 The village of
Mafekhabl, which was founded by the Kosovo Circassians who returned to the Caucasus | |
| Total population | |
| 40,000 (1870)
[1] 6,400 (1890) [2] 200 (1998) | |
| Languages | |
| Circassian, Albanian | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| other Circassians |
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The Circassians in Kosovo ( Adyghe: Косовам ис Адыгэхэр, romanized: Kosovam yis Adıgəxər; Albanian: Çerkezët në Kosovë; Serbian: Черкези на Косову) were a group of the Circassian people who lived in Kosovo beginning in the mid-19th century, when they were exiled during the Circassian genocide to the Ottoman Empire after the Russo-Circassian War. During this time, the Circassians in Kosovo were from three of the twelve Adyghe tribes: the Abzakh, Shapsug and Ubykh. [3] In 1998 they numbered 200.[ citation needed]
History
Arrival in Kosovo
After the Circassian genocide following the Russo-Circassian War, large number of Circassians were exiled to the Ottoman Empire, including in Kosovo. [1] Between 1858 and 1862, 6,000 Circassian families settled in Kosovo. [1] [4] Other Circassians were settled in Niš and Prokuplje between 1862 and 1863. [1] [5] Around 12,000 Circassians were once again sent to Kosovo and Serbia in following months. [1] [6] In total, 40,000 Circassians were settled in Kosovo alone. [7]
The Ottoman Empire aimed to make life easier for the newly arrived Circassians, and did not tax them and they were provided with materials to farm with. [1] [2] The Circassians were not well received by both Albanians and Serbs. [8] Both Albanians and Serbs considered the Circassians to be wild and primitive Barbarians. [8] People of the Kosovo region as well as some regional governors helped Circassians. [1] [9] [10] Since there was no mosque in Babimusa at the time, where more than 200 Circassian families were settled, the local administration started to work on the construction of a mosque at the end of 1864. [1] [11]
Decrease in population
Majority leaving the region (1877–1878)
The Circassians in Bulgaria fiercely opposed the Bulgarian Revolt in 1876. Kosovo Circassians also joined the Bulgarian Circassians. [1] [2] European countries in turn demanded that the Circassians leave the region. [12]
Circassians sided with the Ottoman army during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). [2] After the war, the Circassians were seen as a "Muslim threat" and expelled from Kosovo, Bulgaria and other parts of the Balkans by Russian armies following the end of the Russo-Turkish war. They were not allowed to return, [13] [14] so the Ottoman authorities settled them in new other lands such as in modern Jordan (see Circassians in Jordan), where they would have conflict with Bedouin Arabs, [15] and Turkey (see Circassians in Turkey). [16]
Persecution by Albanians and Last remnants leaving for Adygea (1998-1999)
When the Kosovo War began, the Circassians in Kosovo emigrated to their ancestral homeland, Republic of Adygea, where they founded a village named Mafekhabl near the republic's capital of Maykop. [17] Muammar Gaddafi sent support and donations to the village. Gaddafi, according to his own words, showed a deep respect for the Circassians and their historical suffering. [18] Immigrants unanimously recount peaceful coexistence with Serbs, contrasting with Albanian hostility towards Circassians. [19] Circassian children faced frequent bullying by Albanians at school, while adults endured robberies, arson, and sniper attacks in the fields. [19] Kosovo Circassians sought lawfulness within Yugoslavia, resisting Albanian pressure for insubordination. [19] This refusal branded them traitors. [19] Tensions escalated in Stanoc i Epërm, leading to segregated communities and forced "parallel education" for Circassian children. [19] Seeking protection, they formed Circassian self-defense brigades with Serb support. [19]
Known families
Below is a list of some of the Circassian families who live or have lived in Kosovo. [20]
- Abadze - ( Adyghe: Абадзэ)
- Gutt - ( Adyghe: Гут)
- Maho - ( Adyghe: Махо)
- Sheudzhen - ( Adyghe: Шэуджэн)
- Tsey - ( Adyghe: Цей)
- Tuguz - ( Adyghe: Тыгъужъ)
- Zheu (Hasani) - ( Adyghe: Жьэу)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Urhan, Vahit Cemil. "Kosova'ya Yapılan Çerkes Göçü ve İskânı (1864-1865)". Trakya Üniversitesi, Balkan Araştırma Enstitüsü.
- ^ a b c d Noel Malcolm, Kosova: Balkanları Anlamak İçin, çev. Özden Arıkan, Sabah Kitapları, İstanbul 1999
- ^ "The Circassians in Kosovo". www.circassianworld.com. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ Jusuf Osmani, Çerkezët në Kosovë, Olymp, Prishtinë 2014, p. 40.
- ^ Jusuf Osmani, Çerkezët në Kosovë, Olymp, Prishtinë 2014, p. 26.
- ^ Takvîm-i Vekâyi, 1 Ağustos 1864, No: 759, s. 1.
- ^ Jusuf Osmani, Çerkezët në Kosovë, Olymp, Prishtinë 2014, p. 21, 26, 40.
- ^ a b Devolli, Blendi (30 July 2016). "Viktimat e gjenocidit rus, që gjetën shpëtim edhe në Kosovë: Çerkezët, populli i bukur sykaltër (Foto) - Telegrafi". Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Turkish archives: BOA, A.}MKT.MHM. 314-100 1281.Ca.15 (16.10.1864).
- ^ Yücel Yiğit, "Kosova Çerkezleri", Geçmişten Günümüze Göç III, ed. Osman Köse, Canik Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, Samsun 2017, s. 2177.
- ^ Turkish archives: BOA, İ..DH.. 534-37022-1 1281.C.05 (05.11.1864); BOA, İ..DH.. 534-37022-2 1281.Ş.16 (14.01.1865); BOA, İ..DH.. 534-37022-3 1281.Ş.29 (28.01.1865); BOA, İ..DH.. 534-37022-4 1281.N.22 (18.02.1865); BOA, İ..DH.. 534-37022-5 1281.L.07 (05.03.1865); BOA, A.}MKT. MHM. 326-86 1281.L.15 (13.03.1865). Babimusa adı bir belgede Babinmusa olarak geçmektedir. BOA, İ..DH.. 534-37022-1 1281.C.05 (05.11.1864).
- ^ İsmail Hakkı Uzunçarşılı,"Tersane Konferansının Mukarreratı Hakkında Şûra Mazbatası", İstanbul Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Tarih Dergisi, VI/9 (1954), s. 125., Dipnot: 2.
- ^ Hacısalihoğlu, Mehmet. Kafkasya'da Rus Kolonizasyonu, Savaş ve Sürgün (PDF). Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi.
- ^ BOA, HR. SYS. 1219/5, lef 28, p. 4
- ^ Walker, A. (September 1894). "The Circassian colonies at Amman and Jerash". The Biblical World. 4 (3): 202–204. doi: 10.1086/471510. S2CID 144986180.
- ^ Natho, Kadir I. Circassian History.
- ^ "Европейский суд по правам человека - жалобы - Аул, которого нет". Espch.ru. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ Al- Shishani, Murad Batal. Qaddafi Tries to Secure Loyalty of Circassians of Misrata
- ^ a b c d e f "THE INTERNATIONAL CIRCASSIAN COMMUNITY: IS MASS REPATRIATION OF ADYGEIS FEASIBLE?". Jamestown. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ "Где жили косовские адыги до переселения?". 9 July 2021.
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