khanate · Caucasus
Kazikumukh Khanate
Origins
When the shamkhals moved to Tarki around 1642, the Lak heartland at Kumukh became a separate state under its own rulers, who took the title khan. The khanate kept the prestige of Kumukh as an old centre of Islam in Dagestan.
Rule and society
The khans ruled Lak villages known for craftsmen, traders and seasonal workers, and drew wealth from raids and mercenary service. Surkhay Khan I joined the rebel Hajji Davud in sacking Shamakhi in 1721, an event that helped trigger Peter the Great's Persian campaign, and briefly ruled Shirvan as an Ottoman vassal. Nader Shah later defeated him.
Decline and legacy
The khanate accepted Russian protection in 1820. Its khans, such as Aslan Khan, sided with Russia against the Caucasian Imamate, and in 1860 the Russian Empire abolished it. Its lands became the Kazikumukh district of the Dagestan Oblast, the heart of today's Lak region.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Kazikumukh Khanate was a protectorate of Russian Empire1820 CE – 1860 CE
- Kazikumukh Khanate was conquered by Russian Empire1860 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kazikumukh Khanate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kazikumukh-khanate
- MLA
- “Kazikumukh Khanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kazikumukh-khanate. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Kazikumukh Khanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kazikumukh-khanate.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kazikumukh Khanate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kazikumukh-khanate (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