Rutul People

Rutul People

Rutuls (мыхIадабыр in Rutul, рутульцы in Russian) are an ethnic group in Dagestan (Russia) and some parts of Azerbaijan. According to the 2002 Russian Census, there were 29,929 Rutuls in Russia (47,200 in 2010). In Azerbaijan there are more than 45.000 Rutuls. Today, total population of Rutuls in the world - more than 97 500 people. The Rutul language is a member of the Northeast Caucasian language family; its speakers often have a good command of Azeri and Russian, as Rutul was not a written language until 1990. The Rutul culture is close to that of the Tsakhur and other peoples who inhabit the basin of the upper reaches of the Samur River. Most of the Rutuls are engaged in cattle breeding (mostly sheep husbandry), farming, and gardening.