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Avar

Avar(s) or AVAR may refer to several distinct topics, including ethnic groups, languages, historical entities, places, and technical terms. For clarification, see the following sections.

Peoples and languages

Caucasian Avars

The Caucasian Avars, also known as Ma'arulal (meaning "mountaineers" in their language), are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group indigenous to the North Caucasus region, primarily residing in the Russian Republic of Dagestan where they form the largest ethnic community.^[1] As of the 2021 Russian census, approximately 957,000 Avars live in Russia, with the vast majority concentrated in Dagestan, alongside smaller populations of about 1,000 in Georgia and around 50,000 in Azerbaijan.^[2]^[3]^[4] Genetic studies confirm the Avars' deep ties to Northeast Caucasian populations, with Y-chromosome haplogroup J1-M267 (specifically the J1*-M267(xP58) subclade) predominant at frequencies of 44–99% in samples, indicating continuity with ancient regional lineages rather than recent admixtures from distant groups.^[5] This genetic profile aligns with their linguistic affiliation to the Nakh-Dagestanian family, spoken through the Avar language, and underscores their indigenous status in the Caucasus.^[5] The Avars maintain a traditional mountain lifestyle centered in ancient highland villages, many situated at elevations of around 2,000 meters above sea level, where stone fortresses and terraced agriculture have shaped their communal way of life for centuries.^[6] Sunni Islam has been the predominant religion since the 14th to 15th centuries, following initial Arab influences in the 8th century, and it continues to unify their cultural practices amid a rich oral tradition of epics, legends, and folklore that preserve heroic narratives and moral values.^[7] Traditional crafts, such as intricate carpet weaving using natural dyes and geometric patterns, remain a vital expression of Avar identity, often passed down through generations in family workshops.^[8] In contemporary Dagestan, Avars hold significant political representation through the republic's informal power-sharing system, which balances ethnic interests and has seen Avar leaders, such as former heads of state from Avar clans, occupy key governmental roles.^[1] They have been involved in regional conflicts, including the defense against the 1999 Chechen incursion into Dagestan, highlighting their role in maintaining stability amid ethnic tensions.^[9] Notable Avars include writer Alisa Ganieva, whose novels explore Dagestani society and earned her the Russian Debut Prize, and Olympic wrestler Abdulrashid Sadulaev, a two-time gold medalist who embodies Avar resilience on the global stage.^[10]^[11] The historical Avar Khanate (1747–1864), a confederation of Avar principalities in Dagestan, further shaped their collective identity before Russian incorporation.^[12]

Pannonian Avars

The Pannonian Avars were a nomadic confederation of Eurasian steppe origins that migrated westward and established a powerful khaganate in Central Europe during the late 6th to early 9th centuries CE. Paleogenomic studies of elite burials indicate that the core Avar population possessed approximately 90% Northeast Asian ancestry, with genetic profiles closely resembling those of ancient Mongolic groups from the eastern Eurasian steppes, such as the Rouran Khaganate.^[13] This supports an ethnogenesis linked to remnants of the Rouran, who collapsed around 552 CE under pressure from the Göktürks, prompting a rapid trans-Eurasian migration; the Avars arrived in the vicinity of the Black Sea steppe by the mid-6th century and reached the Carpathian Basin around 567–568 CE, likely as part of broader displacements following the defeat of the Hephthalites.^[13]^[14] The Avar Khaganate controlled the Pannonian Basin—encompassing modern-day Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, and parts of surrounding regions—and extended influence into the northern Balkans, reaching toward the Adriatic Sea and incorporating tributary areas up to the eastern fringes of the Carpathians, though claims of direct control as far as the Baltic are unsubstantiated.^[14] This multiethnic alliance included Turkic, Iranian (such as remnants of Alans), and other nomadic groups, unified under a hierarchical khaganate structure.^[15] The Avars were renowned for their military prowess, employing heavy cavalry equipped with stirrups—which they introduced to Europe for enhanced stability in mounted combat—and light horse archers wielding powerful composite bows, enabling effective raids and conquests across diverse terrains.^[16] Key historical events shaped the Avars' trajectory, beginning with their invasion of the Byzantine Empire in 568 CE, where they allied with the Lombards to defeat the Gepids and secure Pannonia, subsequently extracting tribute from Byzantine territories.^[15] They integrated Slavic groups as subjects and allies, facilitating Slavic migrations and settlements in the Balkans and Pannonia through military campaigns and foederati arrangements, while engaging in conflicts with the Lombards, Franks, and Slavs over territorial dominance.^[17] The khaganate's decline accelerated during the Avar Wars (788–803 CE), when Frankish forces under Charlemagne exploited internal divisions, conquering key strongholds like the "Ring of the Avars" and dismantling the central authority, leading to the khaganate's effective dissolution by 822 CE amid assimilation and fragmentation.^[15] Archaeological evidence from the Carpathian Basin reveals over 100,000 burials and more than 600 settlements spanning the Avar period, highlighting a shift from nomadic to semi-sedentary lifestyles with fortified villages and extensive cemeteries.^[18] Artifacts such as iron sabers, bronze cauldrons for communal feasting, and elaborate horse gear—including bits, saddles, and harness fittings—underscore an elite warrior culture centered on equestrian prowess and status display, with grave goods varying by social rank to reflect kinship-based hierarchies.^[19] The Avars' legacy endures in the demographic transformations of Central and Eastern Europe, as their conquests and alliances accelerated Slavic settlement patterns across the Balkans and Pannonia, reshaping ethnic distributions that persist today.^[17] Genetic analyses show evidence of Avar admixture with local populations, contributing minor Northeast Asian components to the ancestry of modern Hungarians through intermarriage and population mixing in the late Avar period, while similar steppe influences appear in Bulgarian genomes via broader regional interactions.^[13]^[20]

