The Shapsug (Adyghe: Шапсыгъ; Russian: шапсуги; Turkish: Şapsığ) are one of the twelve Circassian tribes, the people of the Black Sea coast between Dzhubga and the Shakhe river and of the mountain valleys behind it. In Russia they live around Tuapse and Sochi and in Adygea; most Shapsug families live in Turkey, Israel and Jordan. They speak the Shapsug dialect of Adyghe.
Greater and Lesser Shapsug
Historically the Shapsug were among the largest Circassian groups on the Black Sea. Lesser Shapsug was the coast between the Dzhubga and Shakhe rivers; Greater Shapsug lay on the northern slopes of the Caucasus, along the Antkhir, Abin, Afips and Bakan rivers. With the Abzakh and the Natukhai they were one of the three “democratic” tribes, run by assemblies rather than princes.
They farmed and bred cattle and horses, and kept orchards, vineyards and bees.
Where the Shapsug live today
In Russia the Shapsug live in the Tuapse district and the Lazarevsky district of Sochi in Krasnodar Krai, and in Adygea’s Takhtamukaysky and Teuchezhsky districts. Russian Wikipedia lists Agui-Shapsug, Bolshoe and Maloe Pseushkho and Psebe in the Tuapse district, and Afipsip, Panakhes, Pseytuk and Khashtuk in Takhtamukaysky district. The village of Lygotkh has a museum, the “Estate of a Black Sea Shapsug”.
The 2010 census counted 3,882 Shapsug, but Shapsug in Adygea are recorded as Adyghe, so the real number is higher.
Most Shapsug families live abroad: they descend from families who left the Caucasus for the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, above all in the 1860s. They are the largest Circassian tribe in Israel, in the village of Kfar Kama. In Jordan the first Circassians to settle in Amman were Shapsug, and their neighbourhood is counted as the oldest in the city. There are Shapsug communities in Turkey, Syria and Lebanon too. See Circassians in Turkey and Circassians in Jordan.
Dialect, and which course to take
The Shapsug speak the Shapsug dialect of Adyghe, West Circassian, one of its coastal dialects. Scattered across many countries, each Shapsug community has developed its own way of speaking.
So the course to take is Adyghe (West Circassian): learn Adyghe with the Circassian App.
Find other Shapsug 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 Shapsug, write to them and learn together.
The other tribes
Questions
Who are the Shapsug?
One of the twelve Circassian tribes, the Circassians of the Black Sea coast between Dzhubga and the Shakhe river and of the mountain valleys behind it.
Where do the Shapsug live today?
In Russia around Tuapse and Sochi (Lazarevsky district) and in Adygea; abroad in Turkey, Israel (Kfar Kama), Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
How many Shapsug are there in Russia?
The 2010 census counted 3,882, but Shapsug in Adygea are counted as Adyghe, so the true number is higher.
What dialect do the Shapsug speak?
The Shapsug dialect of Adyghe (West Circassian). To learn the language, take the Circassian App’s Adyghe (West Circassian) course.
Are the Circassians of Kfar Kama Shapsug?
Yes: the Shapsug are the largest Circassian tribe in Israel, in Kfar Kama.
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Sources
- Wikipedia (English): Shapsugs, revision 1375319031.
- Wikipedia (Russian): Шапсуги, revision 150426459.
- Wikipedia (Turkish): Şapsığlar, revision 38202177.
- 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.»).
- The three “democratic” tribes and the twelve stars: English Wikipedia, “Circassians”, as on the site’s page on the Circassian flag.
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