Lesgians
 |
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 800,000 - 1 200,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Russia
|
800,000 (census, 2016) 600,000 (census, 2016) |
 Azerbaijan
|
c. 380.000 (2016, Azerbaijani government) |
| Languages | |
| Lezgian | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam, minority Shia Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Tabasarans, Aghuls, Rutuls, Budukhs, Kryts, Tsakhurs, Archi, Shahdagh and Udi and other Northeast Caucasian peoples | |
Lezgins (Lezgian: лезгияр, lezgiyar, Russian: лезгины, lezginy; also called Lezgins, Lezgi, Lezgis, Lezgs, Lezgin) are a Lezgic ethnic group native predominantly to southern Dagestan and northeastern Azerbaijan and who speak the Lezgian language.
The origin of the ethnonym Lezgin requires further research. Nevertheless, most researchers attribute the derivation of Lezgi to be from the ancient Legi and early medieval Lakzi.
Modern-day Lezgins speak Northeast Caucasian languages that have been spoken in the region before the introduction of Indo-European languages. They are closely related, both culturally and linguistically, to the Aghuls of southern Dagestan and, somewhat more distantly, to the Tsakhurs, Rutuls, and Tabasarans (the northern neighbors of the Lezgins). Also related, albeit more distantly, are the numerically small Jek, Kryts, Shahdagh, Budukh, and Khinalug peoples of northern Azerbaijan. These groups, together with the Lezgins, form the Samur branch of the indigenous Lezgic peoples.
Lezgins are believed to descend partly from people who inhabited the region of southern Dagestan in the Bronze Age. However, there is some DNA evidence of significant admixture during the last 4,000 years with a Central Asian population, as shown by genetic links to populations throughout Europe and Asia, with notable similarities to the Burusho people of Pakistan.
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Wikipedia