Avar language

The Avar language, known natively as maʕarul mačʼ ("language of the mountains"), belongs to the Avar–Andic subgroup of the Northeast Caucasian (Nakh-Dagestanian) language family.^[21] It is an agglutinative language characterized by suffixation to express grammatical relations, with a particularly complex verb morphology that incorporates tense, aspect, mood, and agreement markers through both synthetic and analytic constructions.^[22] Avar exhibits ergative-absolutive alignment, where the subject of an intransitive verb and the object of a transitive verb share the absolutive case, while the transitive subject takes the ergative case; this pattern is evident in noun declension across three gender classes (masculine, feminine, neuter) and verb agreement systems.^[22] Avar features a rich dialectal continuum, broadly divided into Northern and Southern groups, with the Northern dialects—particularly the Khunzakh variety—serving as the basis for the standard literary form.^[23] The language encompasses around 15 distinct dialects, including those influenced by neighboring Andic and Tsezic (Didoic) varieties, though the latter are often treated as separate branches; Avar has historically functioned as a lingua franca among these groups, leading to mutual lexical borrowings.^[22] Dialects vary significantly in phonology, morphology, and lexicon, with Southern dialects showing greater internal fragmentation and limited mutual intelligibility compared to the more uniform Northern ones.^[23] The standard language, codified in the mid-20th century, is written in a Cyrillic alphabet adapted with 34 letters, including digraphs for ejective consonants; this script was officially adopted in the late 1930s following a brief period of Latinization in the 1920s, replacing earlier Perso-Arabic usage for religious and marginal texts dating back to the 15th century.^[24] Approximately 1 million people speak Avar as a first language, primarily in the Republic of Dagestan in Russia's North Caucasus, where it is one of 14 official co-languages alongside Russian; smaller communities exist in adjacent regions of Azerbaijan and Georgia.^[25] As the vernacular of the Avar people, who constitute about 30% of Dagestan's 3.1 million residents, the language is used daily in rural highland settlements but increasingly alongside Russian in urban areas.^[26] It holds institutional roles in primary and secondary education, local media, and literature, with a standardized orthography supporting newspapers, textbooks, and contemporary prose; Avar's status as a literary language extends to serving speakers of related Andic and Tsezic varieties through shared media.^[27] Historically unwritten in a vernacular form until the 19th century, Avar's development was shaped by Islamic scholarship, which introduced Arabic loanwords for religious, legal, and abstract concepts via the Perso-Arabic script used sporadically from the 15th century onward.^[28] Russian influence grew after the region's incorporation into the Russian Empire in the 19th century and intensified under Soviet rule, contributing lexical borrowings in administration, technology, and daily life, as well as phonological shifts like vowel adaptations in urban speech.^[29] Early literary efforts included 19th-century attempts at vernacular documentation, though much pre-modern writing remained in Arabic; the modern standard emerged with Soviet-era grammars and primers in the 1930s, fostering a body of poetry, novels, and folklore collections. While Avar as a whole is classified as vulnerable by UNESCO due to intergenerational transmission challenges, certain peripheral dialects face higher risk from urbanization and migration to Russian-speaking cities like Makhachkala, where younger speakers shift toward monolingualism in Russian.^[30] These dialects, often spoken in isolated mountain villages, exhibit erosion in traditional morphology and lexicon amid economic pressures. Preservation efforts include UNESCO-supported initiatives for Northeast Caucasian languages, such as digital archiving of oral traditions and dialect documentation projects, alongside local programs in Dagestani schools to promote heritage varieties.^[31]

Historical states and entities

The term "Avar" refers to distinct historical groups: the Pannonian Avars, nomadic steppe people of East Asian origin, and the Caucasian Avars, an ethnic group in Dagestan's North Caucasus.

