History

Under the collective name “Adyghe,” history encompasses Kabardians, Bzhedugs, Besleneys, Abadzakhs, Temirgoys, Ubykhs, Shapsugs, and others. The most prominent among these groups is the Kabardians. Their population in the Russian Federation currently stands at 500,000 people, the Adygheans at 160,000, and the Cherkess (Circassians) at 60,000. The historical development of the Adyghes, Ossetians, Chechens, Balkars, […]

Before the active phase of the Russo-Circassian War, Natukhay (Nethquaj) was not merely the western periphery of the country, but its strategic facade, an economic hub, and the crucial “gateway” to the outside world. This region was the focal point of naval power and the most liberal socio-political transformations of its time in the Circassian […]

Eskafder: On the Conscious and Systematic Distortion of Historical Facts; Recently, a disinformation video containing black propaganda, which contradicts historical data and is clearly organized by certain circles, has been circulating on various digital platforms. We regretfully observe the circulation of a narrative that distorts the historical facts of the Circassian people, far from the […]

In the 18th and the first half of the 19th century, Shapsugia (Shapsygh) was far more than merely one of Circassia’s provinces: it was the nation’s mightiest demographic and ideological stronghold. As part of a single ethno-political space, it embodied a transition — unique in the Caucasus — from classical feudalism to a military-democratic order, […]

According to the Circassian calendar, the year 6235 is coming; on this day, life on earth begins a new cycle. Circassians celebrated the new year on the night of March 21st to 22nd.🌗This day is the day of the vernal equinox, meaning the duration of day and night become equal. 🌱This day is also considered […]

In the array of historical and archaeological sources, the ancient Meotians (мыутӀэхэр) are officially recognized by science as the direct ethnic ancestors of the modern Circassians.Their settlement territory during its heyday covered the entire Eastern Azov Sea region, extending up to the mouth of the Don (Tanais).Meotian heritage in the Azov region.Historical Circassia in its […]

Telostaney (Talostan’s Kabardia) was one of the key specific principalities that emerged as a result of the feudal fragmentation of Kabardia in the 16th century, becoming the political core of what later became known in Russian and Ottoman sources as Little Kabardia. The appanage got its name from its founder, Prince Talostan (Tatlotsan) Zhankhotov, the […]

Ketukino Kabardia (Къетыкъуэ) was one of the most powerful and politically active princely possessions of Greater Kabardia, becoming the stronghold of the so-called “Kashkatau party” in the 18th century. It was an era of the “knightly republic”, where the political weight of a clan was determined not only by the vastness of its lands, but […]

Before the start of the Russian-Circassian War in 1763, Kabardia (Eastern Circassia) was a powerful multiethnic state entity that played the role of a political and cultural center not only for the Adyghe world but for the entire North Caucasus. It was a “knightly republic” whose subjectivity was recognized by the great empires of the […]

Hat’oxhushchokhuey (Atazhukin’s Kabardia), historically growing out of Kaziyeva Kabardia, representing the political core of Greater Kabardia, was one of the most powerful state formations in the Circassian world in the 18th and the first half of the 19th century.

Idaray (Idar’s Kabardia) was a historical region and specific principality, representing the eastern part of feudal Kabardia in the 16th and 17th centuries.This political entity played a key role in the history of the North Caucasus, becoming the first “bridge” in diplomatic and military relations between the Circassian world and the Tsardom of Russia.Here is […]

Inal, known in Circassian (Adyghe) historiography as Inal the Bright or the Radiant (Adyghe: Инал Нэху), is a central figure in the late medieval history of the Caucasus. (Reign circa 1427-1453)He is recognized as the legendary ancestor of most Circassian princely dynasties: Kabardian, Besleney, Temirgoy, Khatukay, and part of the Khegak clans. Most researchers date […]

In Circassian (Adyghe) society, the institution of the djeguako (djeguak’we) was not merely a corporation of artists, but a fundamental instrument of social regulation, a repository of historical memory, and a powerful factor in national consolidation. The djeguako were professional folk creators whose art saw magical functions transform over time into aesthetic and political ones.Social […]

“Arrogance” is a term invented for the Circassian by enslavers, and at the same time by those they had already enslaved. It arose because the Circassian did not tolerate despots and tyrants over himself, and because of his free way of life. The Circassian was proud, but not arrogant, remaining approachable and simple. Pride is […]

In critical moments, the people are capable of immediate consolidation. Every individual feels a personal responsibility for what is happening. This is due to the fact that Circassians share a unified understanding of what is proper and what is not, based on Adygaghe and Adyghe Khabze. Adyghe Khabze is a moral and legal code, a […]