Abstract: The subject of this study is Dagestan literature. Special attention is paid to the first written works in the republic, which appeared under the influence of Arab-Muslim culture. This article examines the influence of Arabic-language culture on the formation of literary traditions of the peoples of Dagestan. Works in Arabic, Persian and Turkic languages in the spiritual literature of Dagestan testify to the centuries-old impact of Eastern culture. The manuscript gives an overview of the first Arabic-language sources written on the territory of Dagestan in the X-XII centuries. With the integration of the Arabic language in society, there is a creative flourishing of the activities of scientists of various fields of science: ethics, dogmatics, logic, Muslim law, hagiography and many others. The authors note not only the influence of Eastern literature, but also the creativity of the peoples of the Near and Middle East in the fate of Dagestan written literature and literary traditions. The authors of the article note that the spread of writing based on Arabic graphics contributed to the increase in the level of literacy of the Dagestan population, which is reflected in the literature.

Abstract: The article is devoted to the study of the artistic style of the famous scientist-theologian, the outstanding poet Abdurakhman from Kakashura. Particular attention is paid to the philosophical and aesthetic principles that form the basis of his work. The artistic manner of Abdurahman from Kakashura is distinguished by the originality of his worldview, imagery and specific use of linguistic means. His poetic world contributes to the in-depth study of Sufism - one of the main phenomena in the political and cultural life of the Republic of Dagestan. The work of Abdurakhman from Kakashura carries a predominantly humanistic message; he is the founder of the humanistic trend in Kumyk literature and represents to some extent a transitional stage between the literature of the Middle Ages and the literature of Modern times. The influence of the work of Abdurakhman from Kakashura on the subsequent generations of Kumyk and Dagestan poets is also indisputable. It is also important to note that most of the issues in his poetry are understood very interestingly and had a great resonance in Dagestan and were important for the development of progressive thought of his time.

Abstract: The object of this research is the Kumyk medieval literature, dominated by thee ideas of enlightenment and religious unity. As a result of adoption of Islam by the peoples of Dagestan, including Kumyks, their written literature grounded on Quran, acquires a pronounced Muslim character. The Kumyk religious literature existed in the forms of sermons, cogitations, philosophizing and homilies, commonly known as “turki”. The concept of “turki”, which encompasses numerous religious poems of various contents and forms, represents a uniform system of genres, namely religious poetry. It is determined that alongside consolidation of the position of Islam in Dagestan in the XVI century, the religious themes become increasingly popular in the literary works of Kumyk poets and theologians. The authors examine  the Quranic motifs in the Kumyk religious literature  on the example of the collection “Majmu ul-Manzumat al-Ajamiyya”. Eschatological motifs in the aforementioned work can be divided into two parts: edifying that provide moral and ethical instructions, and descriptive that depict perturbations that await people for non-compliance with such instructions.  

