Argun (Chechen. Orga-Ggala, Ustargardoin-Evla) is a city in the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation. The original Chechen name of the aul is Ustar-Gardoy, where the Turkic “master, gunsmith” is obsolete, and the guard is the name of one of the blade brands, that is, “masters forging blades with a guard”. After the deportation of the Chechens and the liquidation of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1944, the aul was renamed into the village of Kolkhoznoye, and after the restoration of the republic - into the working village of Argun, the name from the hydronym Argun (which, in turn, comes from the ethnonym Arg). Since 1967 - the city of Argun.
The city is located on the Chechen foothill plain,
on both banks of the Argun river (the right tributary of the Sunzha
River), 10 km southeast of Grozny.
It borders on Grozny
district in the west and north, Gudermes district in the east and
Shali district in the south.
The city is conditionally
divided into a village and a settlement, the border of which is the
central street - Akhmad-Khadzhi Kadyrov.
The climate is
moderately continental. The average annual rainfall is about 450 mm.
The least precipitation falls in January, on average about 22 mm,
and most of all in June, on average about 71 mm. July is the warmest
month of the year, with an average temperature of 24.5 ° C, while
the coldest month is January, with an average temperature of -2.3 °
C.
The name "Argun" comes from the hydronym Argun. One of the names of the village in the Chechen language is Ustar-Gardoy, where ustar is the Turkic “master, gunsmith” and the Chechen gIorda is the name of one of the brands of the blade, that is, “masters forging the blades of the gIorda”. After the deportation of the Chechens and the liquidation of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1944, the aul was renamed the village of Kolkhoznoye, and after the restoration of the republic - the working settlement of Argun. Since 1967 - the city of Argun.
The exact time of the appearance of Argun is unknown. It has been
established that in the 18th century, on the site of the modern city,
there was a village of Ustargardoy, founded by a representative of the
teip Sada Ustarga, from whom the village got its current name -
Ustrado-GІala. The indigenous population of Argun is the Chechens,
leading their history from the legendary people of the Vainakhs, who
once inhabited Mesopotamia, the Caucasus, Asia Minor, Syria and in
ancient times were a very numerous people.
According to the
memoirs of old-timers, in 1840 Argun had about 500 households. The
inhabitants of the village kept their mills and forges, a lot of cattle
and vast lands of sown areas. Representatives of different teips lived
together in the village of Ustargorda - bilta, ustargorda, aitkhalla,
gIordla, khoy and others. They were engaged in various crafts, and
according to their crafts, some streets were given names that have
survived to this day.
The village of Ustrada-evla was destroyed
three times - first during the Caucasian War by the tsarist troops. And
during the period of deportation, for a long 13 years it was called by
an alien name - Kolkhoznoe. At the turn of the century, it survived 2
devastating wars. However, it survived and was rebuilt from the ashes
and ruins. In the difficult years of trials, when the Great Patriotic
War was going on, hundreds of fighters, defenders of the Fatherland,
left Argun for the front, honorably fulfilling their civic duty. The
pride of the Argun people is Kanti Abdurakhmanov (Hero of Russia, full
cavalier of the Order of Glory), holders of many military medals and
orders Mukhadi Mutaliev, Ramzan Kagermanov, Shirvani Khaladov, Alkhazur
Abdulkadyrov, Shirvani Bisultanov and many others.
In 1967, the
village of Ustrada-evla acquired the status of a city. At that time, the
city of Argun was part of the Shali region. Being the second industrial
city in the republic after Grozny, since 1990 it has been classified as
a city of republican significance.
During the First and Second
Chechen Wars, Argun was at the very epicenter of hostilities and was
badly damaged. But in a short time the city healed its wounds, changed,
becoming more beautiful than before. At present, Argun is a modern city,
has a wide infrastructure, well-maintained streets, high-rise buildings,
it has come a long and difficult path from a small village to an
industrial suburb of Grozny.
The whole world welcomed the new century and the new millennium with
joy. How did these holidays turn out in Argun?
On January 9,
heavy fire fell on the peacefully sleeping city. The militants descended
from the mountains, and there were about one hundred and fifty of them,
attacked Argun. The militants were well trained and divided into shock
groups, consisting of a submachine gunner, a sniper and a grenade
launcher. Taking advantage of surprise, they drove civilians out of
their homes, taking up positions convenient for shelling. The militants
broke through to the railway station, which was guarded by two
detachments of the UVDT (Kuzbass and Far East). A fight ensued. He
walked for a long time. Both sides suffered losses. The attackers,
bearing damage, did not give up their positions. After the battle, it
became clear that there were thirty killed among the militants. The riot
policemen near Moscow also lost their comrades, twenty soldiers will
never be able to return home after that terrible night.
The riot
police were expecting support from Khankala, from where an armored train
was supposed to come to their aid. But he didn't come. And the fight
continued. He walked for over twelve hours. And in moments of calm, when
the soldiers were reloading their weapons, the militants arranged a
"concert", wanting to break the spirit of the riot police. They shouted
threats through a megaphone, or offered free tickets all the way to
Moscow, singing and dancing to the accompaniment of tambourines and
gunshots.
