Circassians, people of northwestern Caucasia , also referred to as the Cherkess. They are found today chiefly in the Russian republics of Adygea and Karachay-Cherkessia and in larger groups in Jordan, Turkey, and Syria. Their languages belong to the North-West Caucasian languages, a non-Indo- European group. They are related in language origin to many other mountaineer peoples of Caucasia and Transcaucasia. Since the 17th century, they have been Muslims. Although Circassia was ceded to Russia in 1829, the Circassians were not subjugated until 1864, when, after fierce resistance, many left the Caucasus and migrated to various parts of the Ottoman Empire.