Circassians of Egypt

Yesterday I received some interesting stuff about Circassians in Egypt:

The Circassians in Egypt are different than those who later went to Jordan, specifically because of the fact that there has been a Circassian presence in Egypt since 1382, and also for the fact that the Circassians in Egypt are so much a part of a continuous Egyptian history for so long that they became assimilated into Egyptian society much more readily. Especially as they mostly served in such high military and political positions. Their influence on Egypt is such that they are part of the evolution of modern Egypt, and are so much a part of this country that they are synonymous with the analogy of the Normans in England.

Subsequent to the Norman conquest of Saxon Britain in 1066, the Normans dominated the military/political classes until quite recently, the British military officer class, for example, was overwhelmingly of Norman descent until WWI.

The Circassians in Jordan came much later and their connection is also much more recent to the geographical land mass of what is today called Jordan. Their presence there is as a result of the construction of the hijaz (pilgrim route from Diyarbekr to Medina) railway in the 1870’s. The refugees from the end of the Caucasian wars were settled every 30 km in villages along the route of the railway, in order to defend the railway from marauding Arab tribesmen. Which is why there are such large Circassian communities in Syria and in Jordan today.

It puzzles me that Circassians living in Egypt lost all contact with their homeland, forgot their language and their traditions, while those living in Jordan still remember these things, even though Circassians have a long history in Egypt (ok, with some good and some bad, really bad, memories). But still why did Egyptian-Circassians forget about all of their past? Where they that assimilated into the Egyptian society that they forgot everything.

I won’t talk about the Circassian Mamluks periods. It is a very long history, and it makes sense that the Bahareya Mamluks would mingle easier than their precedents because they lived in El Roda and not in the Citadel , and because they were born and raised in Egypt, not bought as young slaves from Caucasia, and because the relation between them and their masters differed by time. I can imagine this. What I can’t imagine is those of the relatively modern era. Those who fled the Russian massacres and came to Egypt. There are lots of ambiguity.

For example, Mohamed Aly killed ALL OF THE CIRCASSIAN LEADERS IN ONE NIGHT (except for one who jumped with his horse over the walls, or so they say), if he feared them to that extent, why would he accept new immigrants and not kill them at the gates of the city? I know that the Citadel massacre was targeting imposing his political will on the various factions that were going to threaten his throne, it was evident that most likely the Circassian would miss their old days before the Othman rule and may re-start their bloody contest of power. But why would he still trust Circassians again and use them in the army and the state? The circassians at that time enjoyed a good position in the society, perhaps better than the Egyptians themselves (!!!) (Walahi the Egyptians are either stupid or powerless, they were treated as second citizens in their own country in comparison to some newcomers, and they were ruled by an Albanian who considered their land as his personal belonging! But that’s another story)