Language Information

A group of dialects of the North - West Caucasian languages are often referred to as Circassian or Cherkess. In Russia, they have officially been regarded as two separate languages, Adyge and Kabardo - Cherkess. There are nearly a million 'circassians' in Turkey, where many of their ancestors fled to escape Christian rule when Russia conquered this part of the Caucasus in 1864. Other came to Turkey as 'slaves' or 'migrant workers'. Most who call themselves Circassians in Turkey nowadays are probably still speakers of a dialect of Adyge, Cherkess or Kabardian

Circassian was taught in Schools in Syria till the 1950s, and is still taught in few schools in Israel.

Jordan, Syria, Turkey.

Family: Caucasian
Subgroup: Western