Avar Khaganate

The Avar Khaganate was established in 567 CE when the Pannonian Avars, a nomadic confederation originating from the Eurasian steppes, migrated into the Carpathian Basin following pressure from the Göktürk Empire. Under the leadership of Khagan Bayan I (r. 562–602 CE), the Avars defeated the Gepids and coordinated with the Lombards to facilitate the latter's migration into Italy, thereby securing control over Pannonia. Bayan I unified diverse nomadic groups under a centralized khaganate structure, where the khagan held supreme authority as both military leader and symbolic figure of unity, drawing on steppe imperial traditions.^[32] The political hierarchy was organized around the khagan and a council of tribal elites, incorporating titles such as tudun (regional governors) and tarkhan (military commanders) to administer conquered territories. The khaganate encompassed a federation of tribes, including the core Avars, incorporated Bulgars (such as the Onogurs), and subject groups like Gepids and Slavs, divided into semi-autonomous units based on ethnic and territorial lines. The capital's location remains unknown but is believed to have been a fortified site in the Pannonian plains, possibly near modern-day western Hungary. Governance relied on a tribute-based economy, extracting resources through raids on neighboring Slavs, Byzantines, and Franks, supplemented by agricultural tribute from Slavic subjects and annual subsidies from Constantinople, which peaked at 200,000 gold solidi before 626 CE.^[32]^[33] Militarily, the khaganate was sustained by a professional cavalry force of nomadic warriors, who excelled in mobile warfare and integrated Slavic infantry for larger campaigns. The Avars adopted advanced siege technologies from Byzantine engineers, including trebuchets and ladders, during their joint operations against shared enemies. A pivotal campaign was the failed siege of Constantinople in 626 CE, where Avar forces, allied with Persians and supported by Slavic riverine troops, attempted to breach the city's defenses but were repelled, marking a turning point in their expansion.^[32]^[34] Diplomatic relations were pragmatic, often leveraging alliances to counter Byzantine influence; early ties with the Lombards in 568 CE enabled mutual gains against Gepids and facilitated Avar dominance in the Balkans. In 623 CE, Emperor Heraclius negotiated a treaty with the Avar khagan, increasing tribute payments in exchange for peace and non-aggression during Byzantine campaigns against Persia. These pacts temporarily stabilized borders but unraveled amid escalating demands.^[32]^[34] The khaganate's decline began with internal strife following the death of the khagan in 630 CE, exacerbated by succession disputes and revolts among subject tribes, which fragmented unity. Frankish campaigns under Charlemagne from 791 to 796 CE devastated Avar strongholds, capturing the "Avar Ring" (a symbolic treasury enclosure) and forcing submission by 803 CE. By the early 9th century, surviving Avars assimilated into local Slavic and emerging Hungarian populations, with the khaganate effectively dissolving around 822 CE.^[32]^[33]

Avar Khanate

The Avar Khanate, also known as Avaria or the Avar Nutsaldom, was established in the early 13th century in the mountainous regions of Dagestan following the Mongol-Tatar invasions, which disrupted prior political structures and allowed for the consolidation of Avar authority. Centered in the fortress village of Khunzakh, the khanate functioned as a theocratic state governed by sharia law, with the khan serving as both a secular ruler and spiritual leader, often advised by Muslim clergy. By the 18th century, it controlled much of central and northern Dagestan, extending influence into parts of Chechnya and forming alliances with neighboring Caucasian khanates, such as those of Kazikumukh and Mekhtulin, to counter threats from the Persian and Russian empires.^[35]^[36] The khanate reached its territorial and political peak in the late 18th century under Umma Khan (r. 1774–1801), known as the "Great Avar Nutsal," who expanded its borders through military campaigns and diplomatic maneuvers, incorporating additional Avar and non-Avar communities. The khanate's rulers faced escalating conflicts with the expanding Russian Empire during the Caucasian War (1817–1864), allying with Imam Shamil's Imamate to mount fierce opposition; a notable event was the 1818 jihad call by Sultan-Ahmed Khan against Russian incursions, which temporarily unified local forces. The khanate's fall came after Shamil's surrender in 1859, leading to its formal incorporation into the Russian Empire by 1860, marking the end of Avar political independence.^[35]^[36]^[36] Society in the Avar Khanate was organized around a feudal system, where the khan and nobility held land and extracted tribute from semi-autonomous rural communities, blending clan traditions with Islamic hierarchies. The economy relied on mountain agriculture, with terraced fields producing wheat, barley, millet, and legumes to sustain a population of around 20,000 households, supplemented by livestock herding in higher pastures. Trade played a vital role, involving the exchange of local crafts like metalwork and textiles for goods such as silk from Persian routes and weapons for defense, fostering economic ties across the Caucasus. Sufi Islam, particularly the Naqshbandi order, was central to social identity and governance, promoting muridism and ethical reforms that unified diverse Avar subgroups under a shared religious framework.^[35]^[37]^[38]^[36] The Avar Khanate's legacy endures as a symbol of Caucasian resistance to imperial domination, inspiring narratives of unity and defiance in Avar folklore and modern identity. Its incorporation into Russia reshaped local aristocracy into a salaried class, but the era solidified Avar cultural cohesion, with Khunzakh remaining a historical and spiritual center for the Caucasian Avars today.^[35]^[36]

