The first inhabitants of the village, which is now called Kosta-Khetagurovo, moved to the territory of the modern Karachay-Cherkess Republic 150 years ago, during the reign of Tsar Alexander II. After the end of the Caucasian war, the Ossetian highlanders, who were suffering from landlessness, decided to move to the region, where at that time there was a lot of uninhabited land. So, in 1869, a group of Ossetian highlanders headed by an officer in the tsarist army, Lieutenant Levan Khetagurov, the father of Kosta Khetagurov, visited the site of the future village, and Levan Khetagurov persuaded his countrymen to move there.
A total of 864 people from 150 families trekked out. This move took one and a half months. They carried their belongings in two-wheeled araba carts, driven by oxen. The path taken by the Ossetians took them through the lands of other peoples. The settlers were given friendly greetings by Circassians, Karachays, and Russians. One of the famous princes of the Loovs presented them with several heads of cattle for a feast in their honor during their stay on the Abazin land.
Having reached their destination in 1870, the Ossetians settled on the left bank of the Kuban River in the vicinity of a medieval Shoininski temple. At first, the settlers had to live in dugout houses, as the promised tsarist relocation allowances, which could be used to build good houses, were to be received only in two years' time.
Konstantin Barakov became the elder of the settlement. He organized the village in the Cossack style, with straight streets that intersected in the center, where the main square was located. Each hectare of land was divided between four families, and the residents began to engage in farming and animal husbandry. Within five years, the village was thriving. The roofs of some of the houses were soon sparkled with copper, which in those days was considered a sign of prosperity.
At first, the village was officially called Shoaninskoe, named after the nearby mountain of Shoana. In 1879, it was renamed to the Georgiyevsko-Osetinskoye. This name remained until 1939, when the village was renamed after the poet Kosta Khetagurov, who spent his final days there.
Many Ossetians know the village of Kosta-Khetagurovo and respect its residents for preserving their ancient tradiations and culture in its original form.
A total of 864 people from 150 families trekked out. This move took one and a half months. They carried their belongings in two-wheeled araba carts, driven by oxen. The path taken by the Ossetians took them through the lands of other peoples. The settlers were given friendly greetings by Circassians, Karachays, and Russians. One of the famous princes of the Loovs presented them with several heads of cattle for a feast in their honor during their stay on the Abazin land.
Having reached their destination in 1870, the Ossetians settled on the left bank of the Kuban River in the vicinity of a medieval Shoininski temple. At first, the settlers had to live in dugout houses, as the promised tsarist relocation allowances, which could be used to build good houses, were to be received only in two years' time.
Konstantin Barakov became the elder of the settlement. He organized the village in the Cossack style, with straight streets that intersected in the center, where the main square was located. Each hectare of land was divided between four families, and the residents began to engage in farming and animal husbandry. Within five years, the village was thriving. The roofs of some of the houses were soon sparkled with copper, which in those days was considered a sign of prosperity.
At first, the village was officially called Shoaninskoe, named after the nearby mountain of Shoana. In 1879, it was renamed to the Georgiyevsko-Osetinskoye. This name remained until 1939, when the village was renamed after the poet Kosta Khetagurov, who spent his final days there.
Many Ossetians know the village of Kosta-Khetagurovo and respect its residents for preserving their ancient tradiations and culture in its original form.
