Oleg Kusov. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
It is not clear why Emperor Alexander II sent Imam Shamil to Kaluga. There are, however, some suggestions. For instance, a number of high-level prisoners had been sent to this city before. In addition to this there are many forests and ravines near Kaluga, which could have reminded the Imam of his home ... One can continue to speculate: it was a merchant town, its residents were tolerant of foreigners and people of other faiths, as its inhabitants often had to deal with overseas traders. Shamil realized this on the first day of his stay in the city, when local residents gave him a magnificent reception near the hotel.
Contemporaries recalled that the people did not leave until it was very late, wanting to see the captivate Caucasian leader, and when the Imam was looking out of the window, shouting loud "Hurrah!" The next day, Shamil and his son Mohammad Qazi were received by the Governor-General Artsimovich. And again the whole day he was followed by the crowd. In the city park, after a conversation with the governor and inspection of his new home, Shamil became a prisoner of the ordinary citizens. They surrounded the mountain-dweller, shaking his hand and expressing their admiration. The Imam could not speak Russian. Shamil was accompanied by a police officer, a doctor and a translator. Imam settled in a three-storey house belonging to Colonel Sukhotin (built by local merchant Bilibin). The treasury paid 900 rubles a year for this accomodation. The Emperor allocated a lifetime allowance to the Imam (15 thousand rubles a year). A few months later other members of the family (the two wives of the Imam, children and servants - all in all 22 people) followed Shamil and Qazi Mohammed.
The Imam stayed in Kaluga for nine years, from 1859 to 1868. This period was full of different events, both pleasant and sorrowful. It was in Kaluga that his beloved daughter Nafisat died. The Emperor ordered her to be buried at the expense of the Treasury. This move touched Shamil. But this death was not the only one. Within these nine years, 17 relatives and friends of Imam died.
Shamil actively studied Russian society, walked through the city until he was bored, visited theaters, gymnasiums and hospitals. Both militarymen and civilians, including those who had fought against him in the Caucasus, wanted to see him. There were so many people that the bailiff had to arrange appointments. Ladies loved to talk with the Imam in their salons. Among them were widows of officers killed in the Caucasian War. Contemporaries recalled that one of them had said that Shamil would have been considered a very good man, if "he had not killed her husband." Shamil replied that if he had known that this officer was such a good man, he would never have killed him.
Some contemporaries noted down the quotes of Shamil, which unveil the inner feelings of the Imam. Detailed evidence is provided by Zakharin-Yakunin, bailiffs Runovskii and Przhetslavsky. Calling his life in Kaluga a "paradise", the Imam once shared: "If I knew that I would be here, I would have run away from Dagestan." During the housewarming party, he told the local leader of the nobility such words: "After I have done so much evil, you treat me like a friend, like a brother ... I did not expect this, and now I am ashamed, I cannot look at you directly and I would be happy if I could sink into the ground ... ".
In his letter to Alexander II, Shamil emphasized: "You, the Great Emperor, have defeated me and the Caucasian people. You, the Great Emperor, gave me life. You, the Great Emperor, won my heart by your kindness. My sacred duty is to inspire children to fulfil their obligations and serve Russia and its legitimate tsars. I commanded them to be grateful to you, my lord, for all the benefits that you constantly gave me. I have commanded them to be loyal subjects of the Russian tsars and to be useful servants of our new fatherland."
Shamil made an official oath of allegiance to the Russian monarch on August 26, 1866, on the seventh anniversary of his capture, in the front of the hall of the Kaluga provincial Noble Assembly. When the Imam was asked whether he wanted to return home, he replied: "Why? Now, the Caucasus is here in Kaluga." At that time Shamil did not called himself an Imam and signed letters as "God's servant Shamil." He was also very sorry that he had not treated noble Russian prisoners with the same courtesy as was offered to him in Russia.
Shamil's residence in Kaluga became a museum thanks to a wise decision made by the authorities. In Soviet times, the house of merchant Bilibin (known in the history of the city as the "House of Shamil") was converted into a school. Another building was attached to the left part of the house, giving the building an asymmetric view, the garden was destroyed. Inside the building several alterations were made. During Shamil's period there were 13 rooms. The third floor was occupied by his wives and daughters, the first and second were "male").
Then the Exhibition Complex of the Regional Museum of Local History was established in the house. In April 2013 the museum "The Room of Shamil" was established. The sofa on which Imam liked to recline is among the exhibits.
"The carpet and the cloak have been presented by the Dagestani community," the museum's guide Nina Mahaylova told me. "They refer to this place as holy, on certain days they pray here. Together we tried to recreate the atmosphere of the room of Shamil."
These days an exposition devoted to Shamil is being held. The walls of the room are decorated with pictures of the Imam and his family while living in Kaluga. For example, there is exhibited an interesting picture of Shamil's son, who was born in Kaluga in 1862 - Muhammad Kamil.
Imam died in 1871, while performing Hajj, and the family remained in the East. His youngest son later became Marshal of the Turkish army, and his grandson Said Bey, who is also in a photograph, was a well-known figure in the Republic. Another interesting photo is a picture of Shamil's eldest wife Zaidat. People wrote that she was obeying Dagestani etiquette and Muslim tradition and had always been modest and obedient. Still, she is believed to have had a great influence on Shamil, especially during their life in Kaluga.
Shamil's stay in Kaluga is a very instructive theme for our time. The highlander expected to meet in the Russian city hostile people, angry over the deaths of Russian soldiers and officers in the Caucasus, but in fact, the Imam became their favorite. He candidly confessed in front of them, saying that he did not know or understand much before. It seems like modern Russian-Caucasian friction is caused by complete lack of understanding between the two peoples.
