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109-600: Lake Ritsa is the deepest lake in Abkhazia (116 m), and is rich in trout . It is fed by six rivers and drained by one, the Iupshara River . Lake Ritsa's water is cold and clear. Mountains with heights of 2,200 to 3,500 m surround the lake. The region around Lake Ritsa is a part of the Euxine-Colchic deciduous forests ecoregion with a fairly high concentration of evergreen boxwood groves. Many specimens of

218-561: A Russian-occupied territory , a position shared by most United Nations member states. The Russian name Абхазия ( Abkhaziya ) is adapted from the Georgian აფხაზეთი ( Apkhazeti ). Abkhazia's name in English ( / æ b ˈ k ɑː z i ə / ab- KAH -zee-ə or / æ b ˈ k eɪ z i ə / ab- KAY -zee-ə ) The Abkhaz name Apsny ( Abkhaz : Аԥсны , IPA [apʰsˈnɨ] )

327-606: A " treaty republic" associated with the Georgian SSR . In 1931, Joseph Stalin made it an autonomous republic ( Abkhaz ASSR ) within the Georgian SSR. Despite its nominal autonomy, it was subjected to strong direct rule from central Soviet authorities. The publishing of materials in Abkhazian dwindled and was eventually stopped altogether; Abkhaz schools were closed in 1945–1946, requiring Abkhaz children to study in

436-591: A Georgian university instead of an Abkhaz one. After several days of violence, Soviet troops restored order in the city. In March 1990, Georgia declared sovereignty, unilaterally nullifying treaties concluded by the Soviet government since 1921 and thereby moving closer to independence. The Republic of Georgia boycotted the 17 March 1991 all-Union referendum on the renewal of the Soviet Union called by Gorbachev; however, 52.3% of Abkhazia's population (almost all of

545-532: A Russian-led Commonwealth of Independent States peacekeeping force failed to prevent the flare-up of violence on several occasions. In August 2008, Abkhaz and Russian forces fought a war against Georgian forces, which led to the formal recognition of Abkhazia by Russia, the annulment of the 1994 ceasefire agreement and the termination of the UN mission. On 23 October 2008, the Parliament of Georgia declared Abkhazia

654-650: A part of Georgia. In 1919, a first election was held to the Abkhaz People's Council. The Council favored being an autonomous region within Georgia, and it lasted until Red Army invasion of Georgia in February 1921. In 1921, the Bolshevik Red Army invaded Georgia and ended its short-lived independence. Abkhazia was made a socialist Soviet republic ( SSR Abkhazia ) with the ambiguous status of

763-738: A pro-Russian "buffer zone" in this troublesome region, was no longer needed by the Tsarist government and the rule of the Sharvashidze came to an end; in November 1864, Prince Mikhail (Hamud-Bey) was forced to renounce his rights and resettle in Voronezh, Russia . Later that same year, Abkhazia was incorporated into the Russian Empire as a special military province of Sukhum-Kale which was transformed, in 1883, into an okrug as part of

872-471: A resolution which condemned Georgia, supported Abkhazia and called for the suspension of the delivery of any weapons and equipment to Georgia and the deployment of a Russian peacekeeping force in Abkhazia. It was sponsored by a Russian nationalist politician Sergei Baburin , a Russian deputy who met Vladislav Ardzinba and argued that he was not that much sure that Abkhazia was part of Georgia. In October,

981-605: A short time after Kelesh-Bey was assassinated by his son, Aslan-Bey , in 1801. On 2 July 1810, Russian Marines stormed Sukhum-Kale and had Aslan-Bey replaced with his rival and brother, Sefer Ali-Bey , who had converted to Christianity and assumed the name of George. Abkhazia joined the Russian Empire as an autonomous principality, in 1810. However, Sefer-bey's rule was limited and many mountain regions were as independent as before. Sefer-bey ruled from 1810 to 1821. The next Russo-Turkish war (1828–1829) strongly enhanced

1090-552: A successful police operation against the rebelled administrator of the Georgian-populated Kodori Valley , Emzar Kvitsiani . Kvitsiani had been appointed by the previous president of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze and refused to recognise the authority of president Mikheil Saakashvili , who succeeded Shevardnadze after the Rose Revolution . Although Kvitsiani escaped capture by Georgian police,

