Circassians in Syria
Сирием ис Адыгэхэр الشركس في سوريا | |
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Circassian people |
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Circassians Адыгэхэр |
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Circassians in Syria[a] refer to the Circassian diaspora that settled in Syria (then part of the Ottoman Empire) in the 19th century. They moved to Syria after the Circassian genocide following the Russo-Circassian War. While they have become an increasingly assimilated part of Syrian society, they have maintained a distinct identity, having retained their language (in addition to Arabic), their tribal heritage, and some of their other traditional customs.
Prior to the
Many of Syria's ethnic Circassians have left the country and have repatriated or are in the process of repatriation to the titular Circassian parts of
In 2018 Professor John Shoup said that the Circassian population in Syria formed about 1% of the country's total population, making them the sixth largest ethnic group in the country.[9]
History
Exile and resettlement
Circassians began a forced migration from their homeland in the Northwest Caucasus region to the
Nearly all of the Circassian villages founded in
In the first decade of the 20th century the Ottoman government facilitated a wave of Circassian resettlement to the northern
In Circassian narratives of these years, there were rarely any negative words against the local Arab population, which welcomed the Circassian immigrants.
Post-independence
Following Syria's independence from French control in 1946, Circassian-dominated military units were disbanded. During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, a few were hastily reassembled as part of the Syrian Army and put under the command of Jawad Anzor. About 200 soldiers from this unit, including Anzor, were killed during the war.[10] After the Syrian defeat in the 1967 Six-Day War, the Circassian population largely fled the Golan Heights region, which was occupied by the Israeli Army. Most relocated to the cities of Damascus and Aleppo, while many later moved to the United States (particularly Paterson, New Jersey, New York City and Orange County, California),[1] Canada, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. Some Circassians returned to villages east of the ceasefire line with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, namely Beer Ajam and Bariqa after the 1973 Yom Kippur War.[10]
Civil war
Circassians have generally stayed neutral during the ongoing
Culture
In the past Syria's Circassian community mainly spoke
Circassians are generally well-off, with many being employed in government posts, the civil service and the military.[1] In the rural regions, Circassians are organized by a tribal system. In these areas, the communities mostly engage in agriculture, especially grain cultivation, and raise livestock including horses, cattle, goats and sheep. Many also engage in traditional jobs as blacksmiths, gold and silversmiths, carpenters and stonemasons.[4]
Population
According to statistics provided by the Caucasus Foundation, the Circassian population in 1990 was 28,500, increasing to about 40,000 in 2000.
Geographic distribution
Prior to the 1967 War, about half of the Circassian population lived in the Quneitra Governorate, inhabiting 11 villages and the major town of Quneitra. The latter, which had a significant Circassian population, was depopulated during the war and although it is under Syrian control, it has not been resettled. Circassian-dominated villages included Jawziah, Khishniyyah, Ayn Ziwan, Salmaniyah, Mumsiyah, Mansura, Faham, Mudariyah, Ramthaniya, Bariqa and Beer Ajam. Only the latter two have been repopulated, most of the remainder are located in the Israeli-occupied part of the territory.[10] Displaced Circassians continue to claim their lands and homes in the Golan Heights.[10]
Many Circassians have relocated to Damascus after being displaced from the Golan in the 1967 War.[1][4][10] Most settled in the Rukn al-Din district of the city, where they form the majority of the residents.[5] The main Circassian population center in the area outside Damascus is the village of Marj al-Sultan, 15 kilometers to the city's east. But all Circassians had to leave this village during the Syrian civil war as it was totally destroyed in 2016.[10] Others had previously moved to the Caucasus after the fall of the Soviet Union.[21]
Aleppo city is another major center, in addition to the nearby town of Khanasir from which many of Aleppo's Circassians had emigrated from.[10] Manbij, northeast of Aleppo, also contains a significant Circassian community. In 1970 the Circassian population in Khanasir and Manbij was 2,500 and 1,500, respectively.[22] Khanasir had been reestablished by Circassian immigrants from Manbij at the turn of the 20th century.[23][24]
Circassians also reside in seven villages in the Homs Governorate and two in the Hama Governorate in addition to the city of Homs itself. These villages are mostly situated north or east of Homs along the edge of the Syrian Desert and along the eastern banks of the Orontes River.[10] They are Deir Ful, Ayn al-Niser, Abu Hamama, Murayj al-Durr, Asilah, Anzat, Tell Amri, Tell Sinan, Tell Ady and Telil. The last village is located west of Homs, near Houla.[10]
Notable people
Notable Syrian citizens of Circassian ancestry include:
- Bassam Abdel Majeed – former Syrian interior minister and director of the military police.[25]
- Najdat Anzour – Syrian television and film director.[26][27]
- Ahmad Nami – 5th Prime Minister of Syria and 2nd President of Syria
- Jawdat Said – a prominent Islamic scholar and nonviolence advocate.
