Adyghe Khabze

Adyghe Khabze is the traditional unwritten code of conduct and customary law of the Circassians. It governs hospitality, honour, respect for elders, the duties between social ranks, relations between men and women, and behaviour in war and in assemblies. Passed down orally through generations, it was the basis of Circassian social order before the Russian conquest and remains an important part of Circassian identity in the homeland and the diaspora.