The Circassian people originates in the land, the historical name of which is Circassia, in the northwestern part of the Caucasus region, named after the Caucasus mountain range, which runs along the border between Russia in the north and Georgia and Azerbaijan in the south. The people themselves call themselves adyge. There are many dialects in the Circassian language, of which two literary versions appeared after the creation of the Soviet Union; they have used Cyrillic spelling since the 1930s: Adyghe and Kabardino-Circassian languages.
History
The Sunni Muslim people, before the introduction of Islam, the Circassians were Christians. Christianity was introduced by the rulers of the Byzantine Empire and Georgia. Islam was first introduced to the Circassian nobility in the 16th century, and at the beginning of the 18th century, religion spread to the rest of the population. Even after the Islamization of society, the remains of ancient pre-Christian polytheistic beliefs have survived.
During the XII and XIII centuries, Circassia fell under the control of the Georgian princes, and in the XVI and XVII centuries the Circassian princes asked for support from Russia in order to withstand the attacks from Turkey and Iran. In 1785, the North Caucasus came under Russian control, and Circassia finally withdrew to Russia in 1864. Prior to this, the main tribes were natuhai (natkui), shapsug, abadzekh, mahosh, temirgoi (kemgi, chengui), hatukai, besleny, the Great Kabarda tribes, the Lesser Kabarda tribes, Ubek and Abaza.
After the republic became part of Russia, many Circassians left the country. Ottoman records show that 595,000 Circassians left Circassia, moving to the Ottoman Empire (including Turkey) between 1856 and 1864, and in 1945 there were still more than 66,000 indigenous Circassians in Turkey. In Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Iran there are small Circassian communities.
Diaspora Formation
The resettlement of the Circassians in Turkey in a significant amount occurred in the XIX century. Not having the strength to unite ethnic groups of the mainly Sunni Muslim North Caucasus as a single state, Circassia as a country ceased to exist. Hundreds of thousands of its inhabitants were killed or died, and their land was offered to ethnic Russians and Cossack settlers. Some people today cite the events of 1859-64 as the first modern genocide.
The vast majority of survivors found refuge on the other side of the Black Sea in the countries of the Ottoman Empire. According to various estimates, in the early twentieth century the number of Circassians in Turkey was about 2-3 million citizens of Circassian origin. At the same time, many members of the community sought a high position in society, both in the Ottoman Empire and in the Republic of Turkey. Many Circassians in Turkey played a key role locally in the massacres of Ottoman Christians in 1915.
Life in Turkish society
In modern Turkey, "Circassian" is a concept that encompasses citizens belonging to several ethnic groups. All these nationalities belong to the Caucasus region. In particular, their representatives are Chechens, Circassians, Circassians Natukhay. In Turkey, according to researchers, the Circassian community has traditionally been anti-Russian. They also began to join the center-right political parties in Turkey, especially those that supported the nationalist, religious and anti-communist line. Often they even competed with ethnic "Turks" in their expression of devotion to their adopted country. Thus, the Circassians provided the main support for the succession of conservative Turkish governments.
The problem of national identity
Although Turkish Circassians voluntarily assimilated linguistically and culturally into the Turkish majority, the revival of nationalism among Muslim peoples in the Russian Caucasus region and the conflict between Abkhazians and Georgians inspired them to declare their national identity in Turkey.
The Caucasian Association, a Circassian organization based in Istanbul, maintains a website in English and Turkish. The website represents 29 offices of the Caucasian Association throughout Turkey. The organization publishes a Turkish-language publication called the Nart Journal (Nart Dergisi in Turkish).
The position of the diaspora in the first half of the twentieth century
Like many other nationalities, representatives of the Circassian diaspora suffered from the restrictions of the state of Kemal Ataturk after the creation of the republic in 1923, where one of the main principles was nationalism, proclaiming the rise of the Turkish nation and some religious and ethnic restrictions. In particular, the Circassians in Turkey were forbidden to wear national costumes, to teach, study and speak the Circassian language publicly.
But the state never had the material and technical infrastructure that would control every corner of the country, and the Circassian communities in remote areas remained largely untouched by official politics.
The second half of the twentieth century
With the weakening of Kemalist zeal after the 1950s, space was opened for further development, and urban migration contributed to the increased activity of the Circassians.
After the coup in 1960 and until the end of the 1970s, the country's leadership considered the ethno-political rights of minorities, including the Circassians in Turkey. In fact, a division similar to the division of the entire Turkish society during this period was observed within the North Caucasian diaspora: some of the diaspora representatives were sympathetic to the Soviet Union, some supported the religious identity of the Sunni Muslim Circassians and were against any relations with the USSR.
The military coup of 1980 was of great importance for Turkish society. At the same time, Circassian activists were among those who were attacked by the military regime of separatism and ethnocentrism. Their activities were largely hindered, and major changes took about two decades. The catalyst was Turkey’s intensive contacts with the EU since the late 1990s, which provided new opportunities for the activity of representatives of the Circassian diaspora. Various meetings were held between Turkish Circassian groups and EU delegations, financial assistance was provided to implement cultural and linguistic projects. This, in turn, allowed the Circassians in Turkey to become more “visible” in society, despite the fact that now there are about 4 million of them living here.
