The Abadzekhs are one of the largest and best-known ethnographic groups (subethnic groups) of the Adyghe (Circassians).
Historically, the Abadzekhs inhabited the northern slopes of the Caucasus Range.
Their society was distinguished by the absence of a rigid class hierarchy: unlike many neighboring groups, governance was carried out through popular assemblies.
Their main occupations were transhumant livestock herding (especially horse breeding), horticulture, and beekeeping.
Abadzekh Circassians were renowned for their orchards, which were cultivated in hard-to-reach mountainous areas.
One of the most tragic episodes in the history of the Circassian people was the Caucasian War and the years that followed.
The Abadzekhs constituted the main force of the western wing of Shamil’s army.
After his defeat in 1859, it was precisely the western Adyghe who continued the most persistent resistance.
In 1862–1864, a mass exodus of the Abadzekhs to the Ottoman Empire took place.
According to various estimates, of the approximately 200,000–300,000 Abadzekhs who had lived in their homeland before the war, only 5,000–15,000 people remained there (mostly those who had surrendered earlier or had been resettled).
The majority of the Abadzekhs—about 80–90 percent—were expelled to the Ottoman Empire.
Thousands of them died on the way while waiting for Turkish ships, due to poor sanitary conditions, hunger, and disease.