Syria: Circassians in Aleppo mark 162nd anniversary of exile.

SHOTLIST: ALEPPO, SYRIA (MAY 21, 2026) 1. VARIOUS OF CIRCASSIANS GATHERED TO COMMEMORATE 162ND ANNIVERSARY OF CIRCASSIAN EXILE / HOLDING BANNERS, FLAGS, AND BANNERS / PRAYING 2. CIRCASSIANS COMMUNITY MEMBER YINAL CEVDAT SPEAKING TO REPORTER (Arabic) 3. VARIOUS OF CIRCASSIANS GATHERED TO COMMEMORATE 162ND ANNIVERSARY OF CIRCASSIAN EXILE / HOLDING BANNERS, FLAGS, AND BANNERS / MARCHINGALEPPO, SYRIA - MAY 21, 2026: Circassians gathered in Aleppo on Thursday, May 21, to commemorate the 162nd anniversary of the Circassian exile, holding memorial events to honor those who lost their lives during the 1864 deportation. Participants held a moment of silence in front of the historic Aleppo Citadel while wearing black T-shirts along with traditional Circassian clothing. Demonstrators carried Circassian and Syrian flags during the event. May 21 marked the 162nd anniversary of the Circassian Exile, following the end of the Russo-Circassian War. The Russian empire forcibly expelled hundreds of thousands of Circassians from the North Caucasus, most of whom were sent to the Ottoman Empire. The expulsion, carried out under violent and inhumane conditions, resulted in mass deaths and is widely considered one of the largest ethnic cleansings of the 19th century.