Golden awards highlight Chechnya's proximity to Islamic monarchies

The medals and orders named after Akhmat Kadyrov, which cost Chechnya tens of millions of roubles, are in line with traditions of Islamic monarchies, the Orientalists interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 11, the Chechen governmental committee on state orders held an electronic auction for the purchase of 15 medals named after the first Chechen President, Akhmat Kadyrov, and 15 orders of Kadyrov, totalling 10.2 million roubles. This is at least the third tender for such awards since December 2019 – the previous purchases cost 10.2 and 4.6 million roubles respectively.

Similar richly inlaid awards are widespread in the countries of the Persian Gulf, in particular, in the United Arab Emirates, where the peak of awarding expensive medals was at the end of the 20th century, Vladimir Sotnikov, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to his story, in Islam, it is customary to give expensive gifts, as well as to award rich medals, which may seem unusual to a European.

The UAE or Brunei, which are characterized by richly decorated awards, are monarchies where there is historically more luxury, said Mikhail Roschin, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In Muslim republics, such as Syria, the leadership is less inclined towards catchy awards, he has added. "Kadyrov focuses on the Arabian Peninsula; he's fond of visiting the UAE and tries to show that he is the leader of a Muslim region," Mr Roschin told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 27, 2020 at 08:00 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.