Khirtsizhiqo Ale

Ale Khirtsizhiqo Djanchat was a Circassian military commander and nobleman from the Abzakh region who took part in the Russo-Circassian War.

Biography

Early life Not much is recorded about Ale's early life, as Circassians did not write down their history, and all knowledge comes from Russian sources. Sources state that he was born in the village of Shakh and belonged to the Khirtsizhiqo family of the noble Djanchat clan. His birth date is unknown, but records show he joined a campaign against the Don Cossacks as a young man in 1776.

Russo-Circassian War

Rise to fame Khirtsizhiqo quickly became famous for his military successes. Ghish Nuh described him as follows:

Waving the Circassian flag In 1830, the Circassian flag was designed by Seferbiy Zaneqo. In 1836, when the first copy of the flag arrived in Circassia, it was received by Nur Muhammad Haghur and brought to the Gesh Valley, located in present-day Sochi. Here, the chiefs of all Circassian provinces gathered and accepted the flag, and Commander Khirtsizhiqo Ale became the first person to hoist the flag on Circassian soil.

Hostilities with Zass In 1833, Grigory Zass was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Russo-Circassian War and arrived at the Kuban Line with full authority. Zass was infamous for his hatred of the Circassians. He boasted in letters to his friends about massacring Circassian civilians. Zass's main headquarters was in the Prochnyi Okop fortress. According to a Circassian oral story, wanting to strike a blow against Zass, Khirtsizhiqo Ale, along with his comrades from the Circassian army, attacked this base and kidnapped General Zass's daughter. Three years later, they sent a letter to Zass informing him that they would return his daughter, and they agreed on the terms and location of the exchange. Circassian mediators arrived at the agreed time and handed over the girl, dressed in Circassian attire, to her father. The girl convinced her father to pardon the Circassians, and both sides returned to their bases. General Zass's spies learned of this plan, so Zass's troops began to follow the Circassians. When they heard that the Circassians planned to raid Batalpashinskaya, Zass secretly surrounded the area. Realizing they were being followed, the Circassians suddenly changed their plan. They crossed the Kuban River with 800 men and attacked a Russian outpost near Kislovodsk On September 6, which was 100 kilometers away. They killed Russian soldiers and started to returning to their villages with 5 captives and 20 carts of loot.

According to the Circassian version, Khirtsizhiqo Ale was killed while fighting, not sniping. Among the Circassians, a colorful flag bearing a warrior's tamga was raised at the grave of an important warrior after his death. According to the lament of Khirtsizhiqo Ale, a woman named Nalikhan made a grave flag for Ale after he died. The songs below are laments and describes the campaign in which Ale died, from the Circassian perspective.