Abazins
The Abasinen ( abasinisch Абаза / Abasa ) are a nation in the Caucasus and linguistically closely related to the Abkhazians and Circassians. They live mostly in Karachay -Cherkessia, where their language is officially recognized as a regional official language. Another group lives in the Stavropol region and in the Republic of Adygea Rajon Kislovodsk. In the census in 2010 gave Russia 43 341 people claim to be Abasinen, of which 36 919 in the Republic of Karachay -Cherkessia (7.8% of the population). Almost half of the local Abasinen lived here in abasinischen Rajon where they represent about 87 % of the population. More abasinische populations and diaspora communities also exist in other regions of Russia, as well as in Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon (estimated, but not backed up: 11,000 people who still speak the language ). There are a total of more offspring abasinischer refugees of the 19th century in the Middle East, as in Russia itself Abasinen A large part of them is there now but assimilated and no longer speaks the language of their ancestors. In Middle Eastern countries are often equated with the linguistically related Abkhazians.
Religion
Abasinen are predominantly Sunni Muslims. As with all peoples of the North Caucasus also pre-Islamic traditions have been preserved. As in the whole northwestern Caucasus Islamization began under the influence of the Crimean khanate until 15-16. Century, in these eastern parts rather later. However, the majority of the population converted in only 18-19. Century. Previously, the Christians were Abasinen with syncretic traditions.
Language
The language of Abasinen, the Abasinische, belongs to the Northwest Caucasian or Adyge - Abkhaz language family. Since 1936, it is written in Cyrillic characters. She is very close to the Abkhaz and is largely mutually intelligible. The Circassian dialects for which there are now two written languages , there are much larger differences. The Abkhaz- abasinische branch and the Circassian ( adygische ) branch have well developed separately BC since the 3rd or 2nd millennium.
Abasinisch has two main dialects: (also Aschkar, Aschqar, Aschkaraua called ) Tapantisch ( Tapanta ) and Aschkarisch, some Kaukasiologen see a third dialect Besschar, but the other is considered as a sub- dialect of Tapantischen. Most Kaukasiologen assume that the presence of Abasinischen in Northern Caucasia result of emigration from Abkhazia was, said the Abkhaz less similar Tapanta dialect probably already in the 13th - 14th Century arrived, the Aschkar dialect that is still spoken in some villages of Abkhazia, probably in the 18th - 19th Century. A minority of researchers in Georgia believes in a hike in the reverse direction from Abasinien to Abkhazia. This is considered by many researchers to be unlikely, because many old lexemes of Abkhaz relate to the sea and the shipping and other very old loanwords in Abkhaz originate ( at least since the Middle Ages, areas of Christianity, culture and agriculture) from the South Caucasian languages, a long neighborhood of the Abkhazians suggests to Georgian Group and the Black Sea.
Abasinisch is now one of five official language in the Russian republic of Karachay -Cherkessia. Much of the Abasinen thrives in 2006 created abasinischen Rajon.
Known Abasinen or personalities abasinischer origin
Public Characters abasinischer origin are derived mostly from the Egyptian government Ash- Sharqiyah members of the extended family Abasa who rose socially since the 19th century as a successful entrepreneur and politician in Egypt. Several major in Egypt entrepreneurs, politicians (eg Amin Ahmed Mohamed Othman Abaza ), writers, actors (eg Rushdy Abaza ) and researchers (eg Mona Abaza ) come from the Abaza family. There are other figures in the history of the Middle East with the name Abasa or which are considered abasinischer origin, however, was often not distinguished Abasinen and Abkhazians.