The Makhosh"Čerkesses". ''E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam 1913–1936''. Volume II. Leiden, 1987. p. 834. 9789004082656 () were one of the Circassian tribes. The tribe was mostly annihilated in the

Circassian genocide The Circassian genocide, or Tsitsekun, was the systematic mass killing, ethnic cleansing, and forced displacement of between 95% and 97% of the Circassian people during the final stages of the Russian invasion of Circassia in the 19th centur ...

following the

Russo-Circassian War The Russo-Circassian War, also known as the Russian invasion of Circassia, was the 101-year-long invasion of Circassia by the Russian Empire. The conflict started in 1763 ( O.S.) with Russia assuming authority in Circassia, followed by Circa ...

. A single family remains and lives mostly in the

Circassian diaspora The Circassian diaspora are ethnic Circassians around the world who were driven from Circassia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. From 1763 to 1864, the Circassians fought against the Russian Empire in the Russian-Circassia ...

. Many groups of Makhosh were exiled to Ottoman lands, especially in the years 1858–1859, as documented in the Ottoman Archives. They live mostly in

Samsun Samsun is a List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, city on the north coast of Turkey and a major Black Sea port. The urban area recorded a population of 738,692 in 2022. The city is the capital of Samsun Province which has a population of ...

Records

1823: "Mukhoshi, mahash, mukhoshevtsy, at the foot of the Black Mountains. They own rivers from east to west " - Semyon Bogdanovich Bronevsky 1837 "The possession of Mekhhosh. This small possession is located to the west of the Beisleians along the rivers: Farz, Psfr and Kkell. The princely family owned and named Bogarsukovs, is not divided into branches. Bayzrokko, the current prince who leads the Mehkhosh people, is regarded as one of the excellent princes and warriors of the Circassian. Prince Yakhbokqo who preceded him, was killed in a fight with the Abadzekhs, and was the subject of a surprise to the Circassians in courage and intelligence. " - Sultan Khan-Girey 1839 "Mohosh, obeys the princes Bogorsuk. The Mokhoshevsky settlements are located on the left bank of the Laba, higher than the Yegerukaevsky residents. The Mokhoshevites have 1270 male souls. " - Fedor Fedorovich Tornau 1857 "Mohosh. The lands they occupy are irrigated by the Chehuraj, Belogiak and Shede streams. " - Leonty Yakovlevich Lyulie 1913 "Makhosh occupied a triangle, the sharp apex of which was at the confluence of the border marked above and the river. Laba, the same border and Laba served as legs, and the base was the border from the Abadzekhs, from Fars to the east to the river. Labe, north of the present Kostroma stanitsa and south of Zassovskaya. Makhosh, according to N. Kamenev, like the

Yegeruqwai The Yegeruqway (; Russian: Егерукаевцы, ''Yegerukaevtsy'') were one of the twelve major Circassian tribes, representing one of the twelve stars on the green-and-gold Circassian flag. There is also a small town with a form of the same ...

, separated from the Chemguy after the death of their common prince Bezruko Bolotokov. Earlier the Chemguy, the Yegeruqwai, and the Makhosh constituted one tribe of the Chemguy, or "kemgoy". " - Fedor Andreevich Shcherbina

Literature

According to Ronald Wixman, the Makhosh lived between the middle Laba and Belaya River in the northwestern portion of the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

. They were originally one of the ten major tribal divisions of the

Adyghe people The Circassians or Circassian people, also called Cherkess or Adyghe (Adyghe language, Adyghe and ), are a Northwest Caucasian languages, Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation who originated in Circassia, a region and former country in t ...

, each of which was previously considered a distinct set of people.

Toponym

The ancient toponym - the name of the mountain "Makhoshkushkha" (near Maikop, near which the Petroglyphs of Mahoshkushkha were found) is associated with the Makhoshevites.

References

{{reflist Destroyed Circassian tribes History of Samsun Province History of Kuban Adygea