Residents of Abkhazia pay tribute to victims of Caucasian War
Sukhumi hosted the mourning events dedicated to the Memorial Day of the victims of the Caucasian War and the forced eviction of the mountain peoples of the Caucasus.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 21, prayer services and rallies in memory of the victims of the Caucasian War were held in Adygea, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Kuban. In Istanbul, members of the Circassian Diaspora marched through Istiklal Avenue.
The Caucasian War, which lasted from 1763 to 1864, put Adygs (Circassians) on the brink of complete extinction. After the war and mass deportation to the Ottoman Empire, just a little more that 50,000 of them were left in their homeland. Circassian organizations insist that Russian authorities should declare Circassian genocide during the Caucasian War.
On May 21, in the capital of Abkhazia, at the monument to Muhajir (Muhajirs were Circassians who moved from Northern Caucasus to Ottoman Turkey); there was a live broadcasting from Turkey from a mourning rally in memory of the victims who died during the exile. Mourning melodies and songs were heard on the embankment of Sukhumi, and candles were burning near the monument, the "Sputnik-Abkhazia" reports.
After a minute of silence in memory of the victims, people sang the song "Shyish-nani" (Muhajir Lullaby) with lyrics written by Bagrat Shinkuba, a national poet of Abkhazia.
Then the people who gathered on the embankment released wreaths to the sea in memory of the thousands of victims of mass exile, lit sky lanterns and launched them to the sky. A memorial bonfire was traditionally lit on the beach at the end of the action.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.