The Circassian Perception of the Ottoman Empire: ‘Turkish’ Motifs in Sultan Khan-Girey’s Writings

In the Circassian worldview, the Ottoman Empire, their closest neighbor, traditionally occupied a very important place and cast an image of a powerful Muslim state, as well as a political and trading partner. The Circassian intellectuals of the 19th century reflected on the Ottomans in scholarly works, fiction, and policy papers. This article analyzes the writings of Sultan Khan-Girey, a prominent Circassian scholar, writer, and politician who in his works projected ambiguous and contradictory images of the Ottoman Empire. His works have many ‘Turkish motifs’ that demonstrate how significant the Ottoman factor was in the social, political and economic life of Circassia for centuries. On the one hand, the selection and interpretation of those motifs reflect the uniqueness of the creative style and the personality of Khan-Girey. On the other hand, the striking diversity of the images of Ottoman state in Khan-Girey’s writings reflects the multiple layers of his ethnic, clan, religious, civic (as a subject of the Russian Empire), professional (being in the service of the Russian Empire), and social class identities. All this is to be understood in the light of the fact that many of his relatives descended from the clan of the Gireys, the ruling dynasty of the Crimean Khanate that had settled in Circassia and faithfully served the Ottoman sultans. Khan-Girey perceived the modern Ottoman history and its key characters not only through the prism of his own political experience, but also through his dream of becoming an administrator and reformer of Russia’s Caucasus.