Geography

Settlements in Iran

Several small villages and localities in Iran bear the name Avar or close variants such as Avatar, Emad Avar, Nam Avar, and Ivar (romanized as Avar), primarily located in central and northeastern regions. These place names derive from Persian linguistic roots, with no established connection to the ethnic Caucasian or Pannonian Avars.^[39] In Qazvin Province, central Iran, Avatar (also known as Avātar) is a hamlet in the Alamut-e Pain Rural District of Rudbar-e Alamut District, situated in the historic Alamut Valley renowned for its mountainous terrain and medieval fortifications. The area features agricultural lands and is accessible via trekking routes, reflecting its role in local rural tourism and traditional settlement patterns dating back to medieval Persian expansions.^[40] In Razavi Khorasan Province, northeastern Iran, Ivar (Avar) serves as the capital of Barkuh Rural District in Kuhsorkh County, within Mashhad County's broader administrative influence. This rural locality lies near ancient Silk Road routes, supporting agriculture including pistachio cultivation in the arid landscape typical of the region. At the 2006 census, its population was 1,048, in 613 families.^[41] In Tehran Province, Emad Avar (also 'Emād Āvar) is a village in Azimiyeh Rural District of the Central District in Ray County, southern Tehran, featuring historical windcatchers (badgirs) over a century old that highlight traditional Iranian architecture for cooling in the semi-arid climate. At the 2006 census, its population was 842, in 219 families. Nearby, Nam Avar in Shahrabad Rural District of Firuzkuh County, central Tehran Province, is a mountainous rural settlement along the Haraz River, prone to flooding as evidenced by power outages and infrastructure damage during heavy rains in 2022. At the 2006 census, its population was 24, in 8 families. These sites represent urbanizing fringes with residential development amid proximity to Tehran, settled during medieval and later Persian expansions, and predominantly inhabited by Persian speakers.^[42]^[43]

Other place names

In Hungary, Avar refers to several archaeological sites associated with the Pannonian Avars, particularly in Pest County, where excavations have uncovered settlements and cemeteries dating to the 7th and 8th centuries CE. These sites, such as the Avar-period cemetery at Albertirsa-Szentmártoni út, contain burials with nomadic artifacts including horse harnesses, weapons, and jewelry, reflecting the steppe nomadic lifestyle of the Avars who dominated the Carpathian Basin during this era.^[44] The Ferenczy Károly Museum in Szentendre has displayed finds from a recently excavated Avar cemetery in the county, highlighting the material culture of these early medieval communities.^[45] Avarua, the capital of the Cook Islands located on the north-central coast of Rarotonga, serves as the administrative and commercial center of the nation, with a focus on tourism, government services, and Polynesian cultural preservation. The name Avarua, derived from Cook Islands Māori, translates to "two harbors," referring to the sheltered bays along the coastline that facilitated early maritime activities, though its similarity to "Avar" appears coincidental and unrelated to Eurasian origins.^[46] With a population of 4,906 (2016 census), it features markets, historical churches, and waterfront promenades that attract visitors to the archipelago's blend of Polynesian traditions and modern infrastructure. In Azerbaijan, Avar denotes ethnic enclaves and villages primarily in the northern regions bordering Dagestan, such as those in the Zaqatala and Qakh districts, where approximately 48,600 Avars resided according to the 2019 census (stable estimates as of 2024). These communities maintain cultural and linguistic ties to the Caucasian Avars of Dagestan, speaking the Avar language alongside Azerbaijani and preserving traditions like communal agriculture and Islamic practices in mountainous border areas.^[4] Etymologically, place names incorporating "Avar" often stem from local linguistic roots without a unified global origin; in Caucasian contexts, it relates to the Avar people's ethnonym, possibly derived from Iranian *upar- meaning "upper" or "highlander." In Polynesian settings like Avarua, it derives independently from words for harbors.^[39]) In European sites tied to the Pannonian Avars, the name typically commemorates the historical population; for the Pannonian Avars' ethnonym, an Iranian origin meaning "broad" or "wide" (as in river names) has been proposed, though such interpretations appear in some regional folklore without scholarly consensus.^[39] Several Avar-related sites in Europe, particularly necropolises in Hungary and surrounding areas, are preserved as cultural heritage zones to protect their archaeological significance, with ongoing excavations and museum exhibits ensuring the legacy of Avar material culture for research and public education.^[47] These preservation efforts, supported by institutions like the Hungarian National Museum, safeguard around 100,000 documented Avar graves across the continent, emphasizing their role in understanding early medieval migrations and societies.^[48]

