A pluralistic legal system had developed in the Caucasus based on customary law ( ʿāda ), Sharīʿa, and state laws (Russian). This system was applied until the 1920s when Soviet power and law were established and all other legal codes were declared unlawful.
the caucasus
Pre-Soviet period
Until the 1920s, criminal cases were judged according to ʿāda , domestic cases according to the Sharīʿa, and other civil cases were subject to Russian law. The predominance of customary law in the Caucasus made it possible f…