Ahıska Turks are a community of Turkish origin living in the Ahıska region, located in the southwestern part of Georgia. Historically, this region was under Ottoman rule for many years and bears traces of Turkish-Islamic culture. Ahıska includes towns such as Abastuban, Adigön, Aspinza, Ahılkelek, Azgur, and Hırtız, as well as many villages. The area is known for its rich water resources, fertile lands, and highland pasture culture. In 1944, the Ahıska Turks were exiled by the Soviet Union to Central Asia. Today, they reside in many countries, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and the United States. Although forcibly removed from their homeland, they have managed to preserve their culture, language, and identity. Ahıska Turks are one of the prominent examples of the Turkish diaspora.
History of Ahıska
The Ahıska region is an ancient Turkish land within the borders of Georgia, which was under Ottoman rule for a period in the past. The first comprehensive writings on the Ahıska Region and Ahıska Turks belong to M. Fahrettin Kırzıoğlu. According to Kırzıoğlu, the name “Ahıska,” which first appeared as “Ageska” in a source dated 482, is referred to as “Ahılkelek” in Islamic sources, particularly in Ibn al-Athir’s al-Kamil fi’t-Tarikh. Since Muslim historians were not fully familiar with the region, it is understood that they confused “Ahıska” with “Ahılkelek,” a different unit in the area.
The name Ahıska is also found in other Ottoman sources as “Ahısha” or “Ahıska.” In the Dresden manuscript of The Book of Dede Korkut, known as the national epic of the Turks, the name appears as “Ak-Sika,” “Ak-Saka,” or “Akıska.” Many researchers interpret this term to mean “White Fortress.”
Despite being an ancient Turkish land, various theories have been proposed regarding the origin of the name Ahıska. During the era of the Atabegs, Ahıska was the center of the Kipchak-origin Atabegs, and it retained its importance during the Ottoman period, becoming the capital of the Çıldır Province and an important cultural and commercial center.
Based on the culture of the region’s people, it is understood that the populations of Posof, Ardahan, Artvin, Ardanuç, Şavşat, Yusufeli, Tortum, Nariman / Narman, and Oltu share the same origins and culture with the Ahıska Turks.
As a result of the Ottoman Empire's defeat in the wars with Russia in 1828–1829, the current Ahıska region was ceded to Tsarist Russia as war compensation. This painful loss was reflected in the laments of folk poets from the region, where oral culture is strong. Especially poets like Üzeyir Fakiri of Posof expressed the strategic importance of Ahıska and the deep sorrow of the people in their elegies:
“Ahıska was a rose, now it's gone,
It was a noble soul, now it's gone.
Tell Sultan Mahmud
The key to Istanbul is gone.”
Ahıska, which spans a wide area, was divided into two by the Treaty of Edirne signed in 1829. The local population was exiled to Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan) by the Soviet regime and Stalin in 1944.
Ahıska Exile (November 14, 1944)
Throughout history, the Ahıska people were often forced to migrate and endured three major exiles: in 1944 from Georgia’s Ahıska region, in 1989 from Uzbekistan’s Fergana Valley, and in 2004 from Russia’s Krasnodar region. The largest of these was the forced deportation in 1944 from their homeland, Ahıska, to Central Asia.
Near the end of World War II, in 1944, a pivotal moment marked the beginning of great disasters for Turkish and Muslim peoples under Soviet rule. Before the mass deportation in 1944, the Soviet administration, to prepare favorable conditions, first exiled prominent leaders of the Ahıska Turks—those who were qualified and capable of guiding the public. All able-bodied men were conscripted to fight for Russia. In Ahıska, a region with fertile land and natural beauty, Soviet soldiers knocked on doors at midnight and, citing reasons such as "protecting Ahıska people from threats coming from the Turkish front and distancing them from the front line," forced the population from their homes. However, the Ahıska Turks were well aware of the true reason for their deportation.