Using diversionary maneuvers, the bandits set up
several ambushes for riot police rushing to help their comrades. Many of
them have been very successful. SOBR commander Klimov was killed in a
shootout.
The results of the Argun battle speak volumes, and
above all about the lack of coordination of actions, the very weapons of
the police, which the militants had, turned out to be of the best
quality.
The New Year holidays of 2000 in Argun will be
remembered for a long time.
In ancient times, Prince Solsa lived near Argun in the gorge. He was
strong and powerful and had power over all the people subject to him.
Solsa also used his power to take all the brides of Argun first for
himself. And let them go to their husbands only on the second day.
People grumbled, but they were afraid of the wrath of a strong ruler.
But one day the poorest poor man decided to go against Solsa. He came to
the formidable prince and said that he would not give him his bride.
Solsa laughed, he was so accustomed that everyone obeyed him
unquestioningly that he did not even execute the troublemaker. “You are
no better than others, remember that!” Solsa shouted and laughed. But
the poor man was determined to defend the honor of his bride. He went to
Solsa's son and exchanged his father's magnificent saber for a golden
abas. This saber was forged by an ancient craftsman, its blade could
wrap itself around the hand in the manner of a snake. That was the
sword! And if you press on its handle, it immediately straightens like
an arrow.
Having received such a weapon in his hands, the poor
man again went to Prince Solsa and cut off his head. The prince's head
rolled with such force that it rolled over the Argun. The legend claims
that while Solsa's head was rolling, she managed to shout a command
three times, which the formidable prince finally gave to his
subordinates. What did he say? The severed head shouted: “From now on,
the power of the princes will pass to their slaves, and the power of the
slaves will be the lot of the princes!” That's how it all went. The
waves carried away the head of the prince, and the poor man and his
bride lived a long and happy life. Yes, but that's not all. Since that
memorable day, when Solsa's head rolled off his shoulders, there were no
more gentlemen-princes in that land.
The indigenous people of Argun are the Chechens, who trace their history back to the Vainakhs, a legendary people who once inhabited the Caucasus, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor and Syria. Once the Vainakhs were a very numerous people, and according to the legends that have come down to us, it is believed that this people came from the south. The Vainakhs settled unoccupied lands by no one. Their first ruler was the Caucasus. From this name the name of the entire region came, as a consequence. Is it so? Scientists are working to resolve this issue, which is not easy to clarify, since the Vainakhs did not have their own written language and, therefore, there were no reliable sources left. Historians collect information about the Vainakhs, literally bit by bit. So they suggested that this ancient people at the turn of the second millennium BC settled in the Caucasus, Asia Minor, Syria and gradually dissolved among the local population. Only individual Vainakh tribes have retained their identity. Modern peoples came from them: Chechens, Akins, Ingush, Batsbi, Kists, Orstkhois. Chechens living in Argun call themselves Nokhchi. Probably, this name takes its roots from the primitive region of Nashkh, which was originally inhabited by this people.
The Vainakhs who once inhabited these places were pagans. Many of
their rites have been forgotten, but many have remained unchanged for
hundreds of years. So you can talk about the rite of invoking rain.
Rain was always needed in these rocky regions, with frequent
droughts. And so a rite arose, the correct conduct of which guaranteed
the appearance of long-awaited clouds in heaven. The simplest calls for
rain can be considered rituals associated with killing snakes or ruining
crows' nests. What was it for? The Vainakhs noticed from their
observations that snakes love dampness and often crawl out of gorges and
burrows precisely in rainy damp weather. So, in order to call for the
long-awaited rain, it is worth killing a few snakes and hanging them on
the branches. By destroying the crow's nest and driving the black bird
out of it, one could also hope for the mercy of the gods.
Such
rituals were performed in each family separately. But there were cases
when the effort of all the inhabitants of the village was required. For
example, when plowing a dry river bed. This was done in this way: the
population of the aul was divided into two groups - men and women. The
men harnessed the plow and dragged it along the riverbed, plowing it in
two directions: in length and in width. Then water from jugs poured into
the plowed bed. After these actions, it was the turn of women. Women
also harnessed the plow and pulled it along the dry river bed. After
that, they doused themselves with water, and sometimes they themselves
fell into the newly plowed bed of a dry river, and if a man happened to
gape, the women also pushed him into the water.
Since a lot
depended on the rains, there are also enough rituals associated with it.
For example, to call for rain, young people dressed one of their company
in the form of a green grass sheaf. The mummers were dressed in a fur
coat turned inside out, and a sheaf of green grass, branches of a tree
with dense foliage, or just a bag, but also covered with grass, were
placed on their heads. This green sheaf was carried all over the
village, thereby calling for rain.
