Rutul people

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Rutuls

Мыхабыр (Russia) MıxaӀbır (Azerbaijan) Mykhabyr (romanized)
Total population
c. 120,000[1]
Regions with significant populations
Russia  Dagestan	34,259 (2021)[2]
Azerbaijan	17,000 (~2000) - 40,000[3][4]
Ukraine	137 (2001)[5]
Georgia	103 (1989)[6]
Languages
Rutul, Russian, Azerbaijani
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Other Northeast Caucasian-speaking peoples Especially Tsakhurs

Rutulians,^[7] Rutuls (Rutul: Мыхабыр, romanized: Mykhabyr), also known as the Rutul people are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group native to Dagestan and adjacent parts of Azerbaijan. According to the 2021 Russian census, there were 34,259 Rutuls in Russia.^[2] 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.