nestled in the bend of the Andiyskoye Koysu River, about ten miles east of Gimry
Gimry
Gimry is a village in Untsukulsky District of the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. It is located in the mountain where Imam Shamil, the third Imam of Dagestan, was born.-History:...
, Dagestan
Dagestan
The Republic of Dagestan is a federal subject of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and the largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea...
.
The Russians attacked Akhoulgo four times, but to no avail. The siege lasted eighty days (from June 12 to August 22) because the aul
Aul
An aul is a type of fortified village found throughout the Caucasus mountains, especially in Dagestan.The word itself is of Turkic origine and means simply village in many Turkic languages....
represented a very arduous mountain stronghold (one of the slopes of Mt. Akhoulgo had a 50-degree steepness and was about 100 meters in height). The Russians finally managed to break down the resistance of the mountaineers after bombarding the stronghold with heavy artillery and then undertook a fifth attack on the aul, securing a victory. The Russians suffered about 2,500 casualties in taking the stronghold, while the rebels were almost entirely slaughtered after extremely bitter fighting (which continued for another week after the capturing of Akhoulgo). Shamil and a small party of his closest followers, including some family, miraculously managed to escape to Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
through the Russian siege lines during the final days at Akhoulgo. Following his escape, he once again set about regaining his following and resisting the Russian occupation.
The participants of the siege of Akhoulgo were later awarded a special medal inscribed For Capturing of Akhoulgo ("За взятие штурмом Ахульго").
Further reading
- Kaziev, ShapiKaziev ShapiShapi Magomedovitch Kaziev, is a Russian writer, playwright and script writer. He is the author of historical novels and other books.-Life and career:...
. Akhoulgo. Caucasian War of XIX-th centuryCaucasian WarThe Caucasian War of 1817–1864, also known as the Russian conquest of the Caucasus was an invasion of the Caucasus by the Russian Empire which ended with the annexation of the areas of the North Caucasus to Russia...
. The historical novel. "Epoch", Publishing house. Makhachkala, 2008. ISBN 978-5-98390-047-9