The acting head of the Russian republic of Daghestan, Ramazan Abdulatipov, has urged government officials to wear traditional dress during public ceremonies. The suggestion echoes an early directive issued by Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of neighboring Chechnya, who also told government officials that national holidays call for national dress. Eager to cooperate with the acting president, who is due to be confirmed in September, many civil servants came to celebrate Daghestan's Constitution Day on July 26 wearing the traditional attire of their respective ethnic groups. Photos by RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service
In Daghestan, Traditional Dress To Please The New Boss
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A woman wears Avar dress to a public event celebrating Daghestan's Constitution Day on July 26.
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A man wears Nogai attire during the celebration of Daghestan's Constitution Day. The Nogais are a Turkic-speaking ethnic group who live mostly in the north of Daghestan.
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Men wear the uniforms of the Terek Cossacks, whose costumes borrow elements from several ethnic groups in the Caucasus. Daghestan alone is home to several dozen ethnic groups and subgroups.
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A man wears a Tatar uniform during the celebration in Makhachkala.
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Abdulatipov (center) attended the Constitution Day celebration dressed in a white "cherkeska," worn by men of many ethnic groups throughout the Caucasus.