On the ethnic map of the world there is only one Khinalig village and the only Khinalig language
that belongs to the Guba region of the European part of Azerbaijan. The Khinalig people are the oldest inhabitants of Azerbaijan, and the village of
Khinalig is one of the highest settlements in the world. Local residents consider the village of Khinalig a sacred place that protects them from all evils and evil forces. The inhabitants of Khinalig, with a population of about 400 houses and 3,000 people, still preserve their ancient way of life and traditions.
According to historical sources, the inhabitants of Khinalig were one of the ancient tribes of Caucasian Albania. Because of its
location, this ethnic group belongs to the Caucasian language group and is called “Shahdag peoples” in historical and ethnographic literature . In addition to the official Azerbaijani language, local residents communicate in the Khinalig language, which is unique in the world and which is spoken
and understood only by them. Khinalig language is included in the list of endangered languages by UNESCO.
The population of the village of Khynalyg is mainly engaged in animal husbandry, cattle breeding, vegetable growing. At the same time, local residents are engaged in carpet,palas weaving, weaving patterned clothing, shawls, colored socks. In Khinalig was popular wool scarf. It was bought in the surrounding villages for the manufacture of
outerwear. Chukha, made from wool shawls, was once the national costume of rich people in villages. Other activities of the villagers are collecting
and drying medicinal herbs, which are widely used in medicine and in the kitchen.
According to historians, the village of Khinalig was built before
our era. The ancient Greek scholar Strabo in his 17-volume book “Geography” notes that in Caucasian Albania there are 26 Albanian tribes, each of
which speaks its own language. The people of Khinalig are probably one of the 26 tribes. In other words, the inhabitants of Khinalig are aborigines
who have lived in the Caucasus for thousands of years.
The 5000-year-old village of Khinalig, located at an altitude of 2300 meters above sea level,
is included in the list of world-famous historical monuments of UNESCO and resembles an open-air Museum in Azerbaijan. This village, called “Island
in the mountains”, is located 57 km from the district center. You can also see tourists from all over the world. The antiquity, history, architecture
and geographical structure of the village attract the attention of tourists, especially the unique way of life of the residents of khinalyg.
Currently, this village is part of the Khinalig state historical, architectural and ethnographic reserve, protected and promoted throughout the
world.
