The Shapsug ( , , , , ) (also known as the Shapsugh or Shapsogh) are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes. Historically, the Shapsug tribe comprised one of the largest groups of the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

Adyghe (Причерноморские адыги). They inhabited the region between the Dzhubga (in means "Winds" or "The Valley of Winds") River and the

Shakhe River The Shakhe (; Adyghe: ), also known as the Golovinka () is a river in Khostinsky and Lazarevsky City Districts of the city of Sochi, Krasnodar Krai in Russia. It flows down the slopes of the Western Caucasus to the Black Sea. It is long, and the ...

s (the so-called Maly Shapsug, or Little Shapsug) and high-altitude mountainous areas of the northern slopes of the

Caucasus range The Caucasus Mountains * * Azerbaijani: , * * * * * * * * * * * is a mountain range at the intersection of Asia and Europe. Stretching between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, they are surrounded by the Caucasus region ...

along the Antkhir, Abin, Afips, Bakan, Ships, and other rivers (Bolshoy Shapsug, or Greater Shapsug). In Russia, the remaining Shapsug population mainly live in the

Tuapsinsky District Tuapsinsky District () is an administrative district (raion), one of the thirty-eight in Krasnodar Krai, Russia.Reference Information #34.01-707/13-03 As a municipal division, it is incorporated as Tuapsinsky Municipal District.Law #745-KZ It is ...

(

Tuapse Tuapse (; , Ṫuapsă ) is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated on the northeast shore of the Black Sea, south of Gelendzhik and north of Sochi. Population: Tuapse is a sea port and the northern center of a resort zone which extends sou ...

) of

Krasnodar Krai Krasnodar Krai (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and is administratively a part of the Southern Federal District. Its administrative center is the t ...

Lazarevsky City District Lazarevsky city district () is one of four city districts of the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Sochi in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city district borders Tuapsinsky District in the northwest, Apsheronsky District in the north, ...

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

, and in the Republic of

Adygea Adygea ( ), officially the Republic of Adygea or the Adygean Republic, is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. The republic is a part of the Southern Federal District, and covers an a ...

(mainly in District of Takhtamukaysky and District of Teuchezksky), which were a small part of historical

Circassia Circassia ( ), also known as Zichia, was a country and a historical region in . It spanned the western coastal portions of the North Caucasus, along the northeastern shore of the Black Sea. Circassia was conquered by the Russian Empire during ...

. However, today the major Shapsug communities are found in Turkey, Israel (

Kfar Kama Kfar Kama (, , ) is a Circassian town located in the Lower Galilee of Israel's northern district, located along road 767, that leads from Kfar Tavor to the Kinneret. It is one of the only two Circassian towns in Israel, the other being Rehan ...

), Jordan (

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

Na'our Naour (), also called Naur, is region number 26 in the Greater Amman Municipality. It is located on the west side of the capital, and comprises 26 neighborhoods or residential areas. Naour comprises approximately 87 km2, i.e., 5.19%, of the t ...

, Marj Al-Hamam,

Wadi Al-Seer Wadi Al-Seer or Wadi as-Seer (, meaning "Valley of the Orchards") is a valley (wadi) west of Amman, which gave its name to one of the twenty-two districts of the Greater Amman Municipality in Jordan. It is said to have taken its name from a prehi ...

), Lebanon (

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

, Berkayel-Akkar), Iraq, Syria, Western Europe and the United States of America. The first Circassians to settle in Amman were from the Shapsug tribe, and as a result the Shapsug's neighbourhood is considered the oldest neighbourhood in the Capital

and was the down town of it; however, other Circassians from the Kabardian, Abadzekh, and

Bzhedug The Bzhedugh (, ; ; ) are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes. Many of them immigrated to Turkey in the 1860s, but there is still a community of Bzhedug on the left bank of the Kuban River (in the vicinity of Krasnodar).Rywkin & Wixman, p. ...

tribes also settled in Amman afterwards. Today, the Shapsug are the third-most numerous Circassian tribe in the world, after the most numerous Kabardian and second-most numerous Abzakh tribes. The Shapsug are the most numerous Circassian tribe in Israel, third-most numerous in Turkey where the majority of them live, and the fifth-most numerous one in Russia. In Jordan, after the Abzakh, the Shapsug and Kabardian tribes are the most numerous Adyghe tribes. The Shapsug speak a sub-dialect of the

Adyghe language Adyghe ( or ; also known as West Circassian) is a Northwest Caucasian language spoken by the western subgroups of Circassians. It is spoken mainly in Russia, as well as in Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Israel, where Circassians settled after ...

