The Languages of Islam in the Caucasus

Gates in the ancient city of Derbent (southern Daghestan)

While visiting Georgia’s Pankisi Gorge towards the end of the second Chechen War (1999–2009), what struck me most was the large number of Christian graves that resembled Muslim tombstones. I was also struck by the Georgian inscriptions on Muslim tombstones. The images on these tombstones encapsulate the story of Islam in the Caucasus. My recent book on the history of insurgency in the Caucasus, titled Writers and Rebels…