Later, when pagan beliefs were
supplanted by Islam, another rite appeared, the fulfillment of which
guaranteed rain. This ceremony was performed only by men. Moreover, the
oldest and most respected resident of the village read prayers from the
Koran on the river bank. The youth collected stones and brought them to
the feet of literate people. Why literate? A literate man read the Koran
and knew many prayers from it. So these literate inhabitants of the aul
took turns taking the stones brought to them, whispered prayers over
them and again piled them next to them. Young people collected these
prayed stones and threw them into the water of the river. It was
believed that the water would wash them and carry the words of the Koran
to the sea. And clouds will come from the sea, and there will be
long-awaited rain!
For many centuries, the ancient holiday of Spring, which has pagan
roots, has been celebrated. It has long been celebrated on the day of
the vernal equinox (March 22). As in ancient times, so now the women of
Argun are preparing for this holiday: they clean the house and the yard,
whitewash the walls, polish copper utensils. Once upon a time, it was
always taken out into the street - under the sun, so that the brightly
luminous copper would rather attract Spring. On the day of the vernal
equinox, the whole family got up before dawn to meet the first rays of
the rising sun on the porch of their house and thus, as if to meet
spring, in the hope that it would generously bestow a rich harvest,
health and longevity.
Such a pagan rite as going out into the
plow field is associated with the holiday of the meeting of spring.
Spring is the start time for sowing. The first furrow is the key to a
new crop. To draw this furrow, the strongest, most successful and most
virtuous man was chosen from the village. It was believed that the gods,
noticing all its positive qualities, would give a bountiful harvest.
This ritual was performed on the fourth day of the Spring Festival. The
ox, which will plow the first furrow, was dressed up, decorating the
horns with scarlet ribbons and smearing them with oil. A ribbon was also
tied to the tip of the tail. To meet such a plowman was definitely his
wife, moreover, with full buckets of water. The Plow Release Party
didn't end there. After the ceremony, a feast began, and on the second
day - horse racing.
With the adoption of Islam, many pagan
beliefs were banned, but in part they still survived, reaching our days.
The city is an administrative-territorial unit (a city of republican
significance) and a municipal entity, endowed with the status of an
urban district by the Law of the Chechen Republic No. 15-rz dated
February 20, 2009 "On the formation of the municipality of the city of
Argun, the establishment of its boundaries and giving it the status of
an urban district" . The concepts of "urban district city of Argun" and
"city of Argun" are equivalent.
From January 1, 2020, the
territories of Komsomolsky (village of Komsomolskoye and village of
Adjoining) and Chechen-Aulsky rural settlements (village of Chechen-Aul)
were transferred from the Grozny district to the urban district of the
city of Argun, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich after that is 130.21 km² .
The mayor of the city is Masaev Iles Akhmedovich.
The head of
the city (Chairman of the Council of Deputies of Argun) since August 30,
2019 is Ayubov Ibragim Zilimkhanovich.
Argun city newspaper "Argun".
Local governments
The structure
of local self-government bodies of the city of Argun consists of:
The head of the city is the chairman of the Council of Deputies of
the city of Argun;
The Council of Deputies of the city of Argun is a
representative body of the city of Argun;
Mayor of the city of Argun
- head of the mayor's office of the city of Argun;
The mayor's office
of the city of Argun is the executive and administrative body of the
city.
The mayor of the urban district is Masaev Iles Akhmedovich
Today Argun is a dynamically developing industrial center. One of the
factors of the investment attractiveness of the city district is that
the highway of the North Caucasus Railway "Russian Railways" station
"Argun" passes through the territory of the district. The city of Argun
was founded as the industrial center of the republic, on the territory
of which industrial enterprises, the construction industry and the
agro-industrial complex were deployed, such as:
State Unitary
Enterprise Argun Plant "Pishchemash" of the Ministry of Industry and
Energy of the Chechen Republic.
In January 2012, an assembly plant of
Chechenavto OJSC (production of VAZ cars) was opened in the city on the
basis of the Pischemash plant. Buggy "Chaborz M3" and "Chaborz M6" were
created at the plant in 2017
State unitary enterprise "Argunsky
combine of bakery products".
The State Unitary Enterprise "Argunsky
Combine of Bakery Products" was built from 1984 to 1990 in the Chechen
Republic to supply the population with white flour and provide livestock
and poultry farming with animal feed. During the hostilities, the plant
was partially destroyed. Under the federal target program, the elevator
and mill production shops were partially restored.
State Unitary
Enterprise "Argun Plant of Reinforced Concrete Products and Structures".
"Argun Plant of Reinforced Concrete Products" was founded in 1962. SUE
"AZZhBI" specializes in the production of reinforced concrete products
for hydraulic engineering and civil engineering.
State Unitary
Enterprise "Argun Meat Processing Plant"
Argun Meat Processing Plant
LLC is a regional brand of the meat processing industry of the Chechen
Republic, which is organized on the territory of the Grozny Meat
Processing Plant, established in 1964. It was a large enterprise with
several branches in the Republic.