From the History of the Late 19th–Early 20th Century Ural Cossacks in the Aral Sea region: Confessional Markers as Ethnic Attributes

This study, based on our 2024 field data, describes tombstones with Russian inscriptions at the Muslim cemetery Kunti-baba on the southeastern Ustyurt Plateau, Karakalpak Region, Republic of Uzbekistan. Our objective is to view them as part of the history of migrants to the Aral Sea region—Ural Cossack Old Believers. We describe several tombstones without Christian symbols but with Muslim decorative motifs. Their connection with the history of the group is discussed, suggesting that the Cossack colonization of the area gave rise to new ethno-cultural and ethno-confessional interactions. Cases of religious conversion were exceptional. Coexisting with native Karakalpaks and Adai Kazakhs, Ural Cossacks preserved their language, writing, names, and military ranks, which marked their ethnic identity.

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