Abkhazians
| Аҧсуа | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| c. 200,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Former Soviet Union | |
 Abkhazia
|
122,040 (2003 census) |
 Russia
|
11,366 (2002 census) |
 Georgia (without Abkhazia)
|
3,527 |
 Ukraine
|
1,458 |
| Diaspora | |
 Turkey
|
15–100,000 (by descent) |
 Syria
|
5–10,000 |
 Germany
|
5,000 |
| Languages | |
| Abkhaz (native), Russian, Georgian | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Abkhazian Orthodox Christianity and Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Northwest Caucasians | |
Abkhazians or the Abkhaz (Abkhaz: Аҧсуа, Apswa; Georgian: აფხაზები [ɑpʰxɑzɛbi]) are a Caucasian ethnic group, mainly living in Abkhazia, a partially-recognized state on the Black Sea coast of Eastern Europe. A large Abkhaz diaspora population resides in Turkey, the origins of which lie in the emigration from the Caucasus in the late 19th century known as muhajirism. Many Abkhaz also live in other parts of the former Soviet Union, particularly in Russia and Ukraine.
The Abkhaz language belongs to the isolate Northwest Caucasian language family, also known as Abkhaz–Adyghe or North Pontic family, which groups the dialectic continuum spoken by the Abaza–Abkhaz (Abazgi) and Adyghe ("Circassians" in English). The Abkhaz is closely ethnically related to Circassian. Classical sources speak of several tribes dwelling in the region, but their exact identity and location remain controversial due to Abkhaz–Georgian historiographical conflict (see the history section).
There are also three subgroups of the Abkhaz people. The Bzyb (Бзыҧ, Bzyph) reside in the Bzyb River region, and speak their own dialect. The Abzhui (Абжьыуа, Abzhwa) live in the Kodori River region, and also speak their own dialect, which the Abkhaz literary language is based upon. Finally, there is the Zamurzakan who reside in the southeast of Abkhazia.
Some scholars deem the ancient Heniochi tribe the progenitors of the Abkhaz. This warlike people came into contact with Ancient Greeks through the colonies of Dioskourias and Pitiuntas. In the Roman period, the Abasgoi are mentioned as inhabiting the region. These Abasgoi (Abkhaz) were described by Procopius as warlike, worshippers of three deities, under the suzerainty of the Kingdom of Lazica. The Abkhazian view is that the Apsilae and Abasgoi are ancestors of the Abkhaz–Adyghe group of peoples, while the Georgian view is that those were Kartvelians (Georgians).
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Wikipedia