Circassians marching to commemorate the Circassian genocide in Taksim Square, Istanbul
Total population
Estimated 2,000,000[1][2][3][4]–3,000,000[5]
Regions with significant populations
Marmara Region
Central Anatolia Region
Black Sea Region
in:
Kayseri
Kırklareli
Eskişehir
Samsun
Sinop
Çanakkale
Kahramanmaraş
Tokat
Afyonkarahisar
Balıkesir
Sakarya
Bolu
Aydın
Bursa
Bilecik
Sivas
Amasya
Çorum
Istanbul and others
Languages
East Circassian West Circassian Turkish Arabic (in Antakya and Reyhanlı)
Religion
Majority: Sunni Islam Minority: Circassian native faith Khabzeism[6] • Atheism-Agnosticism[7]
Related ethnic groups
Abazins, Abkhazians, Chechens
Part of a series on the
Circassians Адыгэхэр
Circassia
Adyghe Xabze
Circassians
List of notable Circassians Circassian genocide
Circassian diaspora
Turkey
Jordan
Israel
Syria
Germany
United States
Saudi Arabia
Libya
Iraq
Iran
Egypt
Bulgaria (historical)
Kosovo (historical)
Romania (historical)
Circassian tribes
Surviving
Abzakhs
Besleney
Bzhedug
Chemirgoy
Hatuqway
Kabardian
Natukhaj
Shapsug
Ubykh
Destroyed or barely existing
Ademey
Chebsin
Cherchenay
Guaye
Hakuchey
Khatuq
Khegayk
Makhosh
Mamkhegh
Yegeruqway
Zhaney
Religion
Religion in Circassia
Islam
Christianity
Circassian paganism
Languages and dialects
West Circassian (Adyghe)
East Circassian (Kabardian)
History
Show
Ancient
Maykop culture
Maeotians
Zygii
Medieval
Mongol invasion of Circassia
Zichia
Inal the Great
Modern
Circassia
Circassian slave trade
Russo-Circassian War
Circassian Revolution
Circassian Majlis
Circassian genocide
Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus
Circassian Union and Mutual Aid Society
Contemporary
Republic of Adygea
Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria
Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia
Shapsugsky National District (until 1945)
Key battles
Battle of Kanzhal
Battle of Qbaada
Culture
Adyghe Xabze
Circassian nationalism
Circassian flag
Circassian beauty
Circassian music
Circassian cuisine
Circassian mythology
Circassian Day of Mourning
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The distribution of Circassians in TurkeyCircassians commemorate the massacre of their ancestors and exile of the Circassians from their homeland in Taksim Square, IstanbulEthem the Circassian, his Circassian hands and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in front of the main building of the station, who were on their way to the Yozgat rebellion (June 1920)
Circassians in Turkey[a] refers to people born in or residing in Turkey that are of Circassian origin. The Circassians are one of the largest ethnic minorities in Turkey, with a population estimated to be two million, or according to the EU reports, three.[8]
Circassians are a Caucasian people, and although the Circassians in Turkey were assimilated to some degree, a portion of the diaspora still speaks their native Circassian languages as it is still spoken in many Circassian villages, and the group that preserved their language the best are the Kabardians.[9] With the rise of Circassian nationalism in the 21st century, Circassians in Turkey, especially the young, have started to study and learn their language. The Circassians in Turkey mostly identify as Muslim. The largest association of Circassians in Turkey,[10] KAFFED, was the founding member of the International Circassian Association (ICA),[11] until it left in 2022 due to "ICA acting as a Russian puppet organisation".[12]
The closely related ethnic groups Abazins (10,000[13]) and Abkhazians (39,000[14]) are also often counted among them. The term "Circassian" was formerly used in the Ottoman Empire in the late 1800s to refer to all North Caucasians.
^Circassia, Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, archived from the original on 2010-11-29.
^Ülkü Bilgin: Azınlık hakları ve Türkiye. Kitap Yayınevi, Istanbul 2007; p. 85. ISBN 975-6051-80-9 (Turkish Language)
^Richmond, Walter (2013). The Circassian Genocide. Rutgers University Press. p. 130. ISBN 978-0813560694.
^Danver, Steven L. (2015). Native Peoples of the World: An Encyclopedia of Groups, Cultures and Contemporary Issues. Routledge. p. 528. ISBN 978-1317464006.
^Zhemukhov, Sufian (2008). "Circassian World Responses to the New Challenges" (PDF). PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo No. 54: 2. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
^2012 Survey Maps Archived 2017-03-20 at the Wayback Machine. "Ogonek". No 34 (5243), 27 August 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
^Svetlana Lyagusheva (2005). "Islam and the Traditional Moral Code of Adyghes". Iran and the Caucasus. 9 (1): 29–35. doi:10.1163/1573384054068123. JSTOR 4030903. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
^Bernard Lewis (1961). "The Emergence of Modern Turkey". The Geographical Journal. 127 (4): 94. Bibcode:1961GeogJ.127..509B. doi:10.2307/1792817. JSTOR 1792817.
^Papşu, Murat (2003). Çerkes dillerine genel bir bakış Kafkasya ve Türkiye Archived 10 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Nart Dergisi, Mart-Nisan 2003, Sayı:35
^Адыгэхэм я щыгъуэ-щIэж махуэм къызэрагъэпэща пэкIур Тыркум гулъытэншэу къыщагъэнакъым Archived 2013-04-17 at archive.today. 2012-06-09 (Çerkesçe)
^"Kafkas Dernekleri Federasyonu İlkeleri". Archived from the original on 15 March 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
^"Ethnologue: Abasinen". Ethnologue. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
^"Ethnologue: Abchasen". Ethnologue. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
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