- Feras Esmaeel – footballer
- Yanal Abaza – footballer
- Tamer Haj Mohamad – footballer
- Husam Tahsin Bek – actor and singer
- Nadine Tahsin Bek – actress
- Tulin Mustafa – anchorwoman
- Ali Mamlouk – Deputy Vice President for Security Affairs, former director of National Security Bureau
- Hossam Louka – Head of the General Intelligence Directorate[28]
See also
Notes
- Arabic: الشركس في سوريا
References
- ^ a b c d e f g The Circassians of Syria Archived 2013-10-24 at the Wayback Machine. Kafkas Vakfi – Caucasus Foundation.
- ^ a b c d Gammer, 2004, p. 64.
- ^ a b c d e f Tastekin, Fahim. Syria’s Circassians Caught in Crossfire Archived 2014-12-26 at the Wayback Machine. Al-Monitor. 2012-11-21.
- ^ a b c d e f g A Country Study: Syria: Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environment: Others Archived 2022-11-20 at the Wayback Machine. Library of Congress. April 1987.
- ^ a b c d Kanbolat, Hasan.Syrian Circassians have begun to arrive in Turkey Archived March 30, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Today's Zaman. 2012-11-19.
- ^ Брук, Джеймс. "Абхазия охотно принимает беженцев из Сирии". ГОЛОС АМЕРИКИ (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2019-12-23. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
- ^ "Lidovky (Чехия): Абхазия ― одна из стран, которая радушно принимает беженцев. Им предлагают свободные дома и курсы русского языка". ИноСМИ.Ru (in Russian). 2018-09-05. Archived from the original on 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
- ^ "Репатрианты из Сирии создают в Абхазии рабочие места: EADaily". EADaily (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
- ^ ISBN 978-1440858352,
Syria has several other ethnic groups, the Kurds... they make up an estimated 9 percent...Turkomen comprise around 4-5 percent of the total population. The rest of the ethnic mix of Syria is made of Assyrians (about 4 percent), Armenians (about 2 percent), and Circassians (about 1 percent).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Jaimoukha, Amjad. The Circassians of Syria: Opting for the Rightful Cause Archived 2013-10-23 at the Wayback Machine. Circassian Voices. July 2012.
- ^ Chatty, 2010, p. 110.
- ^ Chatty, 2010, p. 111.
- ^ Chatty, 2010, p. 114.
- ^ Chatty, 2010, pp. 110–111.
- ^ Chatty, 2010, pp. 109-110.
- ^ Neely, 2008, p. 62.
- ^ Neely, 2008, p. 61.
- ^ M. Proux, "Les Tcherkesses", La France méditerranéenne et africaine, IV, 1938
- ^ a b c Circassians in Syria Seek Ways to Return Homeland Archived 2014-12-26 at the Wayback Machine. Journal of the Turkish Weekly. 2013-01-31.
- ^ Erkuş, Sevil (2013). "Syria's Circassians wait for trip back to Russia". Hürriyet Daily News. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ "How Circassians maintain identity in changing Golan". Al-Monitor. 9 February 2017. Archived from the original on 10 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
- ^ Khanam, 2005, p. 573.
- ^ Musil, 1928, p. 203.
- ^ Burns, 2009, p. 175.
- ^ Sami Moubayed (16–22 February 2006). "Strengthening the line". Al-Ahram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
- ^ Khaled Yacoub Oweis (7 September 2010). "Veteran Syrian director takes on Muslim "extremism"". Reuters. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
- ^ نجدة أنزور ("Najdat Anzour") Archived 2013-06-01 at the Wayback Machine. Discover-Syria.
- ^ "Monday Briefing: Strengthening Egypt's ties with Africa". Middle East Institute. 8 July 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
Bibliography
- Burns, Ross (2009). The monuments of Syria: a guide. ISBN 978-1-84511-947-8.
- ISBN 978-0-521-81792-9.
- Gammer, Moshe (2004). The Caspian Region: The Caucasus. Vol. 2. Routledge. ISBN 0203005120.
- Khanam, R. (2005). Encyclopaedic Ethnography of Middle-East and Central Asia. Global Vision Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-8220-062-3.
- Musil, Alois (1928). Palmyrena: A Topographical Itinerary. American Geographical Society.
- Neely, Kari S. (2008). Diasporic Representations: A Study of Circassian and Armenian Identities in Greater Syria. ]