 The village ofMafekhabl, which was founded by the Kosovo Circassians who returned to the Caucasus | |
| Total population | |
| 40,000 (1870)[1] 6,400 (1890)[2] 200 (1998) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Mitrovica District (formerly) Mafekhabl,Adygea (present) | |
| Languages | |
| Circassian,Albanian,Serbo-Croatian,Russian | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| otherCircassians |
| Part ofa series on the |
| Circassians Адыгэхэр |
|---|
 List of notable Circassians Circassian genocide |
| Circassian diaspora |
| Circassian tribes |
Surviving Destroyed or barely existing |
| Religion |
| Religion in Circassia |
| Languages and dialects |
|
| History |
Show
|
| Culture |
TheCircassians in Kosovo[a] were a group of theCircassian people who lived inKosovo beginning in the mid-19th century, when they were exiled during theCircassian genocide to theOttoman Empire after theRusso-Circassian War. During this time, the Circassians in Kosovo were from three of the twelve Adyghe tribes: the Abzakh, Shapsug and Ubykh.[3] In 1998 they numbered 200.[citation needed]
After theCircassian genocide following theRusso-Circassian War, large number of Circassians were exiled to theOttoman Empire, including in Kosovo.[1] Between 1858 and 1862, 6,000 Circassian families settled in Kosovo.[1][4] Other Circassians were settled inNiš andProkuplje between 1862 and 1863.[1][5] Around 12,000 Circassians were once again sent to Kosovo and Serbia in following months.[1][6] In total, 40,000 Circassians were settled in Kosovo alone.[7]
The Ottoman Empire aimed to make life easier for the newly arrived Circassians, and did not tax them and they were provided with materials to farm with.[1][2] The Circassians were not well received by both Albanians and Serbs.[8] Both Albanians and Serbs considered the Circassians to be wild and primitive Barbarians.[8] People of the Kosovo region as well as some regional governors helped Circassians.[1][9][10] Since there was no mosque in Babimusa at the time, where more than 200 Circassian families were settled, the local administration started to work on the construction of amosque at the end of 1864.[1][11]
TheCircassians in Bulgaria fiercely opposed the Bulgarian Revolt in 1876. Kosovo Circassians also joined the Bulgarian Circassians.[1][2] European countries in turn demanded that the Circassians leave the region.[12]
Circassians sided with the Ottoman army during theRusso-Turkish War (1877–1878).[2] After the war, the Circassians were seen as a "Muslim threat" and expelled from Kosovo, Bulgaria and other parts of the Balkans by Russian armies following the end of the Russo-Turkish war. They were not allowed to return,[13][14] so the Ottoman authorities settled them in new other lands such as in modernJordan (seeCircassians in Jordan), where they would have conflict withBedouin Arabs,[15] andTurkey (seeCircassians in Turkey).[16]
When theKosovo War began, the Circassians in Kosovo emigrated to their ancestral homeland,Republic of Adygea, where they founded avillage namedMafekhabl near the republic's capital ofMaykop.[17]Muammar Gaddafi sent support and donations to the village. Gaddafi, according to his own words, showed a deep respect for the Circassians and their historical suffering.[18] Immigrants unanimously recount peaceful coexistence with Serbs, contrasting with Albanian hostility towards Circassians.[19] Circassian children faced frequent bullying by Albanians at school, while adults endured robberies, arson, and sniper attacks in the fields.[19] Kosovo Circassians sought lawfulness within Yugoslavia, resisting Albanian pressure for insubordination.[19] This refusal branded them traitors.[19] Tensions escalated inStanoc i Epërm, leading to segregated communities and forced "parallel education" for Circassian children.[19] Seeking protection, they formed Circassian self-defense brigades with Serb support.[19]
Below is a list of some of the Circassian families who live or have lived in Kosovo.[20]
Towns and villages where Circassians were once present includeLumadh,Stanoc i Epërm,Stanoc i Poshtëm.
 | ||
