[10] Since the 16th century the state had a major importance in Russian Tsardom's and then Empire's politics at its Southern borders, as it was the main obstacle in conquering the Caucasus and competing with Persians and Ottomans for regional dominance.
Shamkhal possession included several smaller semi-independent political entities:[17] Northern, or Zasulak (beyond-Sulak) Kumykia is located in the Terek-Sulak interfluve, covering Kumyk Plain and some of the adjacent territories.
Kumyk princes settled some neighboring peoples, such as Chechens, in Zasulak Kumykia for the acceptance of certain obligations, including converting to Islam.
According to the famous British orientalist Henry Yule, Gumik corresponds to the area of settlement of the Kumyks south of the river Terek.
Researchers of the Timurid period list among the names of the areas populated by Kumyks at the time such regions as "Bugaz-Kum", "Kazi-Kumuk (Gazi-Kumukluk)", "Mamuktu", Kaitag.
[46] According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, in the 8th century the Kumyks made up the vast majority in the Caspian region, and in addition, as indicated in the collection, the Mitshik river basin (today a part of Chechnya) was already called Kumykistan.
At the end of the 18th century, the feudal lords of the Chegem Gorge, in their appeal to the Russian command, mentioned that they once paid tribute to Budai-shamkhal of Tarki.
To the north, it is separated from the Kizlyar region by swamps in the lower reaches of the Terek; in the west, it is located on both banks of the lower reaches of the Aksay to the fortress of Amir-Adzhi-Yurt, located on the right bank of the Terek; in the south it borders Dagestan and areas of Salatavians, Aukhians and Kachkalykians.
[54] According to the doctor of history Arsen Akbiev, part of the ancestors of the Zasulak Kumyks originally lived in Salatavia, as evidenced by the fact that until 1843 the Kumyk feudal lords (biys, or princes and sala-uzdens) were considered to be the owners of almost all of the Salatav land, and the mountain communities that settled there used to pay tribute to these feudal lords.
[27][55] In 1732 the commandant of the fortress Kizlyar A. Akhverdov reports that Kumyks live "on the right bank of the Terek, at a distance from the river in the range of 20, 18, 15, 13 versts, brought there since ancient times by the Aksay owners, and settled in the present places under the name Alty Kachilyk."
[60][61] In the result of the Russian-Kumyk Wars and Russian conquest of the Northern Caucasus state entities of Kumykia lost their independence and were divided into a few administrative regions of Russia.