Shahdagh people (also spelt Shah Dagh, Shakhdag, Shakhdagh and Shadag; Şahdağ in Azerbaijani orthography) is a generic term for several small ethnic groups living in the vicinity of Mount Shahdagh in northern Azerbaijan, particularly in three major villages of the district of Konakhkent (Quba) near the Daghestani border.
It is possible to find many similarities and varieties between the wedding and mourning traditions of Shahdagh people and those of other historical groups, especially Oghuz Turks.
[13] The economic lifestyle of the people of Konakhkent (Quba) district is based on animal husbandry (sheep and goats in the highlands, cattle in the lowlands), gold and silver smithing, weaving, pottery and rug manufacturing.
[14] Traditionally, the Shahdaghs were governed by rigid endogamous patriarchal clan systems, in which young people were encouraged to marry first or second cousins.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the Soviet government also succeeded in establishing cooperatives and collectivising many Shah Dagh herds and pasture lands; this policy aroused resentment among the local people.