Introduction / History There are two main groups of Circassian:
the West, or Lower Circassian, who speak Adyghey; and the East,
or Upper Circassian, who speak Kabardian. Having lived in their
original homeland in the northwestern Caucasus for thousands of
years, the Circassian had contact with the many peoples who
passed the steppes to the north. During that time, they knew
almost constant warfare with these neighbors. The Circassian
seem to have been conquered three times during their history:
first by the Kok Turks; second, by the Mongols; and last, by the
Russians. By the mid-1860's, roughly 90% of the Circassian
population had been either killed or forced to flee to various
parts of the Ottoman Empire. Today, they can be found not only
in their own homeland, but also in scattered groups in Syria,
Jordan, Iran, and Iraq. What are their lives like? The
Circassian are largely a rural people. Their traditional economy
is based on herding and farming, supplemented by growing fruit.
They also raise chickens, co