Science and technology

Avar (animation variable)

In computer animation, an avar, short for animation variable, is a parameter that defines the position, orientation, or movement of a specific segment or feature within a 3D model, such as a character's limb or facial element. These variables serve as control points in skeletal rigging systems, where a character's anatomy is represented by an underlying wireframe or hierarchical skeleton invisible during final rendering. By adjusting avar values over time, animators create fluid motion through keyframing or interpolation, enabling the model to deform realistically frame by frame. This term originated at Pixar in the early 1990s. The concept emerged in the early 1990s as part of the advancement in 3D computer-generated imagery (CGI), coinciding with the rise of feature-length animated films. It gained prominence through Pixar's pioneering work, notably in Toy Story (1995), which marked the first fully CGI-animated feature and relied heavily on avars for character control.^[49] Over time, avars evolved to support more sophisticated techniques in interactive media and video games, integrating with tools for procedural animation and physics simulation.^[50] Functionally, avars act as hinges or sliders in animation software, allowing precise manipulation of model parts—such as rotating a joint or scaling a feature—while maintaining structural integrity across the hierarchy.^[50] They are typically assigned to bones in a rig, with values generated manually via keyframing, automated through motion capture, or scripted for dynamic effects. In practice, this enables bone-based rigging for full-body and facial animations, as seen in Toy Story where the character Woody utilized 712 avars overall, including 212 for facial expressions alone.^[49] Applications of avars span film production, video games, and virtual reality, where they facilitate expressive character performances in scenarios like web advertisements or mobile gaming cutscenes.^[51] For instance, modern iterations in sequels like Toy Story 4 (2019) expanded Woody's controls to over 7,000 avars, enhancing detail in crowd simulations and environmental interactions.^[51] Technically, avars support hierarchical dependencies for coordinated movement, but their complexity scales with model detail; high-poly characters with thousands of variables demand significant computational resources for real-time rendering and simulation.^[50]

AVAR in data science

In data science, particularly within statistics and econometrics, AVAR commonly refers to the Observed Asymptotic Variance, a non-parametric estimator for the squared standard error of high-frequency-based estimators in regression models.^[52] This approach approximates the asymptotic variance of parameters by accounting for microstructure noise and market microstructure effects, enabling robust inference in economic modeling.^[53] Alternatively, AVAR stands for American Veterans Archaeological Recovery, a nonprofit organization that employs data collection and analysis techniques in archaeological surveys, or it is associated with Avar Consulting, a firm specializing in survey data collection and statistical services as a division of AMDex Corporation.^[54]^[55] AVAR finds applications in healthcare quality improvement and research, where firms like Avar Consulting develop machine learning models for analyzing Medicare patient records and supporting veteran health programs through large-scale surveys.^[55] For instance, Avar has supported the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in processing the annual Survey of Enrollees, involving over 42,000 respondents across 750 strata, to model variance in healthcare utilization data.^[55] In archaeological contexts, American Veterans Archaeological Recovery utilizes systematic survey methods, including metal detection and geospatial data analysis, to support cultural resource management (CRM) for veteran reintegration programs.^[56] Methodologically, AVAR in statistical modeling involves regression techniques, such as multi-scale regression estimators, to approximate error variances under heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation, providing reliable standard errors for policy-relevant inferences in large datasets.^[57] This is particularly valuable in econometric applications for high-frequency data, where traditional variance estimators fail due to "hard edges" like jumps or outliers, and in CRM policy analysis, where survey data informs site preservation decisions.^[58] Avar Consulting implements these through tools like R, SAS, and Python for sampling design, weighting, and imputation in government surveys.^[55] Avar Consulting, founded in 2006 as a woman-owned small business, delivers data science services under U.S. government contracts, including GSA schedules and HHS IDIQs, with a focus on employing skilled analysts for veteran-related tech initiatives in statistics and economics.^[59] Similarly, American Veterans Archaeological Recovery, established in 2016, promotes veteran employment in data-driven archaeological tech roles, partnering with agencies like the National Park Service for CRM projects.^[56]

Other uses

Avar (surname)

