Circassians in Syria

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Circassians in Syria
Сирием ис Адыгэхэр
الشركس في سوريا
Circassian people

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

Sunni Muslim
population of ethnic Circassians in Syria has dwindled.

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

Republic of Abkhazia.[6][7][8]

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

Province of Damascus at the time.[2] At around this time, in the late 1870s, the influx of Circassians traveling through Damascus led to the establishment of a number of villages north of Homs and along the borders of the Syrian Desert, as well as in the area surrounding Damascus city itself, namely Marj al-Sultan and al-Dumayr. Circassians eventually abandoned the latter town.[11]

Nearly all of the Circassian villages founded in

Ghouta (rural Damascus) regions and the Bedouin. The most severe local conflicts the Circassians engaged in at the time was with the often rebellious Druze, who dominated the area of Mount Hermon in the northern Golan Heights and the Jabal al-Druze region to the east. Historians have asserted that the Ottomans encouraged Circassian settlement in this particular region to serve as a pro-sultanate buffer between the two Druze-inhabited areas.[13] In addition, Circassians generally favored residence in the Golan as compared to the city quarters because the area resembled the Caucasian ancestral lands with its wooded mountains, heavy rainfall and snow.[14]

In the first decade of the 20th century the Ottoman government facilitated a wave of Circassian resettlement to the northern

Khanasser, two other towns in the Euphrates valley, the Kabardian settlements were meant to serve as a strategic ring around Raqqa where the gendarmerie could be conveniently recruited.[15]

In Circassian narratives of these years, there were rarely any negative words against the local Arab population, which welcomed the Circassian immigrants.

Sultan Pasha al-Atrash during the Great Syrian Revolt (1925–27), relations with the Arab majority became somewhat tense in the early years of the republic. A minority of Circassians in the Golan Heights petitioned for autonomy from Damascus during the French Mandatory years.[4][10][18]

Post-independence

Statue of Satanaya in the Circassian village of Beer Ajam, in the Golan Heights region of Syria. The statue has been destroyed by terrorists.

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

Syrian refugees. Another common destination is Jordan, south of Syria, where some Circassian families have relatives.[5] Many Circassians are actively seeking repatriation in the various North Caucasus republics and oblasts of Russia. About 400 have resettled in Kabardino-Balkaria, 220 in Adygea and 40 in Karachay-Cherkessia.[19] Tastikin writes a total of 1,200 have left for Russia.[3]

Culture

In the past Syria's Circassian community mainly spoke

Turkomans, the Circassians have maintained a distinct identity, although in recent times they have become increasingly assimilated.[4] During weddings and holidays, some members of the community wear traditional dress and engage in folk songs and dance.[1]

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.

Syrian Civil War and the massive wave of Syrian refugees, many ethnic Circassians have also left the country, with amongst them, many repatriating to their ancestral lands in Russia's Caucasus region.[20] Professor John Shoup said in 2018 that the Circassian population formed about 1% of the country's total population.[9]

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:

See also

Notes

  1. Arabic
    : الشركس في سوريا

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g The Circassians of Syria Archived 2013-10-24 at the Wayback Machine. Kafkas Vakfi – Caucasus Foundation.
  2. ^ a b c d Gammer, 2004, p. 64.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Брук, Джеймс. "Абхазия охотно принимает беженцев из Сирии". ГОЛОС АМЕРИКИ (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2019-12-23. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "Репатрианты из Сирии создают в Абхазии рабочие места: EADaily". EADaily (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  9. ^ , 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).
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Chatty, 2010, p. 110.
  12. ^ Chatty, 2010, p. 111.
  13. ^ Chatty, 2010, p. 114.
  14. ^ Chatty, 2010, pp. 110–111.
  15. ^ Chatty, 2010, pp. 109-110.
  16. ^ Neely, 2008, p. 62.
  17. ^ Neely, 2008, p. 61.
  18. ^ M. Proux, "Les Tcherkesses", La France méditerranéenne et africaine, IV, 1938
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ "How Circassians maintain identity in changing Golan". Al-Monitor. 9 February 2017. Archived from the original on 10 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  22. ^ Khanam, 2005, p. 573.
  23. ^ Musil, 1928, p. 203.
  24. ^ Burns, 2009, p. 175.
  25. ^ Sami Moubayed (16–22 February 2006). "Strengthening the line". Al-Ahram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  26. ^ Khaled Yacoub Oweis (7 September 2010). "Veteran Syrian director takes on Muslim "extremism"". Reuters. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  27. ^ نجدة أنزور ("Najdat Anzour") Archived 2013-06-01 at the Wayback Machine. Discover-Syria.
  28. ^ "Monday Briefing: Strengthening Egypt's ties with Africa". Middle East Institute. 8 July 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2024.

Bibliography