According to the family legend, Tarkovsky's ancestors on his father's side were princes from the Shamkhalate of Tarki, Dagestan, although his sister Marina Tarkovskaya who did a detailed research on their genealogy called it "a myth, even a prank of sorts," stressing that none of the documents confirms this version.
ɐkˈoːɹdɪŋ tə ðə fˈæmɪli lˈɛdʒənd, tɑːɹkˈɑːvskiz ˈænsɛstɚz ˌɔn hɪz fˈɑːðɚz sˈaɪd wɜː pɹˈɪnsᵻz fɹʌmðə ʃˈæmkhɐlˌeɪt ʌv tˈɑːɹki, dˌɑːɡɪstˈɑːn, ɔːlðˈoʊ hɪz sˈɪstɚ mɚɹˈiːnə tˌɑːɹkəvskˈɑːjə hˌuː dˈɪd ɐ diːtˈeɪld ɹᵻsˈɜːtʃ ˌɔn ðɛɹ dʒˌiːnɪˈælədʒi kˈɔːld ɪt "ɐ mˈɪθ, ˈiːvən ɐ pɹˈæŋk ʌv sˈɔːɹts," stɹˈɛsɪŋ ðæt nˈʌn ʌvðə dˈɑːkjuːmənts kənfˈɜːmz ðɪs vˈɜːʒən.