View source for Abazins

{{Short description|Ethnic group in the Northwest Caucasus}}{{more citations needed|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| flag             = Proposed Naval Jack of the Republic of Abkhazia.svg
| flag_caption     = Flag of the Abazins
| group            = Abaza<br>Абаза
| pop              = 210,000 (est.)
| region1          = {{flagcountry|Turkey}}
| pop1             = 15,000–150,000<ref name="crwflags"/>
| ref1             = <ref name=Ethnologue>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=abq |title=Ethnologue.com |access-date=2013-06-20 |archive-date=2012-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112160200/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=abq |url-status=live }}</ref>
| region2          = {{flagcountry|Russia}}
*{{flag|Karachay-Cherkessia}}
*{{flag|Stavropol Krai}}
*{{flag|Kabardino-Balkaria}}
| pop2             = 43,341<br><small>36,919</small><br><small>3,646</small><br><small>418</small>
| ref2             = <ref name="crwflags"/>
| region3          = {{flagcountry|Egypt}}
| pop3             = 5,000–15,000<ref name="daharchives.alhayat.com"/>
| ref3             = 
| region4          = {{flagcountry|Ukraine}}
| pop4             = 128
| ref4             = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/nationality/ |title=About number and composition population of Ukraine by data All-Ukrainian census of the population 2001 |work=Ukraine Census 2001 |publisher=State Statistics Committee of Ukraine |access-date=17 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111217151026/http://2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/nationality/ |archive-date=17 December 2011 }}</ref>
| rels             = Predominantly [[Sunni Islam]]
| langs            = [[Abaza language|Abaza]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Arabic]], [[Turkish language|Turkish]]
| related          = [[Abkhazians]], [[Circassians]]
}}
[[File:Abaza country in north cacuasus locator map.svg|thumb|Abazin country]]
The '''Abazin''', '''Abazinians''' or '''Abaza''' ([[Abaza language|Abaza]] and [[Abkhaz language|Abkhaz]]: Абаза; [[Circassian language|Circassian]]: Абазэхэр; {{langx|ru|Абазины}}; {{langx|tr|Abazalar}}; {{langx|ar|أباظة}}) are an [[ethnic group]] of the [[Caucasus|Northwest Caucasus]], closely related to the [[Abkhaz people|Abkhaz]] and [[Circassians|Circassian]] peoples. Today, as a result of atrocities committed by [[Russian Empire|Imperial Russia]] during the [[Circassian genocide]], they live mostly in [[Turkey]], [[Syria]], [[Jordan]], [[Egypt]] and in [[Karachay-Cherkessia]] and [[Stavropol Krai]] in the [[North Caucasus]] region of [[Russia]]. The Tapanta ([[:ru:Тапанта]]), a branch of the Abaza, lived between the Besleney and Kabardian princedoms on the upper Kuban.

Abaza people historically speak the [[Abaza language]], a [[Northwest Caucasian languages|Northwest Caucasian]] language most closely related to [[Abkhaz language|Abkhaz]], and more distantly related to the [[Ubykh language|Ubykh]] and [[Circassian languages|Circassian]] languages. There are two dialects of Abaza spoken in Karachay-Cherkessia: ''Ashkharua'' and ''Tapanta''. The culture and traditions of the Abazin are similar to those of the Circassians. On many old maps Abazin territory is marked as part of [[Circassia]] (Adygea).

According to the [[Russian Census (2010)|2010 Russian census]], there were 43,341 Abazins in Russia.<ref name="crwflags">{{citation|url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ru-abaza.html|title=Abazinsky District, Karachay-Cherkessian Republic, Russia|website=crwflags.com|access-date=2022-12-29|archive-date=2023-03-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320104741/https://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/Flags/ru-abaza.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Diaspora ==
An Abazin diaspora exists in [[Turkey]],<ref name=Ethnologue/> [[Egypt]] and in Middle Eastern countries such as [[Jordan]] and [[Syria]], most of which are descendants of [[Muhajir (Caucasus)|muhajirs]] from the [[Caucasian War]] with the [[Imperial Russia|Russian Empire]].

