Qerandiqo Berzeg

He was born in the Mytykhuasua village of Ş̂açə (Sochi). He was a religious Muslim, and he went to Mecca for hajj in 1839. His first big military success was in Sukhumi, 1841. In 1861, when he was 60 years old, he helped unite Circassia and he was elected the president of the Independence Majlis of Circassia (Adyghe: Шъхьафитныгъэ Хасэ, romanized: Şhafitnığə Xasə, lit. 'Majlis of Independence'). His biggest campaign was in 1854 when he set out to re-capture areas and forts invaded by the Russian army, and vastly succeeded.[2] After the Circassian genocide, he was personally invited by Sultan Abdulaziz of the Ottoman Empire and honored. He was offered a royal house in Istanbul but he formally rejected this offer and moved to a small village in Manyas instead.[3] During the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878, he assembled an army of Circassians and returned to the Caucasus to fight against the Russians once again.[4] He died in 1881.

Even if we lose our national war, we will never lose our humanity. Traitors among us made us lose this war. And so, on this day, we are forced to leave our homeland, however it shall never leave our hearts, it is inside us and we will never forget it.

— Haji Qerandiqo Berzeg

For the independence of my homeland, I spent my life burning with passion. When I wasn't in battle, I spent most of my time curing my wounds and feeding the children. Because my life was spent defending my homeland in battle, I met my own son when he was old enough to come and join my army. I have sixteen different wounds on my body, acquired during the thirty five years in honorful battle against the invaders. Now, my people who I struggled for, which I am forced to leave behind, are begging me, "For the sake of Allah, do not go!" One day, I shall return to my homeland on top of my horse, if I can not, bury me in my homeland.

— Haji Qerandiqo Berzeg