The surname Avar is primarily derived from the ethnic name of the Avars, a Northeast Caucasian people native to Dagestan in Russia, as well as historical associations with the Pannonian Avars, a nomadic group of Eurasian steppe origin.^[60]^[61] It is common in regions with Avar populations, including Russia, Hungary, and Turkey, where it reflects Turkic linguistic roots possibly meaning "warrior" or "brave," tied to the martial traditions of Avar groups.^[60] Variants include Ávár (prevalent in Hungary), Avár, Awar, and Auar, often arising from transliteration differences in Cyrillic, Latin, or Turkic scripts.^[62] Globally, the surname Avar is borne by approximately 4,800 individuals, with the highest concentration in Turkey (about 2,779 bearers, or 57% of the total), particularly in provinces like Van and Istanbul.^[63] It is also present in Russia, where it occurs among communities in the North Caucasus, including Dagestan, though less frequently as a direct ethnic surname compared to patronymics like Aliev.^[63]^[64] In Hungary, the variant Ávár appears around 303 times, linked to historical migrations, while diaspora communities in Europe and North America add to its spread.^[65] Notable bearers include István Avar (1926–2010), a Hungarian footballer and manager who played for clubs like Újpest FC and represented Hungary internationally.^[60] Another prominent figure is Banu Avar (born 1955), a Turkish journalist, author, and television presenter known for her work on international affairs and documentaries.^[62] The surname holds cultural significance as an indicator of Avar ethnic heritage, often denoting ancestry from Caucasian or steppe nomadic lineages in personal and family identities.^[62] In literature and media, it symbolizes resilience and cultural continuity among Avar-descended communities.^[60] Genealogically, Caucasian lines bearing the Avar surname are frequently traced to Y-DNA haplogroup J-M267 (J1), a marker common in Northeast Caucasian populations and associated with ancient migrations in the region.^[66]^[67]

Avar as a given name or term

Avar serves as a rare male given name primarily in Turkey, where it carries the meaning "resisting" or "opposing," derived from Turkish linguistic roots associated with defiance or endurance. According to Turkish naming resources, the name is of Turkish origin and is borne by only a handful of individuals in the country, reflecting its uncommon usage. Among Avar diaspora communities in regions like Azerbaijan, the name occasionally appears in modern contexts, drawing from ethnic naming patterns similar to those seen in surnames, though it remains infrequent as a first name. Linguistically, "avar" functions as a common noun or adjective in several European languages with distinct meanings unrelated to personal nomenclature. In Catalan, it denotes "greedy" or "miserly," stemming directly from the Latin term avarus, which implies excessive desire for wealth. Hungarian employs "avar" to describe leaf litter or the layer of fallen dry leaves on forest floors, a term rooted in Finno-Ugric etymology without connotations of human traits. In Estonian, "avar" conveys "spacious," "ample," or "vast," originating from Proto-Finnic avara and evoking openness or expansiveness, as seen in contemporary branding like the Avara offshore wind project, which adopts the word to symbolize breadth and potential. Portuguese usage of "avar" is limited, primarily referring to the Avar language or people in ethnographic contexts, rather than as a standalone term like a variant of haver ("to have"). The etymology of "avar" in its greedy sense traces to Indo-European roots related to desire and craving, as in Latin aveō ("to long for"), influencing Romance languages and underscoring themes of avarice in literature and proverbs. Culturally, "Avar" appears sporadically as a character name in folklore across Europe, often symbolizing resilience or wanderlust without significant religious ties, such as in archaic tales of nomads or misers. In modern applications, it surfaces occasionally in literature for evocative purposes and in branding to evoke specific linguistic nuances, prioritizing conceptual brevity over widespread adoption.

