Nalchik townspeople light candles to commemorate Caucasian War victims
Residents of the city of Nalchik have come to the "Tree of Life" Memorial to take part in the memorial party dedicated to the 161st anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War. At the end of the party, they lit 101 candles in casualties’ memory.
The Caucasian War, which lasted from 1763 to 1864, brought the Adyg (Circassian) people to the brink of extinction. After the war and the mass deportation of Adygs to the Ottoman Empire, only a little more than 50,000 people remained in their homeland. Russian authorities have still not made a decision to recognize the Circassian genocide during the above war, according to the reference material prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".
At least two hundred people gathered for the event held at the memorial. Some men were dressed in national costumes (Circassian coats), the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has reported.
Actors of the Kabardian Theatre read poetry for those who gathered; and musicians and the folk singers, Arthur Dyshekov, Azamat Pekov, Asiyat Cherkesova, Oksana Khakulova, and the ensemble "Chegem Waterfalls" and others performed the gybzes (lament songs) dedicated to the events of the Caucasian War. Folk melodies were performed by musician Zuber Euaz who played the shikapshin (Adyg violin-like folk instrument). At the end of the party, its participants traditionally lit 101 candles installed on the monument pedestal.
Beslan Khagazheev, a resident of Nalchik, who was present at the event, has explained his participation in the party by the fact that the memory of his ancestors is sacred to him. "They gave their lives in an unequal struggle for their identity, customs and laws – everything that they valued and that was sacred to them. Every Adyg is obliged to honour their ancestors; this gives us the right to exist," he told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
Beslan Khagazheev has noted that he knows about the events of the Caucasian War only from books, while his family has no family memories of that period. According to his story, too much time has elapsed since for people to remember personal stories of older relatives got transferred through generations, especially since the participants in those events either died or were evicted. "There are many historical sources from which one can learn about these distant events. This must be done; people must know their history," he has added.
Islam Batyrov, a resident of Baksan, said that he comes to the monument every year on the anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War, "just to stand and keep silent."
He shares the opinion that history must be known, noting that "it should not be a burden and drag us back into the past." "Knowing our history, we must move forward: develop our culture and study our native language, so that one day not to find ourselves in front of the fact that new generations cannot read and write in the Kabardian language," a participant in the party has stated.
In his opinion, in order to preserve their identity, Adygs need to pay more attention to studying their mother tongue, customs and traditions. "Unfortunately, everything that our ancestors held dear, everything that they fought for and died for, is now being lost by us just like that, voluntarily. We are ready to succumb to any influence – be it Arabic or European, but we don’t even try to preserve our own heritage," Islam Batyrov has concluded.
Khusein Tukov from Nalchik also attends memorial events every year. "We come to remember our ancestors who disappeared in this war. This memory is important to us, it unites all the Adygs of the world," he said.
A rally is scheduled for May 21 near the "Tree of Life" Memorial.
This was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 20, 2025 at 11:16 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Candles at the memorial, May 20, 2025; performance by national performers; participants of the party: photos by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.