The Besleney (Kabardian: Беслъэней; Russian: бесленеевцы) are one of the twelve Circassian tribes. They lived on the upper Laba and Urup rivers, between the western Circassians and the Kabardians, and are closest to the Kabardians in culture and speech. Today they live in Karachay-Cherkessia, Adygea and Krasnodar Krai, and in Turkey. Their dialect is part of Kabardian, East Circassian.
The name and the princes
Turkish Wikipedia derives the name from Beslen, a son of Inal, the legendary ancestor of most Circassian princely houses. The Besleney princes were the Qanoqo family.
On the Laba and the Urup
The Besleney lived in the valleys of the Bolshaya and Malaya Laba and on the Urup, reaching the Fars and Psefir valleys, in the middle of Circassia between the western tribes and the Kabardians. In character, culture and language they are closest to the Kabardians.
Where the Besleney live today
In Russia there are Besleney villages in Karachay-Cherkessia (Besleney and Vako-Zhile), in Krasnodar Krai’s Uspensky district (Kurgokovsky and Konokovsky) and in Adygea (Ulyap). English Wikipedia notes that the Cherkess of Karachay-Cherkessia are mostly Kabardian and Besleney.
In the diaspora most Besleney live in Turkey, in the provinces of Bolu, Amasya, Çorum, Bilecik, Eskişehir and Niğde. They descend from families who left the Caucasus for the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, above all in the 1860s.
Dialect, and which course to take
The Besleney speak a dialect of Kabardian, East Circassian, with some western features from their place in the middle of Circassia. Besleney and Kabardians understand each other easily, and the Besleney use literary Kabardian for writing.
So the course to take is Kabardian (East Circassian): learn Kabardian with the Circassian App.
Find other Besleney in the app
The Circassian App lets you add your family’s tribe to your profile, in the Origin field. In Search, the Tribe filter (free for everyone) shows people who chose the same tribe, so you can find other Besleney, write to them and learn together.
The other tribes
Questions
Who are the Besleney?
One of the twelve Circassian tribes, living on the upper Laba and Urup between the western Circassians and the Kabardians, and closest to the Kabardians.
Where do the Besleney live?
In Karachay-Cherkessia, Krasnodar Krai’s Uspensky district and Adygea (Ulyap), and in Turkey: Bolu, Amasya, Çorum, Bilecik, Eskişehir and Niğde.
Is Besleney East or West Circassian?
East: the Besleney dialect is part of Kabardian, with some western features.
Which course fits a Besleney family?
Kabardian, the Circassian App’s Kabardian course; Besleney and Kabardians understand each other easily.
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Sources
- Wikipedia (English): Besleney, revision 1371613154.
- Wikipedia (Russian): Бесленеевцы, revision 147826444.
- Wikipedia (Turkish): Besleneyler, revision 37873575.
- Circassian App: the tribe list of the profile’s Origin field (src/data/origins.ts) and the Search filters, October 2026.
- Map: Liptink0, “Blank locator map of Circassia 1820s”, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (after S. Khotko, «Открытие Черкесии. Картографические источники XIV–XIX вв.»).
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