On May 21, a monument to the Victims of the Caucasian War was opened in honor of Elif Ketsba.

The height of the monument reaches ten meters, of which two meters go to the pedestal, the weight of the monument is five tons. The idea to erect a monument was born long ago. And finally, it was possible to implement it with the support of the municipality of Kocaeli, thanks to the efforts of the Abkhaz Cultural Center, which is headed by Hasan Kardia. The costs were also borne by the cultural center and the municipality.

  On the embankment of this province is a cemetery of those who were forcibly resettled from their homeland to a foreign land. The Ottoman sultan, having heard about Elif Ketsba, who lamented woefully over the graves, took pity on her and told her to leave this place, “The taste of a smile will not be understood by those who are used to crying,” Elif, exhausted from suffering, answered. The unfolding tragic historical events settled representatives of the Caucasus in different parts of the world, whose fate turned out to be very deplorable, and through the years the heartbreaking echo of their grief reaches us.

  At the official invitation of the leadership of the Federation of Abkhazian Cultural Centers in the Republic of Turkey, a delegation from Abkhazia led by the Chairman of the State Committee of the Republic of Abkhazia for Repatriation Vadim Kharazia took part in the opening ceremony of the monument. Also, the director of AGTRKA Irina Agrba took part in the event.