Tsez people


The Tsez are a North Caucasian ethnic group. Their unwritten language, also called Tsez or Dido, belongs to the Northeast Caucasian group with some 15,354 speakers. For demographic purposes, today they are classified with the Avars with whom the Tsez share a religion, Sunni Islam, and some cultural traits. They are centered at the Tsunta district of the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. According to the 2002 Russian census, there were 15,256 self-identified Tsez in Russia.

Culture

The Tsez traditionally engaged in raising livestock and limited cultivation. In more recent times, some Tsez have migrated to industrial centers for work. The Tsez adhere to Sunni Islam. Islam became the majority faith of the Tsez by the 17th and 18th centuries though elements of pre-Islamic customs are still present.

Genetics

According to genetic studies in 2016, the following haplogroups are found to predominate among Tsez: