Circassian Memory in Georgian Voices
By: Adel Bashqawi
August 24, 2026
The story of Circassia has long lived beyond its borders, carried not only in the memories of its descendants but also in the literature, conscience, and cultural imagination of neighboring nations. Nowhere is this more evident than in Georgia, where the echoes of Circassian suffering, exile, and resilience have found a home in both classical poetry and contemporary reflection. During the presentation of my second book, *The Circassian Miracle* at the Circassian Cultural Center in Tbilisi on January 28, 2020, these echoes resurfaced—first through a historic Georgian poem that speaks to the shared tragedies of the Caucasus, and then through a modern newspaper piece responding to the presentation with striking emotional resonance. Together, these voices reveal how deeply Circassian memory is woven into Georgia’s own narrative, forming a bridge between past and present, and between two peoples bound by history.
Georgian Literature and the Circassian Story
Ghanishashvili’s poem stands as a testament to how deeply the Circassian tragedy is woven into Georgia’s cultural memory. Its verses echo the shared wounds of the Caucasus—war, exile, endurance—and reveal how Georgian writers long ago recognized the suffering of their Circassian neighbors as part of their own regional story. Yet what struck me most during my presentation in Tbilisi was how these themes continue to resonate today. The emotional landscape captured in the poem reappeared, unexpectedly and powerfully, in a modern Georgian newspaper reflection written in response to the event. Just as the poem speaks from the past, the newspaper piece speaks from the present, showing that Circassian memory remains alive in Georgian voices, carried forward not only through literature but through contemporary thought and heartfelt reaction.
War and Expulsion
by Mukheil Ghanishashvili
Verbatim Georgian translation by Ms. Tsitsi Gabeskiria
Poetic adaptation refined by Copilot AI
First the Russians descended upon the Circassians,
Casting their gaze across the Caucasus,
Raking through eagles’ nests
And carrying the winter of war into the mountains.
An unjust and uneven struggle
Dragged on for years across the battlefields.
Rivers of blood began to flow,
And the earth was turned by the spade of death.
The Circassian bullet became legend,
Their sword cut with the sharpness of steel.
Yet heroes burned in wind and fire,
And the auls lay shrouded in smoke.
Year after year, battle followed battle.
Though they fought bravely and with honor,
The jigits fell beneath the enemy’s blade,
And Time wrapped them in its heavy cloth of death.
Those who escaped that hell,
Those who managed to survive,
Were driven from their homeland by the Russians
And shown the road toward the Ottoman Empire.
The road was a battle, the sea a battle—
As if the whole world had turned against them.
Death followed step by step
The Circassians cast out from their land.
Yet they endured like bundles of arrows,
Still lifting their eyes toward the sky.
And from distant shores,
The Muhajirs long for their homeland.
I know the day will come when history’s book
Unfolds its pages in the sunlight.
The lions’ cubs will rise,
And help great Circassia stand again.
(https://justicefornorthcaucasus.info/?p=1251681386)
From Literature to Living Memory
Ghanishashvili’s poem speaks from the past, but its emotional landscape reappeared—unexpectedly and powerfully—in the present. During my Tbilisi presentation, a Georgian newspaper published a reflection that echoed the same themes of suffering, endurance, and hope. The piece was not a formal report; it was a literary response, written in fragmented, symbolic prose that captured the emotional weight of the Circassian story. (https://justicefornorthcaucasus.info/?p=1251681375)
The article included two striking lines that can be quoted verbatim:
“You only saw the
World from bad side.”
and later:
“I will show you
The world from best side.”
These lines reveal a profound shift—from darkness toward understanding, from tragedy toward hope. They show that the Circassian narrative, when spoken aloud in Georgia, awakens something deep and familiar: a recognition of shared history, shared wounds, and shared resilience.
A Contemporary Georgian Reflection
The newspaper text described the Circassian experience through metaphor: wounds, journeys, storms, and the search for truth. It spoke of exile, longing, and the endurance of a people who survived “like bundles of arrows.” It was not a historical account but an emotional response—an attempt to process the weight of Circassian suffering and the meaning of its survival.
In this way, the modern reflection becomes a companion to Ghanishashvili’s poem. One speaks from the past; the other speaks from the present. Together, they show that Circassian memory is not foreign to Georgia—it is part of its cultural fabric.
A Shared Memory, A Shared Future
The convergence of these Georgian voices—one from literature, one from contemporary reflection—reveals a truth that transcends borders: Circassian history is not only Circassian history. It is a story recognized, remembered, and honored by those who witnessed its echoes across the Caucasus.
Georgia’s response to The Circassian Miracle demonstrates that the Circassian narrative continues to resonate, not as a distant tragedy but as a living memory. And in these Georgian voices, the past finds new life, reminding us that the story of Circassia is still unfolding, still remembered, and still capable of inspiring solidarity across nations.
