With the ceremony organized under the leadership of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, 161 years ago The great pain experienced by the Caucasian people who were forced to migrate was commemorated with prayers and nart fire in the Kandıra Babalı Cultural Area.Emotional moments were experienced with the participation of hundreds of citizens in the lands where the exile began.
A Commemoration Ceremony Full of Emotional Moments
The tragedy experienced by the Caucasian people who were forcibly deported from the Black Sea coast to the Ottoman lands in 1864 was remembered once again with an event held on Kandıra Babalı Beach. The commemoration program, organized with the contributions of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality and various civil society organizations, was the scene of deep emotions in the lands that bear the painful traces of exile.
The ceremony is held to bury those who lost their lives during the exile. With the recitation of the Quran at the Karaağaç Cemetery The commemoration program was started by Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Coordinator Abdullah Kokturk, Mayor of Kandira Municipality Erol Olmez, President of Kocaeli Abkhazian Association Hasan Konca, as well as many representatives of non-governmental organizations and citizens attended.
“The Exiles of the Earth Do Not End”
Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Coordinator Abdullah Köktürk began his speech by conveying the greetings of Mayor Tahir Büyükakın and said, “There are people from all over our country who attended the commemoration program. The exiles of the earth are endless. There were exiles yesterday and there are exiles today. Blood is being shed today. We need to be strong and cautious. We came to commemorate and remember the return of our precious brothers to the homeland. What happened to our brothers should not be forgotten and should be passed on to the younger generations. We are here to not forget and not to let anyone forget this great pain that happened 161 years ago. Let no one experience this pain."He used expressions.
Kandıra Mayor Erol Ölmez started his speech by thanking Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality and said, “Today, we have come together to commemorate the 1864st anniversary of the Great Exile of 161 with sorrow. The people of the North Caucasus were torn from their homelands with great pain. Thousands lost their lives, some of those who survived the exile clung to a new life on the Babalı coast in Kandıra. These lands left them a homeland and us a legacy of a common past and brotherhood. As Kandıra Municipality, it is one of our most important duties not to forget these pains and not to let them be forgotten.”
Kocaeli Caucasian Culture Association President İbrahim Uygun also said, “We have gathered here today to commemorate the Great Exile of May 21. While we are trying to make our voices heard to the whole world with this event, we are here so that other exiles and genocides do not occur. We are here to pray for God’s mercy on our ancestors who lost their lives to hunger, cold, suffering and were subjected to genocide on the exile roads, so that everyone can hear our voices and share the pain of grief together.”
Nart Fire Burns on Babalı Beach
After the commemoration ceremony at Karaağaç Cemetery, participants walked to Babalı Beach. Wreaths were laid at the exile area and the Black Sea. Later in the day, after the torchlight walk, traditional Nart fire was lit. The nart fire burning in the darkness of the night symbolically etched the tragedy experienced by the Caucasian people into our memories once again. The ceremony was remembered as a meaningful event where messages of unity and solidarity were given. This commemoration event, organized every year, aims to keep the memory of the Circassian community alive and to pass on the pain experienced to future generations.
