Total population | |
---|---|
45,000 (est.) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Russia | 34,576[4] |
Ukraine | 108[5] |
Latvia | 25 - 33[6][7] |
Languages | |
Aghul | |
Religion | |
predominately Sunni Islam | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Other Northeast Caucasian-speaking peoples Especially Lezgins, Tabasarans, and Udis |
Aghuls (Aghul: агулар/agular, Lezgian: Агъулар) are a people in Dagestan, Russia. According to the 2010 census, there were 34,160 Aghuls in Russia (7,000 in 1959).[8] The Aghul language belongs to the Lezgian language family, a group of the Northeast Caucasian family. Ethnically, the Aghuls are close to the Lezgins. There are four groups of the Aghul people, who live in four different gorges: Aguldere, Kurakhdere, Khushandere, and Khpyukdere. Like their neighbors the Kaitaks, the Aghuls were converted to Islam at a fairly early date, subsequent to the Arab conquest of the eighth century. Their oral traditions claim Jewish descent.[9]