Abazinia,
Abazashta or
Abaza is a historical country at the northern mountainside of the Caucasus Major, now the northern part of
Karachay-CherkessiaThe Karachay-Cherkess Republic , or Karachay-Cherkessia is a federal subject of Russia . Population: -Geography:*Area: *Borders:**internal: Krasnodar Krai , Kabardino-Balkar Republic , Stavropol Krai ....
n Republic,
RussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Abazinia is a home of the
AbazinsThe Abazins are a people who live mostly in Karachay-Cherkessia and Adygea of Russia.An Abazin diaspora exists in Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Egypt , and other Islamic countries, most of which are descendants of refugees from the Caucasian War...
, a people related to the
Abkhaz peopleThe Abkhaz or Abkhazians are a Caucasian ethnic group, mainly living in Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. A large Abkhazian diaspora population resides in Turkey, the origins of which lie in the emigration from the Caucasus in the late 19th century known as Muhajirism...
and speaking the Abazin language.
Abazinia once was a part of the Kingdom of Abkhazia. The ancestors of the Abazins were the
SadzThe Sadz or Asadzwa, also Jigets are a sub-ethnic group of the Abkhazians. They are sometimes purported to have originated from the Sanigoi tribe mentioned by the Classic authors...
, lived at the
Black SeaThe Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
, but forced to resettle to the mountains under the
UbykhUbykh may refer to:* The Ubykh language* The Ubykh people* Ubykhia, a historical land of Ubykhs...
pressure. In 16th-18th century Abazinia was a part of Kabarda and was often raided by the
CrimeansCrimean Khanate, or Khanate of Crimea , was a state ruled by Crimean Tatars from 1441 to 1783. Its native name was . Its khans were the patrilineal descendants of Toqa Temür, the thirteenth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan...
. Since the 19th century Abazinia is a part of the
Russian EmpireThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. During the rule of Kabardians, Crimeans and Russians some Abazins were forcibly resettled from their homeland.
Modern times
The Soviet power was proclaimed there in 1918. Since April 1, 1918 Abazinia is a part of
Kuban Soviet RepublicThe Kuban Soviet Republic was part of the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic within the general territory of the Kuban. Its capital was Yekaterinodar.It was merged into the Kuban-Black Sea Soviet Republic on May 30, 1918....
, since May 28 -
Kuban-Black Sea Soviet RepublicKuban-Black Sea Soviet Republic was part of the RSFSR. Its capital was Yekaterinodar.It was created by merging Black Sea Soviet Republic and Kuban Soviet Republic and later merged into the North Caucasian Soviet Republic....
, in July 5-December 1918 - North Caucasus Soviet Republic. Since January 20, 1921 it is a part of
Mountainous ASSRMountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic or Mountain ASSR was a short-lived autonomous republic within the Russian SFSR in the Northern Caucasus that existed from January 20, 1921 to July 7, 1924....
, since January 12, 1922 it is a part of Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Oblast, South-Eastern Krai, since April 26 it is a part of
Cherkess Autonomous OblastCherkess Autonomous Oblast was created in 1943....
,
Stavropol KraiStavropol Krai is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Stavropol. Population: -Geography:Stavropol Krai encompasses the central part of the Fore-Caucasus and most of the northern slopes of Caucasus Major...
, since January 9, 1957 it is a part of recreated Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Oblast,
Stavropol KraiStavropol Krai is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Stavropol. Population: -Geography:Stavropol Krai encompasses the central part of the Fore-Caucasus and most of the northern slopes of Caucasus Major...
.
In 1990-1991 the Abazin national movements
Adgylara («Адгылара») and
Apsadghyl («Апсадгъыл»,) as well as the Congress of Abaza and Circassian people claimed a national region for the Abazins. Circass-Abazin and Nogai-Abazin Republics were proposed to produce a region without
KarachaysThe Karachays are Turkic speaking people of the North Caucasus, mostly situated in the Russian Karachay-Cherkess Republic.-History:The Karachays are a Turkic speaking people descending from the Kipchaks and probably the Cumans, with some admixture of the medieval Alans and native Caucasians; their...
dominance, but the consensus wasn't found.
At the congress of the Abazin deputies in November 1991 the
Abazin Republic was proclaimed with the capital in the
aulAn aul is a type of fortified village found throughout the Caucasus mountains, especially in Dagestan.The word itself is of Turkic origine and means simply village in many Turkic languages....
of Psyzh. The republic wasn't recognized by the authorities of the RSFSR. The Abazinia remained a part of
Karachay-CherkessiaThe Karachay-Cherkess Republic , or Karachay-Cherkessia is a federal subject of Russia . Population: -Geography:*Area: *Borders:**internal: Krasnodar Krai , Kabardino-Balkar Republic , Stavropol Krai ....
, which gained a republic status at November 30, 1990.
In January 1995 the congress of the Abazin people claimed a national district within
Stavropol KraiStavropol Krai is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Stavropol. Population: -Geography:Stavropol Krai encompasses the central part of the Fore-Caucasus and most of the northern slopes of Caucasus Major...
. At June 27, 2005 a Special Congress of the Abazin People bound the head of 13 Abazin auls, situated in 5 different districts of Karachay-Cherkesia to leave this districts to emerge to
Abazinsky DistrictAbazinsky District is an administrative and a municipal district , one of the ten in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Russia. Its administrative center is the rural locality of Inzhich-Chukun. District's population:...
. At December 25, 2005 referendum 99% of Abazinia population voted for the establishment of this district. July 1, 2006 the premier-minister of the Russian Federation decreed the district with center in
Inzhich-ChukunInzhich-Chukun is an aul located in Karachay-Cherkessia. Currently the capital of Abazinsky District, it was a part of Khabezsky District prior to creation of the said district in Abazinia territory....
. Municipalities Psyzh, Elburgan, Inzhich-Chukun, Kubina and Kara-Pago was passed from the
Prikubansky District-Districts of the federal subjects:*Prikubansky District, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, an administrative and municipal district of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic-City divisions:...
,
Ust-Dzhegutinsky DistrictUst-Dzhegutinsky District is an administrative and a municipal district , one of the ten in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Russia. Its administrative center is the town of Ust-Dzheguta. District's population: 52,196 ; Population of Ust-Dzheguta accounts for 59.3% of the district's population....
and
Khabezsky DistrictKhabezsky District is an administrative and a municipal district , one of the ten in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Russia. Its administrative center is the rural locality of Khabez. District's population: 31,885 ; Population of Khabez accounts for 18.1% of the district's population....
. Abazinsky District will be eventually formed at January 1, 2009.
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