Known as the land of the mountains, Dagestan lies immediately north of the Caucasus Mountains, and stretches for approximately 250 miles along the west shore of the Caspian Sea. With its mountainous terrain making travel and communication difficult, Daghestan is still largely tribal. Despite over a century of Tsarist control followed by seventy years of repressive Soviet rule, there are still 32 distinct ethnic groups in Daghestan, each with its own language, making it unquestionably the most complex of the Caucasian republics. Shamanic practices are still prevalent in this country, where one of the ten lost tribes of Israel can be found, and in which the stories of the elders provide the people with evidence of who their ancient ancestors were and where their roots lie. In Daghestan, as in the neighbouring countries of Georgia, Chechnya, and Azerbaijan, these roots lie in shamanism. This book, one of only a handful available in English on the country, contains the texts of some of these stories as well as commentaries on them.

About the Author
* Michael Berman PhD is a writer and has been involved in teaching and teacher training for over thirty years. He has given presentations at Conferences in more than twenty countries.

Reviews
"Michael Berman does a valuable service in that he reminds us of the rich and variegated religious-cultural heritage of the Daghestani peoples. For rendering otherwise dispersed source materials readily accessible in a single volume, this book is to be congratulated. Dr Andrew Dawson, Lancaster University, UK"



Book Information
ISBN 9781846942259
Author Michael Berman
Format Paperback
Page Count 150
Imprint John Hunt Publishing
Publisher Collective Ink
Weight(grams) 228g
Dimensions(mm) 233mm * 135mm * 13mm