. According to some indirect data, there were over four thousand Shapsug in Russia in 1926, but the Shapsug people were not enumerated as a separate group in Russian Censuses until

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, when the population was recorded at 3,231. The Shapsug who live in the Adyghe Republic were enumerated as an Adyghe in general instead of Shapsug in particular, as they are an Adyghe (Circassian) tribe, rather than a separate ethnic group. In District of Takhtamukaysky a reservoir which was built in 1952 was named after the Shapsug tribe () since the area was inhabited by this tribe for thousands of years and was considered to be part of historical Shapsugia, a region in historical

History

The Shapsugs were a very large tribe that occupied extensive territories of the Black Sea coast and the

Kuban River The Kuban is a river in Russia that flows through the Western Caucasus and drains into the Sea of Azov. The Kuban runs mostly through Krasnodar Krai for , but also in the Karachay–Cherkess Republic, Stavropol Krai and the Republic of Adygea. ...

. Different sources note that, prior to the Russo-Caucasian War, the number of Shapsug people was between 150,000 and 300,000 people. The Shapsug had divisions of Big and Small Shapsug land, the latter being very close to the

Natukhai The Natukhaj are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes, representing one of the twelve stars on the green-and-gold Circassian flag. Their areas historically extended along the Black Sea coast from Anapa in the north to Tsemes Bay (now Nov ...

tribe's land. The Shapsug took an active role in the Caucasian war. They had a reputation of invincibility and were one of the last to lay down their weapons under the pressure of tsarist troops in 1864. Some Shapsug troops fought until the 1880s. After the end of the war the overwhelming majority of the Shapsug were forcefully evicted to Turkey and elsewhere in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. No more than 6,000 Shapsug people remained on their native land. Presently, these Shapshug live in the territory of Krasnodarsky Krai and make up about 20 villages. From 1924 to 1945, there was a Shapsug national district, which was abolished during the time of repressions . Historically the Shapsug controlled the ports of Dzhubga () and

to the mountain gorges, and consisted of 5

aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...

families and 81 () free clans. They were classified as one of the three democratic Adyghe tribes. The Shapsug were known to have supported the other Adyghe tribes in their struggle against the

Crimean Khanate The Crimean Khanate, self-defined as the Throne of Crimea and Desht-i Kipchak, and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary, was a Crimean Tatars, Crimean Tatar state existing from 1441 to 1783, the longest-lived of th ...

. During the

Caucasian War The Caucasian War () or the Caucasus War was a 19th-century military conflict between the Russian Empire and various peoples of the North Caucasus who resisted subjugation during the Russian conquest of the Caucasus. It consisted of a series o ...

, they were one of the most stubborn enemies of

Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...

, joining Shamil's alliance (which would last until 1859). In late 1860, a

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

was assembled by the representatives of three Adyghe tribes (Shapsug,

Ubykh Ubykh may refer to: * Ubykh language * Ubykh people * Ubykhia, a historical land of Ubykhs {{disambig Language and nationality disambiguation pages ...

, and

). The council considered ()

to be the last

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

of the Circassian resistance. In 1864, a major part of the Shapsug and other Adyghe tribes moved to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

due to the Russian army occupation of Circassia, as a result of the tsars' regular policy to cleanse the

Circassian coast Russian Black Sea coast () also rarely Circassian coast (, ; , ) was the coast of historical Circassia on the Black Sea before 1864, extending from Anapa in the north to Adler in the south, and including cities like Tuapse and Sochi. The coastl ...

of Circassian people (mainly physically; later by expelling the remaining population to the Ottoman Empire. Some 3,000 Shapsug remained on the Circassian coast. The Shapsug, as an Adyghe tribe, have always appreciated and honored their "immortals" (heroes and fighters) who sacrificed their lives to keep

independent in the battles and war with the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

during the Circassian resistance; by elegies such as the Elegy of the Shapsugs ()

Shapsugsky national district

On 6 September 1924, the Bolsheviks established the

Shapsug national raion The Shapsug national district or Shapsug national raion ( ''Šapsyġe Nacionalne Rajon'', ''Šapsugskij nacional′nyj rajon'') was a district that was established in 1924 as a national district ''(raion)'' for the Circassian people, Circassian S ...

( ''Šapsyġe Nacionalne Rajon'', ''Šapsugskij nacional′nyj rajon'') as a part of the Black Sea Okrug. The district contained around 3,400 Shapsug people, and the center of the district was the coastal city of Tuapse. In the beginning of 1925, it was divided into 4 village councils: Karpovsky, Kichmai, Krasno-Aleksandrovsky, and Pseushkho. After the end of the Second World War in 1945, the Shapsug national raion was renamed Lazarevsky district. In 1990, the first congress of the Shapsug tribe took place, where they would adopt a declaration on the reinstatement of the Shapsug national raion. On 12 June 1992, the Presidium of the

Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation The Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR, later the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation, was the supreme government institution of the Russian SFSR from 1938 to 1990; between 1990 and 1993, it was a permanent legislature (parliament), elected ...

passed a resolution on the establishment of the Shapsug national raion.