Having participated in the Caucasian Islamic Army that liberated Baku from Armenian occupation in 1918, Ahıska people became targets of Russian surveillance. They were aware that the true goal of their exile was the Russian fear of history repeating itself and the punishment of Ahıska Turks who had preserved their language, religion, and identity, and who could not be assimilated, thereby preventing any possible alliance with Türkiye. On November 14, 1944, Soviet soldiers completely surrounded the villages and forcibly removed Ahıska Turks from their homes without allowing anyone to escape. Thus, the Ahıska people left behind all their possessions, homes, and memories, embarking on a forced journey of exile.
The Beginning of the Exile Journey Under Harsh Conditions (Created with AI Assistance)
Ahıska Turks were placed in old, neglected freight trains, previously used for transporting animals, without doors or windows. Four to five families were crammed into a single wagon, facing starvation and freezing temperatures that reached -40 degrees Celsius, effectively making it a planned journey of death. From the districts of Ahıska, Aspinza, Ahılkelek, and Bogdanovka, and about 220 surrounding villages, nearly 100,000 Ahıska people were exiled to countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Around 20,000 of them died during this one-month journey due to hunger, illness, and the cold.
Ahıska Exile Told by Eyewitnesses (TRT AVAZ)
Despite the difficult conditions, the Ahıska Turks managed to survive without abandoning their religion, language, customs, and traditions. However, they were forced to live under strict supervision and surveillance within a regime called “special settlement” in the countries to which they were exiled. Today, there are over 600,000 Ahıskalı people spread across more than 10 countries, still living with the longing for their homeland.
Ahıska Culture
Ahıska people have succeeded in preserving both the languages of the countries they live in and their mother tongue, Turkish, especially in the Ahıska dialect. Although changes have occurred in their clothing compared to the pre-exile period, wedding and mourning traditions continue to be maintained with some differences. The Ahıska cuisine reflects the unique culinary culture of the Caucasus and also includes elements from other ethnic traditions. Despite the hardships of 81 years of exile, the Ahıska Turks have preserved their identity, language, and culture.
In Ahıska families, respect for elders is of utmost importance. If a man continues to live with his parents after marriage, he does not go to bed before they do. One does not cross their legs or smoke or drink in front of elders. When an elder enters the room, everyone stands up. A newlywed bride does not speak to elders, especially men. She also avoids speaking to older relatives. This behavior, referred to as gelinluh etmah (bride conduct), is considered a crucial rule to be followed regardless of one’s background, cultural view, or upbringing. Even if the bride is not veiled, she must cover her head at home or in public. Another respectful gesture toward elders and esteemed individuals is a custom called temenni. The bride performs this gesture by slightly moving her right hand upward and her left hand downward while bowing slightly. This symbolizes respect. In Ahıska weddings, the bride enters the hall wearing a covering called katha on her head. Her face is initially covered with a red veil. Then, the groom’s friend—sağdıç—comes and performs a "face unveiling" ceremony with knives to the accompaniment of music. The bride’s face is then revealed, and metaphorically “her tongue is cut” since she will refrain from speaking to elders or speak only softly for a while. Thus, the wedding ceremony begins.
Among their traditional dishes, “hinkal” and “hoyul” are the most common. Some folk songs describe how laborious and delicious hinkal is, claiming that it is eaten without chewing due to impatience:
“They make hinkal in many ways
Some add coins inside
The impatient swallow it whole
It’s so hard to wait for hinkal.”
75th Anniversary of the Exile Commemoration Program
On December 10, 2019, the 14 November 1944 Ahıska Exile Commemoration Program was held at the Presidential Complex of the Republic of Türkiye with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In this program, Ahıska people who witnessed the exile shared their memories and the persecution they endured. They also thanked President Erdoğan for his support. During the event, a 350-year-old Qur'an that witnessed the Ahıska exile was entrusted to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by the Ahıska people.
