Yosif Buzurtanov

Yosif Buzurtanov (Йосиф Бузуртанов) — an Ingush mountaineer and hunter, also called Yosif the Mokhevian, the first person to ascend Mount Kazbek in the Caucasus in the second half of the 18th century. Yosif Buzurtanov was a resident of the medieval village (aul) Gveleti (Gelatĕ), abode of the Ingush clan Gelatkhoy.

History
Prince Ioane of Georgia, in his manuscript Kalmasoba, mentions Yosif as the first to ascend the mountain peak of Kazbek (მყინვარწვერი; Башлоамкорт) in the late eighteenth century during the reign of Heraclius II of Georgia.

Member of the Russian Mountain Society in Pyatigorsk, associate professor Yakov Frolov, after studying the history of the conquest of Mount Kazbek, asserted that the first climber to the top of mountain was Yosif Buzurtanov. Yakov Frolov conducted a scrupulous survey among the centenarians of various regions adjacent to Kazbek. Residents of the Ingush foothill village of Akhki-Yurt (located in modern-day Prigorodny district) acclaimed that Yosif, a native of the village of Gveleti, was the first to climb to the top of Mount Kazbek. Famous climber Yagor Kazalikashvili reported in the early 20th century, with reference to the information given by elderly inhabitants of the Kazbek region, that “the pioneer was an Ingush hunter from Gveleti who was looking for the treasure of Queen Tamara”, a rumor which had long existed among local mountaineers.

The first documented attempts to conquer Mount Kazbek were made by German travelers Moritz von Engelhardt and Friedrich Parrot in 1811, but they ended in failure. The next ascent was made in August 1844 by professor Friedrich Kolenati, who was guided by local Gveletians. But this expedition did not reach the summit either. In 1868, Kazbek was officially conquered by English climbers Douglas Freshfield, Adolphus Moore, Charles Tucker and French guide François Devouassoud. Success was achieved thanks to both excellent equipment and the fact that they were accompanied by experienced guides from the Gveleti village — Tsogol Buzurtanov (son of Yosif Buzurtanov), Toto Oziev, Anzor Doskhoev and another Gveletian, whose name is unknown. In 1873, Tsogol Buzurtanov again conquered Kazbek. This time with Vladimir Kozmin, the first Russian climber to climb this peak, and 3 Ingush guides from Gveleti, including Tsogol Buzurtanov's son Isak. When Tsogol Buzurtanov was asked who taught him mountaineering techniques, Tsogol confidently answered: “My father, who climbed to the top of Bashloam to find the treasure stored there.”

Tsogols Buzurtanovs had five sons Mussa, Yani, Isak, Inarko and Abzi. In 1901, Alexander Sipiagin wrote about the Buzurtanov brothers: ''“All the brothers are excellent walkers, and have been to the top of Kazbek; Isaac has already been 4 times. They can make excellent guides.”'' In 1902, the Russian Mountain Society introduced special diplomas and badges for its guides. Among the first seven to whom they were awarded were three of Yosif's grandchildren — Yani, Musa and Isak. In 1944, the Buzurtanovs, like the entire Ingush people, were deported to Kazakhstan and Central Asia. After returning from exile, of all the descendants of the five brothers, except Inarko's son, Yakub, and grandson, Yani-Girey, returned to Gveleti, but didn't live there long, and moved to the Prigorodny district. Thus ended the history of the dynasty of Ingush mountain climbers.