Abstract: This article is examines the literary style of the prominent theologian and poet Abdurrahman of Kakashura. Special attention is given to the philosophical-aesthetic principles that underlie his works. The author emphasizes the uniqueness of the poet’s worldview, imagery, and specific use of linguistic means. His poetic gives an in-depth perspective on Sufism – one of the central phenomena in the political and cultural life of the Republic of Dagestan. The works of Abdurrahman of Kakashura prevalently deliver a humanistic message, since he considered as the founder of humanistic trend in the Kumyk literature and to a certain degree represents a transitional stage between the medieval and modern literature. The conclusion is made that the poetry of Abdurrahman of Kakashura should be viewed not only as poetry aimed at proliferation of the ideas of Sufism, but also as the poetry of “progress” oriented towards healing from the mental malady the society was concerned with. In his poetry, the author trace genuine benevolence, ardent hatred of those who build their wealth on misery of the others. The impact of the poetry of Abdurrahman of Kakashura upon successive generations of Kumyk and Dagestani poets is indisputable. It is worth noting that most of the issues addressed in his poetry had vast repercussions in Dagestan and contributed to the development of progressive thought of his time.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the artistic system of children's folklore of Dagestan. Based on the analysis the example of cradlesongs, play poetry, and calendar songs, the author determines their thoughtful humanistic and democratic motif, high ideological focus, and aesthetic perfection. The article covers the ideological, thematic and artistic content, and highlights the archaic elements of cradlesong poetry, which enjoys most popularity among other genres of the poetic folklore. The author’s special contribution consists in explication of specificity of artistic means and aesthetic foundations of the folk worldview and culture reflected in folk poetry; as well as in analysis of compositions of various folklore genres as the elements of single literary system, which indicates their focus on labor, strong ideals of patriotism, kindness and continuity throughout the entire social practice of the people. The oriented towards a young developing individual, children's poetic folklore reconstructs the work and life experience in a form comprehensible to a child. This is why were created the cradlesongs, nursery rhymes, games that involved poetry, and all these word-creating activities, which in their centuries-long evolution led to higher imagery, infused and gifted each upcoming generation truly humanistic values. Children's poetic folklore that reflects the questions of folk pedagogy based on life experience of the mountaineers, had a major impact upon the development Dagestan children's literature.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the Quranic narratives on the prophets in the books by A. Akayev, Shihammat-kadi from Erpeli, and Magomed Kazanbiev. In their works, tales on the prophets are interpreted and embellished with the corresponding Quranic ayats and hadiths. An attempts is made to determine cognitive function of the tales that would combine artistic virtues with folk elements, as well as frame a philosophical worldview. The worldview function of these tales is defined as humane by the spirit and logical by the method of interpretation of Islamic theosophy and ideology. It is worth noting that these tales and narratives contain the elements of folklore traditions (M. Kazanbiev “The Radiant Story”). Having analyzed the tales on the prophets described in the books by A. Akayev, Shihammat-kadi from Erpeli, and Magomed Kazanbiev, the author concludes that they represent the extensive authorial narratives based on Quranic themes. The conducted comparative analysis of the texts demonstrates that Shihammat-kadi from Erpel infuses more fiction elements, while A. Akayev places emphasis on the historical-biographical records on the prophets. Unlike the aforementioned authors, M. Kazanbiev describes and glorifies the actions and personal traits of a single prophet. Reference to the Quranic narratives on the prophets in the Kumyk religious literature allows tracing the peculiarities of their interpretation, determine the specificity of authorial narration, their style, as well as similarities and differences. The acquired results confirm that A. Akayev, Shihammat-kadi from Erpeli, and Magomed Kazanbiev embellish the Quranic texts in their works.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the key genres of song folklore of the Dargin people – one of the ethnoses of Dagestan, which includes such Akushin, Kaitag, Kubachin, Mekegin, Tsudakhar, and others. An attempt is made to examine genre diversity of the Dargin people traditional poetic folklore, describe the forms of existence of specific genres, determine their ideological-aesthetic and artistic content, trace their evolution and transformation, as well as characterize the poetics. The goal of this work consists in demonstration of genre diversity of the song folklore of the Dargin people, its national specificity, artistic uniqueness and forms of existence. In the course of this research, the author applies the method of scientific analysis of theoretical literature on the topic, comparative-typological and descriptive-analytical methods, including observation, interpretation and comparison, which allows giving philological assessment of the text, reveal folk poetic means of expression. The scientific novelty lies in establishment of the fact that some of the genres under consideration still exist, but have undergone transformation. In a number the Dargin Districts, such as the rural localities of Harbuk, Urkarah, Madzhalis, Kubachi, Usisha, etc., texts of ritual poetry that have been previously performed by the adults, now shifted into the repertoire of children's folklore; multiple wedding songs – from ritual folklore to the category of love lyricism, and are performed mostly at youth parties and festivities. Lamentations were subjected to the influenced of Muslim religion, and now often feature the appeals to Allah to bless with patience and mercy, etc. Ballades in the folklore of the Dargin people also experiences certain genre changes: tragedy and drama of the situation fade away, and the ballades grow into the type of lyrical song of family, life or love content.