Culture

The traditional Shapsug culture had much in common with other Circassian tribes. The Shapsug were engaged in agriculture, cattle and horse breeding, horticulture,

viticulture Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...

, and

beekeeping Beekeeping (or apiculture, from ) is the maintenance of bee colonies, commonly in artificial beehives. Honey bees in the genus '' Apis'' are the most commonly kept species but other honey producing bees such as '' Melipona'' stingless bees are ...

. In pre-Islamic and pre-Christian times, the Shapsug worshiped the Circassian gods—Shible (god of thunder and lightning), Sozeresh () (god of fertility), Yemish or Yemij (god of war), Akhin and Khakustash (protectors of cattle breeding), Tlepsh (god of

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

ing), Keshkogwasha () (god of the

), etc. The Shapsug used to perform the Hantse Guashe () ceremony of rain calling during

drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...

s by carrying a dressed doll through the

aul An aul; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (; ) is a type of fortified village or town found throughout the Caucasus and Central Asia. They are generally built out of stone, on faces of ridges or against cliffs in order to provide protection against su ...

and then drowning it in the river, and never getting it out before rain had arrived. Since the early 19th century, the Shapsug are primarily

Sunni Muslims Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...

(Hanafi).

Language

The Shapsug () is one of the mutually intelligible sub-dialects of the Adyghe language's West Adyghe dialect.Shapsug sub-dialect
There were two major varieties of Shapsug before the exile of the Circassians. Since the Shapsug scattered around the world, each Shapsug community developed a different form of speech.

Families

Shapsug families in Jordan

* Majajaqu () * Kosho () * Pshedatok () * Shhalakhwa () * Psekenop () * Jan () * T’harkakhwa () * Kwiej () * Hadagha () * Meesha () * Hatough () * Naghoj () * Tamokh () * Khorma () * Bghana () * Naghouj () * Hakuch () which changed in Jordan to Hakouz ( after their 15th great-grandfather Хэкужъ born in 1337 in Tuapse, and this family considered the biggest Shapsug family in Jordan. * Natkho (Shukri) () * Shawash () * Shoupash ()

Shapsug families in Kfar Kama, Israel

* Abrag () * Ashmuz/Achmuzh () * Bghana () * Bat () * Blanghaps () * Batwash () * Zazi () * Kobla () * Qal () * Qatizh () * Lauz () * Libai/Labai () * Nago () * Natkho () * Nash () * Napso () * Thawcho () * Gorkhezh () * Hazal () * Hadish () * Hako/Hakho () * Shamsi () * Choshha/Shoshha () * Showgan () * Shaga () * Sagas/Shagash () In the past there was also Shhalakhwa () and Kuadzhe ().

Notable people

Tirimüjgan Kadın Gülnihal Tirimüjgan Kadın (16 October 1819 – 3 October 1852; , ''young rose'' and ''darting eyelashes'') was a consort of Sultan Abdulmejid I, and the mother of Sultan Abdul Hamid II of the Ottoman Empire. Early life Tirimüjgan was of Sha ...

– Mother of Sultan Abdul Hamid II of the Ottoman Empire *Karzeg Sait Bey (1887–1920

* Hazret Sovmen * Tuguzhuko Kyzbech *Suna Öz – Mother of

Dr Oz Mehmet Cengiz Oz ( ; ; born June 11, 1960), also known as Dr. Oz (), is an American television presenter, physician, author, educator and government official serving as the 17th administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sinc ...

Bibras Natcho Bibars Natcho (, ; born 18 February 1988) is an Israeli professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serbian club FK Partizan, Partizan. Natcho made his senior international debut for Israel national football team ...

Nili Natkho Nili Natkho (; February 18, 1982 – November 5, 2004) was a Circassian-Israeli basketball player who played for Maccabi Raanana and Elitzur Ramla (women's basketball), Elitzur Ramla. Natkho died in a car accident at the age of 22. Her cousin is ...

Hamit Kaplan Hamit Kaplan (20 September 1934 – 5 January 1976) was a Turkish World and Olympic champion sports wrestler of Circassian descent in the Heavyweight class. He won the gold, silver and bronze medal in men's f ...

Adil Candemir Adil Candemir (born 1917 – 12 January 1989) was a Turkish sport wrestler of Shapsug Circassian descent. He was born in the village of Hamamözü in what is now Amasya Province in Turkey, then the Ottoman Empire. Candemir won a silver meda ...

References

External links

Famous CircassiansJournal of a residence in Circassia during the years 1837, 1838, and 1839 - Bell, James Stanislaus (English)
{{authority control Adygea Circassian tribes History of Kuban Ethnic groups in Israel Ethnic groups in Russia Ethnic groups in Jordan Circassians in Turkey Krasnodar Krai