On the left bank tributaries of the Turianchai River is the village of Nij, whose neighbourhood is dotted with fruit and nut orchards. Nij and its suburbs are inhabited by the Udins (or Udins or Uti/udi as they call themselves), a small but ancient people with their own language. Nij is surrounded by vast virgin deciduous forests where birds are abundant. The Udins, as well as other nationalities of the Lezghin group, are close to the peoples of Dagestan both in language and ethno-culturally. The ancestors of these ethnic groups historically belonged to the multi-tribal state association Caucasian Albania and were known under the common name of Leks or Albanians.
The Udins were first mentioned by Herodotus in his famous History (5th century BC). Describing the Battle of Marathon (Greek-Persian war, 490 BC), the author pointed out that the 14th satrapy of the Persian army also included soldiers of the Udians. Udins are mentioned in the «Geography» of the ancient Greek writer Strabo (1st century BC) when describing the Caspian Sea and Caucasian Albania. The ethnic term «Udi» was first mentioned in «Natural History» by the Roman author Pliny (1st century BC). Some information about the Udins is available from Gaius Pliny Secundus (1st century), Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century), Asinius Quadratus and many other ancient authors.
In the past, the Udins were settled in rather vast territories, from the shores of the Caspian Sea to the Caucasus Mountains, along the left bank and right bank of the Kura River. After the Arab conquest of Caucasian Albania, the Udins began an active process of Islamisation and reduction of their numbers.
The written language of the Udins was not established until the 20th century. The Udins used Azerbaijani, Georgian, Armenian and Russian for their literary language. The language belongs to the Lezghin branch of the Nakh-Dagestani language family.
The main occupations of the Oudin are farming, gardening and animal husbandry. Some are engaged in beekeeping and sell delicious honey. Some work in manufacturing. Vodka production, nut farming and pig farming are common.
The Udins mostly adhere to the Orthodox faith, but like other Caucasian peoples, they have preserved some of their former rituals, customs and traditions and combined them with religion. For example, the custom of keeping an unquenchable fire in the home hearth has been preserved, which speaks of vestiges of Zoroastrianism. At the same time, one cannot but note the connection with Azerbaijani culture, which affects all aspects of Udin life. The Udins and Azerbaijanis, despite differences in religion, honoured the same ancient sanctuaries. There are dozens of cases of interethnic marriages between Azerbaijanis and Udins.