Muhammed Hatohşoqo

Muhammad Asha Hatokhshoqo (, ) or Muhammad the Crippled-Armed, was a Circassian commander and prince. He participated in the Russo-Circassian War. Muhammad was one of the Kabardians who migrated to Western Circassia. Over time, he became known as a famous leader among the Circassians.

There were at least three other people named Muhammad Hatokhshoqo in the records of his time. He was also the maternal cousin of Ajdjeriyiqo Kushuk Bechmirza.

Russo-Circassian War Among the prominent Hajret Kabardian princes of the 1820s were Karamirza Aliy, Talhosten Hatokhshoqo, Ismail Qasey, Beslanuqo Aslan-Giray Hamirza, Mirzabek Hamirza and Ajdjeriyiqo Kushuk. It was estimated that the Hajret Kabardians alone could field a maximum of 2,000 cavalries. Continuing the old tradition of Circassian and Abkhaz nobility, he organized month-long festivals each year. These events featured competitions in horseback riding, acrobatics, poetry, music, dance, and theater.

He was mentioned in a song about Ajdjeriyiqo Kushuk:

Despite his arm, he had a special rifle adapted to his short hand, and according to records, he was highly successful in marksmanship, but couldn't cut flesh with his sword enough to split it in two.

At this moment, Adilgirey's son shot at Mohammad. Immediately afterwards both sides charged each other and 14 people, including Prince Adilgirey and his son, were killed in the clash. The princes' bodies were carried to Adilgirey's village and brought to the prince's house before being buried and placed in the corner of honor in the guest room. Seeing the bodies of her husband and son, Adilgirey's wife began to mourn. When she saw the body of Prince Mohammed, she ordered to placed the body in the corner of honor.

The fate of Muhammad's family after his death remained largely unknown, aside from a few folk legends. Muhammad's only child, Ashemez, was child when Muhammad was killed. As the Russian line advanced during the war, the Hajret Kabardian villages were continuously pushed further inland toward Abzakh lands, and for this reason Muhammad spent his final years settled in Abzakh territory. According to a legend among the Circassians in Turkey, when the Abzakhs were exiled to the Ottoman Empire during the Circassian genocide, they took Muhammad’s son Ashemez with them. A group of Circassians who adhered to their traditions came together and chose Ashemez as their prince which descendant of a renowned prince. A special princely house was built for Ashemez, and guards were stationed there. In case of a dispute or a decision to be made, he would consult a council of 40 elders and accept their judgment if he deemed it appropriate. Ashemez would announce his decision with the formal words: "I, Ashemez, son of Hatokhshoqo Muhammad, prince of princes, by the grace of God, decide on behalf of all Circassians in accordance with Adyghe Khabze and the opinions of our esteemed elders..." According to one interpretation, due to the chaotic situation of the Circassians in the Ottoman Empire, the elders, who saw the need for an authority system, used Muhammad’s son, a descendant of a famous prince, as a means of establishing authority. When Ashemez died at a young age under unknown circumstances, Muhammad’s lineage came to an end.

Legacy In the national memory of the Circassians, Muhammad Asha emerged as an ideal hero. According to contemporary historians, he was seen by the Circassians as a "symbol of courage and heroism." Even while he was alive, songs about him were sung, but these songs have not survived to the present day.