References

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Mar 22, 2021 · The novelist Alisa Ganieva, who is based in Moscow and writes in Russian, was born in Makhachkala, Dagestan. Her first novel, The Mountain ...
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May 13, 2011 · Finally, haplogroup J1*-M267(xP58) comprised 44–99% of the Avar ... Similarly, J1*-M267(xP58) was found mainly in the Caucasus (fig. 2) ...
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[23]
Ancient genomes reveal Avar-Hungarian transformations in the 9th ...
Dec 18, 2024 · This study presents the genetic analysis of 296 ancient samples, including 103 shotgun-sequenced genomes, from present-day Western Hungary.Missing: paleogenomic | Show results with:paleogenomic
[24]
[PDF] Linguistic geography of East Caucasian languages
Nov 3, 2021 · The family consists of 7 generally accepted branches: Nakh,. Avar-Andic, Tsezic, Lezgic, Dargwic,. Lak and Khinalug. The latter two comprise ...
[25]
(PDF) Avar Grammar Sketch - Academia.edu
This grammar sketch provides a detailed description of the phonology and morphosyntax of Avar, a Northeast Caucasian language.
[26]
The dialectal system of the Avar language - ResearchGate
Oct 24, 2025 · The Northern dialect, which became the basis of the literary standard, includes the Khunzakh, Eastern (which are characterized by noticeable ...
[27]
Avar alphabet, language and prounciation - Omniglot
Apr 23, 2021 · Avar has four main dialects: Khunzakh, Antsukh, Charoda and Gidatl, which have only limited mutual intelligibility. The Khunzakh dialect or ...
[28]
Avar | Institute for Bible Translation
Avar ; Group. Nakho-Dagestanian ; ISO Code. ava ; Number of Speakers (text). 654,363 in RF (2020 census). Total in all countries: 703,000 (Ethnologue) ; Location.
[29]
Ethno-political Profile of Dagestan
Jul 4, 2024 · The largest ethnic group in Dagestan is the Avars, who together with closely related minorities make up 30.5% of the population of Dagestan ( ...
[30]
Avar Language (AVA) - Ethnologue
Avar is a language of wider communication that originated in the Russian Federation, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. It belongs to the Nakh-Daghestanian language ...Missing: Khunzakh | Show results with:Khunzakh
[31]
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/digital-preservation-indigenous-languages-intersection-technology-and-culture
[32]
The Vowel System of the Avar Language and its Phonetic Patterns
Apr 4, 2025 · Key findings reveal phonetic changes in Avar vowels due to Russian influence, including shifts in vowel quality and patterns of vowel ...Missing: Arabic | Show results with:Arabic
[33]
Your Guide to Endangered Languages and How To Support Them
Sep 30, 2025 · According to UNESCO's study of at-risk languages, each continent contains hundreds or thousands of endangered languages. Most are Indigenous ...Missing: dialects | Show results with:dialects
[34]
Digital preservation of Indigenous languages: At the intersection of
Apr 19, 2024 · The Missing Scripts program aims to preserve the rich diversity of the world's languages and protect indigenous scripts, ensuring their existence in the ...Missing: Avar | Show results with:Avar
[35]
https://www.europeanproceedings.com/article/10.15405/epsbs.2022.12.90
[36]
The Avars: A Steppe Empire in Central Europe, 567–822 on JSTOR
The Avars: A Steppe Empire in Central Europe, 567–822. Walter Pohl. Copyright Date: 2018. Published by: Cornell University Press.
[37]
Byzantium and the Avar Khaganate in the years 623-624
Aug 6, 2025 · The complicated relations with the Khaganate forced the Emperor to return to Constantinople and begin negotiations for a new peace treaty. The ...
[38]
The Socio-Political Situation In Dagestan At The Beginning Of The ...
Dec 23, 2022 · Abstract. The paper deals with the political and socio-economic situation of Dagestan at the beginning of the 19th century.
[39]
The Aristocratic Groups of Dagestan in Relations with the Russian ...
The article refers to the problem of the ruling aristocratic groups in Dagestan in the first half of the XIX century. The attention is paid to the issues ...
[40]
GENERAL R.F. ROSEN ABOUT THE AVAR KHANATE | Aliev
The article presents a comparative historiographic analysis of the information on the Avar Khanate, available in General R.F. Rosen's work “Description of ...
[41]
AVARS - Baku International Multiculturalism Centre
Sep 26, 2019 · The Avars did not forget their own old trade, and have maintained the traditions of gunsmithing, coppersmithing, saddle-making and carpetweaving ...
[42]
Avars. - languagehat.com
May 18, 2023 · And is there continuity between present-day Avars of Dagestan and the Avar Khanate, which lasted in Dagestan from the 12th to the 19th century?
[43]
Trekking In Alamut Valley | Tours & Activities | INDY GUIDE
On day 3, you will trek from Dineh Roud to Avatar village. Trekking distance approx. 10 kilometers per day. Sleeping in a village house in Avatar.
[44]
Map of Razavi Khorasan province, its adjacent ... - ResearchGate
Map of Razavi Khorasan province, its adjacent provinces and position in Iran. Black area shows the position of Sabzevar among other cities of Razavi Khorasan ...
[45]
A true dream | Tabassom Argi | HUG
Emad Avar-1. 0.001. This image showcases one of the historical windcatchers (badgirs) in the village of Emad Avar, located in Rey, Tehran Province. With over ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[46]
