This old postcard from the late XIX – early XX century depicts a group of highlanders identified as Tavlins — a term used in pre-revolutionary ethnographic tradition to refer to the peoples of southern Dagestan, primarily the Lezgins, Tabasarans, Rutuls, and Aguls.
The name “Tavlins” derives from the Turkic word tavlin, meaning “mountain people.”
These communities inhabited the mountainous regions of the eastern Caucasus and were renowned for their resilience, martial valor, and strong sense of communal solidarity.
In the photograph, a group of mountaineers in traditional dress pose against a stone wall — most likely in one of the Dagestani mountain villages (auls).
The men wear chokhas fastened at the chest and adorned with gazyrs — cartridge holders that served both practical and decorative purposes.
Their heads are covered with fur papakhas, and daggers and rifles can be seen tucked into their belts — indispensable attributes of male honor and dignity in the highlands.
One of the men holds a pair of tur horns over his shoulder — a symbol of a successful hunt, revered on Caucases.