The historical lands of the Mokhosh were situated to the west of the Beslanay territories. Mokhoshia was not large in area. The main rivers were: Farz, Psifir and Qeylh. The origin of the name Mokhosh is shrouded in mystery and legend. Although the Mokhosh were few in number, they were held in high esteem by their neighbours, and they were able to maintain their independence through the not infrequent turbulences that shook the area. The princely family of the Mokhosh was called Beyxgarsoqw, which, luckily for the Mokhosh tribe, maintained its unity and held the tribe under one banner. Thus were the Mokhosh able to preserve their territorial integrity. The histories of some of the other Circassian tribes are rife with tales of tribal divisions and sub-divisions that exhausted them and eventually led to their destruction. Prince Bayzroqw, a contemporary of Khan-Gerey, was considered among the great Circassian princes and warriors. His predecessor, prince Yax'boqw, who fell in battle fighting the Abzax, was revered for his bravery and wisdom.

  The Mokhosh dialect belongs to the Western Circassian group, Ch'axe (together with Abzax, Bzhedugh, Tchimgui, Shapsugh, etc.). The eastern branch is made up of Kabardian and Beslanay. However, due to the fact the Mokhosh and Beslanay were good neighbours, the dialect of the former was somewhat influenced by the latter.

  The Mokhosh were more inclined towards peace than their neighbours. This, together with the fact that they were subject to only one princely family, ensured an orderly and peaceful government. They lived in sufficiency. The main occupation was cattle-breeding. The rich pastures could support huge herds. They maintained good neighbourly relations with the Tchelugay who lived to the west.

  It is a historical fact that the Mokhosh were a swarm that separated from the Bzhedugh tribe. At one point in Bzhedugh history, the tribe was divided into four principalities, whose heads were not seeing eye to eye on territorial issues. Beyxgarcoqw, one of these princes, moved to the north east of Bzhedughia, and reaching the valleys of Keyzhdchey traveresd by the river Tsetse. He settled there with his tribe. Afterwards the tribe moved to the forest called Tx'achegh. That was the final destination of the clan that came to be known as the Mokhosh. Thus, although the Mokhosh are considered as a detachment of the Bzhedugh mother tribe, territorially they formed an independent entity, and, therefore, merit separate historical treatment.

Table 1: shows the princely Mokhosh family, the village which it inhabited and the river on which the village lies. The last entry is the prince contemporanious with Khan-Gerey.
 

Beyxgarsoqwexe

Sozeriqway

Farz

Bayzroqw

Table 2: Noble families of the Mokhosh clan
 

Name of noble family	name of residence village	name of river
Shx'appatsoqw	Shx'appatsoqwim yi Qwaj (the village of Shx'appatsoqw)	Farz
Mamizch-xe	Mamizch-Habl	Farz
Neytrbiy-xe	Neytrbiy-Habl	Farz
Mef'edz-xe	Mef'dziy	Psifir
Toxg-xe	Toxg-Habl	Psifir
Ashnashoqw-r	Ashnashoqway	Qeylh
Leybxgoqw-r	Leybxgoqway	Qeylh
Deychiqw-r	Deychiqway	Qeylh
Ortsey-r	Ortsey-Habl	Qeylh

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