There is a significant Abazin presence in Turkey. An estimated 150,000 Abaza live in the provinces of [[Eskişehir Province|Eskişehir]], [[Samsun Province|Samsun]], [[Yozgat Province|Yozgat]], [[Adana Province|Adana]], [[Kayseri Province|Kayseri]], and [[Sakarya Province|Sakarya]], as well as [[İzmit]] and [[Istanbul|İstanbul]].

Most of them belong to Ashkharua clan that fought against the Tsarist army and emigrated to Turkey after losing the battle of Kbaada ([[Krasnaya Polyana, Sochi, Krasnodar Krai|Krasnaya Polyana]] in today's [[Sochi]]), whereas the Tapanta clan fought with the Russian forces.
[[File:Aziz Pasha Abaza عزيز باشا أباظة.jpg|thumb|[[Aziz Pasha Abaza]] of the [[Abaza family]], the sole Abazin clan in Egypt]]
A prominent example in Egypt is the [[Abaza family]], a large Egyptian Abazin clan.<ref name="daharchives.alhayat.com">{{cite news|last1=الكاتب|first1=الكاتب|language=ar|title=Arabs or Circassians, or a combination of both? Alobazah families in Egypt|url=http://daharchives.alhayat.com/issue_archive/Hayat%20INT/1998/9/28/%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%94%D9%85-%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%94%D9%85-%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%B7-%D9%85%D9%86%D9%87%D9%85%D8%A7-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%8A%D9%94%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%94%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D8%AA%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%81-%D9%86%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B0%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%8B-%D9%85%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%BA%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A9.html|access-date=6 December 2016|agency=Al Hayat News|date=September 28, 1998|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227192411/http://daharchives.alhayat.com/issue_archive/Hayat%20INT/1998/9/28/%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%94%D9%85-%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%94%D9%85-%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%B7-%D9%85%D9%86%D9%87%D9%85%D8%A7-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%8A%D9%94%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%94%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D8%AA%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%81-%D9%86%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B0%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%8B-%D9%85%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%BA%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A9.html|archive-date=2016-12-27|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Culture ==
Historically, the Abazin engaged in animal herding and some farming.<ref name="Ency">{{Cite book|last=Cole|first=Jeffrey|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wlth0GRi0N0C&q=Abazins&pg=PA1|title=Ethnic Groups of Europe: An Encyclopedia|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2011|isbn=978-1-59884-302-6|location=|pages=1–2|language=en}}</ref>

The Abazins are dominantly Sunni Muslims. The Abazins first encountered Islam during their migrations to the Abazinia region via contact with the [[Nogais]] and other Muslim people.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Akiner|first=Shirin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gd-3AAAAQBAJ|title=Islamic Peoples Of The Soviet Union|publisher=Routledge|year=1986|isbn=978-1-136-14274-1|pages=236|language=en}}</ref> The Abazins adopted Islam via the influence of Muslim merchants and missionaries from the 16th to 19th centuries.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Olson|first=James Stuart|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CquTz6ps5YgC&q=abazinians&pg=PA4|title=An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of the Russian and Soviet Empires|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=1994|isbn=978-0-313-27497-8|location=|pages=3|language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Abaza clan|Abaza in Egypt]]
*[[Abazinia]]
*[[Abazinsky District]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Circassian diaspora}}
{{Ethnic groups in Turkey}}
{{Ethnic groups of Russia}}
{{Peoples of the Caucasus}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Abazins| ]]
[[Category:Russian Muslims]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Russia]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Turkey]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Lebanon]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Syria]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Jordan]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Egypt]]
[[Category:Karachay-Cherkessia]]
[[Category:Stavropol Krai]]
[[Category:Indigenous peoples of Russia]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of Russia]]
[[Category:Peoples of the Caucasus]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of the Caucasus]]