Abkhazians

The Abkhaz language belongs to the isolate Northwest Caucasian language family, also known as Abkhaz–Adyghe or Pontic family, which groups the dialectic continuum spoken by the Abaza–Abkhaz (Abazgi) and Adyghe ("Circassians" in English). Abkhazians are closely ethnically related to Circassians. Subgroups There are also three subgroups of the Abkhaz people. The Bzyb (Бзыԥ, Bzyph) reside in the Bzyb River region, and speak their own dialect. The Abzhui (Абжьыуа, Abzhwa) live in the Kodori River region, and also speak their own dialect, which the Abkhaz literary language is based upon. Finally, there are the Samurzakan who reside in the southeast of Abkhazia. ==History==

Some scholars say the ancient Heniochi tribe were the progenitors of the Abkhaz. This warlike people came into contact with Ancient Greeks through the colonies of Dioskourias and Pitiuntas. In the Roman period, the Abasgoi are mentioned as inhabiting the region. These Abasgoi (Abkhaz) were described by Procopius as warlike, worshippers of three deities, under the suzerainty of the Kingdom of Lazica. , 11th century king of the Kingdom of Abkhazia Towards the end of the 17th century, the region became a theatre of widespread slave trade and piracy. According to a controversial theory developed by Pavle Ingorokva in the 1950s, at that time a number of the Northwest Caucasian pagan Abaza tribes migrated from the north and blended with the local ethnic elements, significantly changing the region's demographic situation. These views were described as ethnocentric and having little historical support. The Russian conquest of Abkhazia from the 1810s to the 1860s was accompanied by a massive expulsion of Muslim Abkhaz to the Ottoman Empire and the introduction of a strong Russification policy. As a result, the Abkhaz diaspora is currently estimated to measure at least twice the number of Abkhaz that reside in Abkhazia. The largest part of the diaspora now lives in Turkey, with estimates ranging from 100,000 to 500,000, with smaller groups in Syria (5,000 – 10,000) and Jordan. In recent years, some of these have emigrated to the West, principally to Germany (5,000), Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, France, United Kingdom, Austria and the United States (mainly to New Jersey). The 1992–1993 War in Abkhazia followed by the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia left the Abkhaz an ethnic plurality of ca. 45%, with Russians, Armenians, Georgians, Greeks, and Jews comprising most of the remainder of the population of Abkhazia. The 2003 census established the total number of Abkhaz in Abkhazia at 94,606. The de facto Abkhaz president Sergey Bagapsh suggested, in 2005, that less than 70,000 ethnic Abkhaz lived in Abkhazia. At the time of the 2011 Census, 122,175 Abkhaz were living in Abkhazia. They were 50.8% of the total population of the republic. In the course of the Syrian uprising, a number of Abkhaz living in Syria immigrated to Abkhazia. A further 150 were due to arrive by the end of April. ==Economy==

The typical economy is strong on the breeding of cattle, beekeeping, viticulture, and agriculture. ==Religion==

The Abkhaz people are principally divided into Abkhazian Orthodox Christian (the Abkhazian Orthodox Church is not recognized by any of the world Orthodox churches, but the territory is recognized as the Eparchy of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia of the Georgian Orthodox Church) and Sunni Muslim (Hanafi) communities, Although Christianity made its first appearance in the realm of their Circassian neighbours in the first century AD via the travels and preaching of the Saint Andrew, and became the dominant religion of Circassians in the 3rd to 4th centuries, Christianity became the dominant religion of Abkhazians in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine emperor Justinian I, and continued to be followed under the kings of Georgia in the High Middle Ages. The Ottomans introduced Islam in the 16th century and the region became largely Muslim gradually until the 1860s. ==Diaspora==

Many Muslim Circassians, Abkhaz and Chechens migrated to the Ottoman Empire following revolts against Russian rule. It is believed that the Abkhaz community in Turkey is larger than that of Abkhazia itself. however, the 1963 census only recorded 4,700 native speakers and 8,000 secondary speakers. Most Abkhaz speakers in Turkey have assimilated into Turkish society. In Egypt, the largest Circassian clan in the country, the Abaza family, originated from Abkhazia and is "deeply rooted in Egyptian society... [and] in the history of the country". It also contributed to Egyptian and Arabic cultural literary, intellectual, and political life starting with the reign of Muhammad Ali Pasha in Egypt and continuing to the modern day. ==Genetics==

The people closest genetically to the Abkhazians are the Abazins and Circassians. There are also similarities between some Western Georgian ethnic groups. ==Gallery==

File:Abkhazia, Georgia — Bichvinta Cathedral.jpg|Pitsunda Cathedral, seat of Abkhazian Orthodox Church File:Abkhaz-deputatklk.jpg|Abkhazs in the mid-19th century ==Notable people==

Literature • Alexey Gogua (1932-2025), writer • Dmitry Gulia (1874–1960), Abkhazian Soviet writer and poet • Fazil Iskander (1929–2016), writer • Bagrat Shinkuba (1917–2004), writer, poet • Aziz Pasha Abaza (1898 – 1973) poet • Fekry Pasha Abaza (1895 – 1979) a journalist, writer and democratic political activist • Tharwat Abaza (1927 – 2002) novelist and journalist Politics • Aslan Bzhania (born 1963), Abkhaz politician • Alexander Ankvab (born 1952), Abkhaz politician • (born 1939), member of Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia from 1990 to 1992 • (born 1959), mayor of Batumi from 1997 to 1999 and member of the Parliament of Georgia from 1999 to 2004 • Gennadi Gagulia (1948–2018), Abkhazian politician • Hayreddin Pasha (1820–1890), Ottoman politician • Mirab Kishmaria (born 1961), Abkhaz politician and army general • Nestor Lakoba (1893–1936), Abkhaz communist leader • Rauf Orbay (1881–1964), Turkish politician • Raul Khajimba (born 1958), Abkhazian politician • Rauf Orbay (1881–1964), Turkish naval officer and diplomat • Shaaban Abash (1890–1943), rider in the Circassian cavalry regiment of the Caucasian native division during WWI • Sergei Bagapsh (1949–2011), President of Abkhazia • Vladimir Arshba (1959–2018), Abkhaz soldier and politician • Vladislav Ardzinba (1945–2010), first de facto president of Abkhazia • Abaza family a diaspora family that produced a large number of politicians Other • Mikhail, Prince of Abkhazia (1806–1866) • Hala Gorani, American journalist • Rushdy Abaza Arabic-language actor ==See also==