Concerning the history of the Chechen mehk khel (council of the country)

The study examines several aspects of self-government institutions in Chechnya in the period of traditional society. The research noted that the Chechen social and political structure was characterized by the specific features and highly developed mountain village and community self-government when federative consolidation was identified. Mehk Khel (Council of the Country) was the supreme body of the Chechen self-government; all Chechen communities (lands) delegated the judicial and executive powers to this body. Analyzing the historical, ethnographic materials, and toponymic data available, the author concluded that all Chechen lands were merged into a single political and legal field by this authority. This study addresses the localization issues of Mehk Khel meetings in different regions of Chechnya. The author's version of the size of Mehk Khel is presented.