Amber Warning in Tehran as New Floods Batter Mountain City
Aug 11, 2022 · “We've had a power outage in the village of Avar – operatives from the city's electricity department have been dispatched – and a fish farm on ...
[47]
[PDF] Data S1
Apr 5, 2022 · Albertirsa, Szentmártoni út (Pest County, Hungary) 113 archaeological features of an Avar-period settlement and a cemetery have been discovered ...<|separator|>
[48]
A river runs through it – Archaeological researches in Pest county
On display is a selection of the finds from the recently excavated Avar cemetery in the town, and a part of the exhibition is dedicated to one of the most ...
[49]
Avarua | Cook Islands, Map, Population, & Facts - Britannica
Avarua is the capital and main town of the Cook Islands, located on Rarotonga's north-central coast, and is the administrative seat.Missing: etymology | Show results with:etymology
[50]
Ancient nomads you've probably never heard of disappeared from ...
Apr 24, 2024 · The Avars dominated southeastern central Europe for hundreds of years, leaving one of the richest archaeological heritages in Europe.
[51]
Decoding Avar society - ScienceDaily
Apr 25, 2024 · Yet in their cemeteries, they left one of the richest archaeological heritages in European history, including around 100,000 graves that have so ...
[52]
[PDF] Computer Animation - IJIRT
The position of each segment of the skeletal model is defined by animation variables for short. ... There are several methods for generating the Avar values to ...
[53]
[PDF] The Making of Toy Story - UNCW
Woody has 712 avars, counting 212 in his face alone. Muscular control is ... Since Toy Story was produced in three dimensional com- puter graphics ...
[54]
US8482568B2 - Systems and methods for specifying arbitrary ...
... animation variable set with a model object, and ... animation variable ... An example might include a slider for a translate avar, or an angular element for a ...
[55]
From 'Toy Story' to 'Soul': Evolution of Pixar Character Movement
Apr 23, 2021 · This early version of Woody had 596 of those controls, which may seem like a lot, but by 2019's "Toy Story 4," Woody had more than 7,000. To ...
[56]
The Observed Asymptotic Variance: Hard edges, and a regression ...
We here find a regression approach to observed AVAR which is highly robust to large edges. This approach covers most high frequency estimators. Previous article ...
[57]
The Observed Asymptotic Variance: Hard edges, and a regression ...
We here find a regression approach to observed AVAR which is highly robust to large edges. ... "The Observed Asymptotic Variance: Hard edges, and a regression ...
[58]
American Veterans Archaeological Recovery | Discover ...
American Veterans Archaeological Recovery offers veteran ... AVAR offers specialized archaeological services tailored to the needs of CRM firms ...AVAR_ProjectsJoin The TeamWho We AreDPPA ArchaeologyMedia
[59]
Survey Data Collection & Data Science Services | Avar
Avar Consulting is a woman-owned small business based in Herndon, Virginia. We specialize in research, statistics, economics, data science, healthcare quality ...
[60]
All About American Veterans Archaeological Recovery (AVAR)
Nov 26, 2019 · American Veterans Archaeological Recovery (AVAR) is a veteran-driven nonprofit promoting psychological healing through field archaeology.
[61]
[PDF] The Observed Asymptotic Variance: Hard edges, and a regression ...
Aug 11, 2020 · A more direct path to an optimal estimator, however, is to find a k which approximately minimizes AVAR. In the more general case, call the ...
[62]
The Observed Asymptotic Variance: Hard edges, and a regression ...
Aug 5, 2025 · We here find a regression approach to observed AVAR which is highly robust to large edges. This approach covers most high frequency estimators.
[63]
Avar Consulting 2025 Company Profile - PitchBook
When was Avar Consulting founded? Avar Consulting was founded in 2006. ; Where is Avar Consulting headquartered? Avar Consulting is headquartered in Rockville, ...
[64]
Avar - Surname Origins & Meanings - Last Names - MyHeritage
The name itself is believed to derive from the Turkic word avar, meaning to be a warrior or to be brave, reflecting the martial culture of the Avars ...
[65]
Avar Name Meaning and Avar Family History at FamilySearch
4 people in Family Tree. We found 132,760 records for the Avar last name. Explore historical collections, such as birth records, death certificates, ...
[66]
What Does The Name Avar Mean? - Names.org
Notable Persons With the Last Name Avar Banu was born on July 18th, 1955. István Avar was an athlete for the Vagonul Arad, Colțea Brașov, Újpest FC, FC Rapid ...
[67]
Avar Surname Origin, Meaning & Last Name History - Forebears
The surname occurs predominantly in Asia, where 75 percent of Avar are found; 54 percent are found in West Asia and 52 percent are found in Anatolia and ...
[68]
Avar Submitted Surnames - Behind the Name
Avar names are used by Avar speakers in Dagestan, a federal subject of Russia. More Filters. usage. any usage, Abazin · Abkhaz · Acehnese · Acholi · Adyghe ...
[69]
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/awar-maaruldna/about/background
[70]
Y-chromosome haplogroups from Hun, Avar and conquering ...
One Conqueror sample belongs to Hg J1-M267 and another to J2a1a-L26. Both J1 and J2 lineages are most frequent around the Middle East-Caucasus and probably ...