Political activity in the last decade
Following the announcement that the 2014 Winter Olympics will be held in the old Circassian capital, Sochi, many members of the diaspora were mobilized to conduct an unprecedented campaign against the Games. The global national activity, due to the large number of Circassians in Turkey, was raised to new levels, and the community was more active than ever. Rallies and street protests took place around the world in 2009, 2010 and 2011, which was a kind of advertising.
Today, Circassian groups can often be seen on Istanbul's central street, Istiklal Caddesi. Many people gather every year on May 21, when they traditionally celebrate genocide. As the policy of national identity continues to gain momentum, and the Internet strengthens communication opportunities, the activities of activists of Circassian Turkey are certainly noteworthy.
Political participation
Many members of the North Caucasus diaspora supported President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the failed coup on July 15, 2016. However, some Circassians doubt whether it is worthwhile to provide such support to the Turkish president. Circassian activists divided into two camps, differently assessing how and to what extent the Circassians should participate in the political struggle of Turkey. Representatives of Chechnya, Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria, who now live in the Istanbul region of Bashaksehir, spoke in support of the current Turkish government on the night of the assassination attempt. According to their own assurances, despite the differences between the North Caucasians, they were all against attempts at a coup.
It should be borne in mind that the previous waves of immigration to Turkey from the North Caucasus were, so to speak, more secular than the most recent flows of immigrants. Consequently, immigrants who came here earlier supported secularism and Fethullah Gulen to a greater extent, while immigrants of recent generations more supported Erdogan.
According to human rights organizations in Turkey, eight Circassians were killed during protests caused by the coup attempt. The Association of Circassian Organizations of Istanbul in a statement said: “Elements of the confrontation, which were rooted in the Turkish national army, led to a military coup, which failed due to a single action by the people. We, as the Circassian association in Istanbul, curse all the organizers of the coup and those who contributed to its implementation. We proudly declare that we are completely on the side of the Turkish government, its parliament and democracy. ”
Among the dead was a well-known advertiser who advised Erdoan on public relations Erol Olkak and his 16-year-old son Abdullah. They were killed during the confrontation on the bridge over the Bosphorus. However, supporters of the Circassian affair seem indifferent to the dramatic events in Turkey, because they say that the Turkish government did not support the Circassian repatriation to the North Caucasus. They believe that now, after Erdogan won the confrontation with the supporters of the coup, his negative attitude towards the repatriation of the Circassians will become even stronger.
Views on the political activity of the Circassian diaspora
Opinions of Circassian activists living in the Server Caucasus related to the question of what relation the Circassians should have to the coup in Turkey and its consequences were divided. In particular, the famous Circassian leader Ibrahim Yaganov once said that they moved to this country after Russia expelled them from their homeland in the 19th century, and that the Circassians in Turkey should support the existing government.
On the other hand, Ruslan Kesh, a well-known Circassian activist in the North Caucasus, expressed surprise at "the readiness of some Circassian activists to support Erdogan." In his opinion, Ankara treats the Circassians worse than representatives of other diasporas, and that the former should not participate in internal political conflicts. According to Kesha, "the policy of forced assimilation of the Circassians in Turkey, the ban on the use of their native language, as well as the forced change of names to Turkish means that they survived here contrary to, and not thanks to government policy." Kesh urged to think about the interests of his people, starting with the expansion of the use of the Circassian language.
Almir Abregov, a popular activist in Adygea, said that for the Circassians living in the diaspora, returning to their historical homeland remains "a mirage that they cannot achieve." The inability to repatriate Syrian Circassians is instructive for many representatives of the nation living in other diasporas. Russia did not allow a massive return to the homeland of the Syrian Circassians, despite the war raging in Syria. And those who were allowed to move to Adygea live on the verge of physical survival due to a lack of work and other opportunities for a normal life.
Current state of the community
The political crisis in Turkey raised questions about the Circassian diaspora and its role in the North Caucasus. The political events in this country and the reaction of the Circassian community to them indicate that it is currently divided. However, if the Circassians want to make progress in fulfilling their repatriation requirements, they will have to resolve their differences.
The life of the Circassian diaspora in Turkey is not limited only to politics. This year, in August, within the framework of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Caucasian Kayseri Society, the "Circassian Festival in Turkey" was held in Kainar (Kayseri province). Many cultural figures took part in the festivals, as well as a presentation of the book "Encyclopedia of Circassian mythology."
Number of residents
Until now, researchers have not established exactly how many Circassians are in Turkey at present. The data differ even in the issue related to the number of their settlements. Different sources indicate different numbers. Some indicate 615 villages in Turkey in which Circassians live. Other researchers believe that there are 568 such settlements. They are mainly concentrated in six areas. Another source indicates 535 Circassian settlements. In turn, this makes it difficult to determine how many Circassians live in Turkey.