Circassian diaspora in the context of "Circassians"

A diaspora (/daɪˈæspərə/ dy-ASP-ər-ə) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. The word is used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but currently reside elsewhere.

Notable diasporic populations include the Jewish diaspora formed after the Babylonian exile; Romani from the Indian subcontinent; Assyrian diaspora following the Assyrian genocide; Greeks that fled or were displaced following the fall of Constantinople and the later Greek genocide as well as the Istanbul pogroms; Anglo-Saxons (primarily to the Byzantine Empire) after the Norman Conquest of England; the Chinese diaspora and Indian diaspora who left their homelands during the 19th and 20th centuries; the Irish diaspora after the Great Famine; the Scottish diaspora that developed on a large scale after the Highland and Lowland Clearances; the Italian diaspora, the Mexican diaspora; the Circassian diaspora in the aftermath of the Circassian genocide; the Armenian diaspora following the Armenian genocide; the Palestinian diaspora; the Lebanese diaspora due to the Famine of Mount Lebanon and to a lesser extent the Lebanese civil war; Syrians due to the Syrian civil war; and the Iranian diaspora which grew from half a million to 3.8 million between the 1979 revolution and 2019.

The Circassians, also known as the Cherkess or the Adyghe (Adyghe and Kabardian: Адыгэхэр, romanized: Adygəxər, IPA: [aːdɘɣəxə́r]), are a Northwest Caucasian ethnic group native to Circassia, a region and former country in the North Caucasus.

As a consequence of the Circassian genocide, which was perpetrated by the Russian Empire during the 19th-century Russo-Circassian War, most of Circassians were exiled from their homeland and consequently began living in what was then the Ottoman Empire, i.e., modern-day Turkey, Southeastern Europe and the Middle East. In the early 1990s, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization estimated that there are as many as 3.7 million Circassians in diaspora in over 50 countries.

Circassian nationalism is the desire among Circassians worldwide to preserve their heritage and culture, save their language from extinction, raise awareness about the Circassian genocide, return to Circassia and establish a completely autonomous or independent Circassian state in its pre-Russian invasion borders.

In almost every community of Circassians around the world, a local advisory council called the "Adyghe Khase" can be found. The goal of such councils are to provide Circassians with a comfortable place where they can speak Circassian, engage in Circassian cultural activities, learn about the laws of Adyghe Xabze or seek advice. These advisory councils are coordinated on a local and regional basis, and communicate internationally through the International Circassian Association (ICA).

About 4,000–5,000 ethnic Circassians are citizens and residents of Israel. They live primarily in two towns: Kfar Kama (Кфар Кама), and Rehaniya (Рихьаные)

The Circassians of Israel are a branch of the Circassian diaspora, which was formed as a consequence of the 19th-century Circassian genocide that was carried out by the Russian Empire during the Russo-Circassian War; Circassians are a Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and a nation; who natively speak the Circassian languages and originate from the historical country-region of Circassia in the North Caucasus.

The Battle of Qbaada took place in today's Krasnaya Polyana on 2 June [O.S. 21 May] 1864. It is widely accepted as the final military engagement of the Russo-Circassian War, as the Circassian people could no longer continue to resist the invading Imperial Russian Army.

A significant development in the wider Caucasian War, it was after the Battle of Qbaada that the Russian Empire annexed Circassia and initiated the Circassian genocide, in which 95% to 97% of the country's population was ethnically cleansed, leading to the creation of the Circassian diaspora.

Circassians in Syria refer to the Circassian diaspora that settled in Syria (then part of the Ottoman Empire) in the 19th century. They moved to Syria after the Circassian genocide following the Russo-Circassian War. While they have become an increasingly assimilated part of Syrian society, they have maintained a distinct identity; they have retained their language (in addition to Arabic), their tribal heritage, and some of their other traditional customs.

Prior to the Syrian Civil War, the Circassian population was estimated to be around 100,000. Since the decade-long conflict began in 2011, the predominantly Sunni Muslim population of ethnic Circassians in Syria has dwindled.