26 March 2012,
Monday
HASAN KANBOLATh.kanbolat@todayszaman.com
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Syrian Circassians |
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| The peoples of the North Caucasus were subjected to one of the greatest genocide campaigns in history in the aftermath of the war between Russia and North Caucasian people in 1864; the survivors were forced to migrate. The people of the North Caucasus had to choose between migrating to other parts of the world or becoming victims of genocide. | |
| For instance, 95 percent of the Adiges were forced to leave their homelands; 100 percent of the Ubihs, whose homeland was Sochi, were forced to leave their lands. This is why the ethnic composition of the Northwest Caucasus completely changed. The Ottoman Empire, which admitted these people, described all of them as Circassians. Because 80 percent of the people who migrated from their homelands were Adiges, most of the time Circassian were referred to as Adiges, and the Circassian language was equated with the Adige language. In the aftermath of the 1877-78 Russo-Turkish War, Russia forced the people of the Southwest Caucasus (Abkhazia and Ajaria) to leave their lands.
The Ottoman Empire acted strategically in the settlement of the North Caucasian immigrants. By settling 80 percent of the immigrants in the Balkans, it tried to maintain control of the Ottoman Balkans, which were experiencing pressure from the Tsardom of Russia. However, after withdrawal from most parts of the Balkans, in conjunction with the 1877-78 Russo-Turkish War, the Ottoman state resettled the Circassian immigrants expelled from the Balkans under the Treaty of Berlin in the Middle East and Anatolia. During this process of resettlement in the Middle East, the Ottoman authorities considered the protection of important watercourses and the Hejaz Railway. The resettlement of Circassians in Syria took place in two forms: Some of them migrated from the Caucasus and others from the Balkans. One of the initial groups from the Caucasus in the mid-1860s was settled in northern Syria and the other in Maraş province. The groups that followed were settled in the Hama and Homs provinces, as well as the Golan Heights, around Havran province. Chechens were settled in the Rasul-Ayn region and Diyarbakır province in 1865 and 1866. Most of them died in local clashes and from the spread of disease. Some of them migrated to other regions. The migration of the Circassians from the Caucasus to Syria continued through the early 1920s. The Circassians mostly picked the Golan Heights and the cities of Hama, Homs and Aleppo to settle. The villages they established, including Amman, Ceraş, Kuneytra and Mumbuç, have expanded and become cities over time. The last group of Circassian migrants arrived following World War II. Most of them were former members of the Red Army who did not return to the Caucasus after the war and prisoners of war and young people who were recruited by the German army during the German occupation of the North Caucasus in 1942. Owing to the improved relations between Syria and the Soviet Union after World War II, the Syrian Circassians had the opportunity to bolster their ties with the Circassians in the Caucasus. The relations between Arabs and Circassians improved because the Circassians served as volunteers on the Arab side in the Arab-Israeli war in 1948-1949. In the military coups in Syria after the war, Circassian units played a determinative role because of their disciplined approach and military ability. The Arab-Israeli war in June 1967 led to significant changes in the socioeconomic and political situation of the Syrian Circassian community. The greatest impact by Israel upon Syria took place in the Golan Heights, which was mostly populated by Circassians. The Syrian army withdrew from the region during the battle with the Israelis, whereas the Circassians resisted. The Circassians who had to leave the Golan Heights resettled in Damascus. There are now 30,000 Circassians in Syria. Most of them live in Damascus and surrounding towns, whereas a small part of them live in Aleppo, Homs, Hama and the surrounding areas. Despite the fact that they are Sunni-Hanafis, Circassians do not have any problems with the Damascus administration because of their loyalty and allegiance. However, the brutality of the Damascus administration and the uncertainty with respect to the post-Assad era is making them uncomfortable. This is why the Circassian community is now considering another wave of migration towards the North Caucasus, Turkey and the US. http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-275454-syrian-circassians.html |
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