Global Courant 2023-05-21 17:49:47
ANKARA
It is the 159th anniversary of Tsarist Russia’s deportation of Circassians of Caucasian origin from the Caucasus region on May 21, 1863.
According to unofficial figures, approximately 1.5 million Circassians were deported within a month, and approximately 500,000 Circassians lost their lives due to road conditions, disease and hunger.
While the expansion of Tsarist Russia towards the Black Sea continued, Circassian communities were exiled to various parts of the world, especially the Ottoman Empire.
Exiles were put on ships from Black Sea ports such as Anapa, Novorossiysk, Gelendzhik, Sochi, Adler, and many of them were settled in Anatolian cities such as Ordu, Samsun, Tokat, Amasya, Sinop, Yozgat, Düzce, Adapazarı, Kocaeli.
Some Circassians settled in the Middle East, especially Syria and Palestine, and integrated with the local people over time.
Meanwhile, those who could not be exiled to the Ottoman Empire were settled in Russian Cossack villages in the regions near the Laba and Kuban rivers.
The Circassian exile, described as “one of the most painful events in history”, is commemorated every year by the Circassians living in Turkey.
In commemoration of the exile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter that the Turkish people still feel the “great pain of our Circassian brothers”.
“I commemorate with mercy all our brothers and sisters who lost their lives on the anniversary of their inhumane exile from their homeland, the Caucasus,” Erdogan said.
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