The Circassians are one of the largest ethnic minorities in Turkey, with a population estimated to be two million, or according to the EU reports, three.

Circassians in the Ottoman Empire mainly kept to themselves and maintained their separate identity, even having their own courts, in which they would tolerate no outside influence, and various travelers noted that they never forgot their homeland, for which they continually yearned.

The Ottoman authorities assigned lands for Circassian settlers close to regular water sources and grain fields.

[16] In Romania, the Circassians were granted privileges by the Ottoman authorities because of their Muslim religion and would frequently enter in conflict with the Christian population of the region.

Around 80,000 Circassians lived in "death camps" on the outskirts of Varna, where they were deprived of food and subjected to diseases.

As a result, both the Muslim and Christian population of Vidin volunteered to support the Circassian settlers by increasing grain production for them.

The Circassians were seen as a "Muslim threat" and expelled from Bulgaria and other parts of the Balkans by Russian armies following the end of the Russo-Turkish war.

They were not allowed to return,[19][20] so the Ottoman authorities settled them in new other lands such as in modern Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Syria and Turkey.

[25] In various areas of the wider Levant region armed conflict broke out between Circassians and other local groups, especially Bedouin and Druze, with little or no Ottoman intervention; some of these feuds continued as late as the mid-20th century.

Also, The Circassians which lived in the Ottoman Empire spoke a Tartar dialect like language, which they write with Arabic characters.

Circassians took active role in the Ottoman state in high positions from their arrival until the collapse of the empire.

A large portion of influential entities, such as the Ottoman Special Organization, Hamidiye regiments, and the Committee of Union of Progress were made up by Circassians.