1199-430: Is "Chabgar Cornice." One story goes that in the 1930s, during the construction of Stalins's dacha , soldiers had to transport building materials along the precarious, narrow mountain road. During one of these trips, in one of the most precarious spots, a truck fell from the edge. As the truck was falling, the driver cried: "Goodbye, Motherland!" ("Прощай, Родина!"). Another legend says a truck with captured Germans fell into

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1308-631: Is a city in a wide bay on the Black Sea 's eastern coast. It is both the capital and largest city of the Republic of Abkhazia , a partially recognised state that most countries consider a part of Georgia . The city has been controlled by Abkhazia since the Abkhazian war in 1992–93. The city, which has an airport , is a port, major rail junction and a holiday resort because of its beaches, sanatoriums , mineral-water spas and semitropical climate. It

1417-456: Is almost cool enough in summer to be an oceanic climate ( Cfb ). On 2 February 2000, President Ardzinba dismissed temporary Mayor Leonid Osia and appointed Leonid Lolua in his stead. Lolua was reappointed on 10 May 2001 following the March 2001 local elections. On 5 November 2004, in the heated aftermath of the 2004 presidential election , president Vladislav Ardzinba appointed head of

1526-619: Is also a member of the International Black Sea Club . Sukhumi's history can be traced to the 6th century BC, when it was settled by Greeks, who named it Dioscurias. During this time and the subsequent Roman period, much of the city disappeared under the Black Sea. The city was named Tskhumi when it became part of the Kingdom of Abkhazia and then the Kingdom of Georgia . Contested by local princes, it became part of

1635-591: Is etymologized as 'a land of the soul' however the literal meaning is 'a country of mortals'. It possibly first appeared in the seventh century in an Armenian text, perhaps referring to the ancient Apsilians . In early Muslim sources, the term Abkhazia was generally used to mean the territory of Georgia. Presumably considered as a successor state of Lazica ( Egrisi in Georgian sources), this new polity continued to be referred to as Egrisi in some Byzantine era Georgian and Armenian chronicles (e.g. The Vitae of

1744-620: Is more likely to be an alteration of its earlier Georgian name. At the request of the pro-Russian Abkhazian prince, the town was stormed by the Russian Marines in 1810 and turned, subsequently, into a major outpost in the North West Caucasus. (See Russian conquest of the Caucasus ). Sukhumi was declared the seaport in 1847 and was directly annexed to the Russian Empire after the ruling Shervashidze princely dynasty

1853-407: Is represented by one university, Abkhazian State University , which has a special status in the education system in Abkhazia and it manages its own budget. Abkhaz State University (1979), has its own campus which is a home for 42 departments organized into 8 faculties providing education to about 3300 students (as of 2019, est.). Sukhumi has a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cfa ), that

1962-568: Is sometimes referred to as Aqujikha (აყუჯიხა), and in Russian as Сухум ( Sukhum ) or Сухуми ( Sukhumi ). The toponym Sokhumi derives from the Georgian word Tskhomi/Tskhumi (ცხომი/ცხუმი), which in turn is supposed to be derived from Svan tskhum (ცხუმ) meaning " hornbeam tree". In Abkhaz, the city is known as Aqwa (Аҟәа) which is believed to derive from a-qwara (а-ҟәара), meaning "stony seashore". According to Abkhaz tradition Aqwa (Аҟәа) signifies water . Medieval Georgian sources knew

2071-525: The 1989 riots , Sukhumi was a centre of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict , and the city was severely damaged during the 1992–1993 War . During the war, the city and its environs suffered almost daily air strikes and artillery shelling, with heavy civilian casualties. On 27 September 1993 the battle for Sukhumi was concluded by a full-scale campaign of ethnic cleansing against its majority Georgian population (see Sukhumi Massacre ), including members of

2180-580: The Abasgoi and Moschoi peoples somewhere in modern Abkhazia on the eastern shore of the Black Sea. This region was subsequently absorbed in 63 BC into the Kingdom of Lazica . According to an Eastern tradition, Simon the Zealot died in Abkhazia during a missionary trip and was buried in Nicopsis ; his mortal remains were later transferred to Anacopia . The Roman Empire conquered Lazica in

2289-488: The Abkhaz —the region's titular ethnicity —and Georgians —the largest single ethnic group at that time—culminated in the 1992–1993 War in Abkhazia , which resulted in Georgia's loss of control over most of Abkhazia and the ethnic cleansing of Georgians from Abkhazia . Despite a 1994 ceasefire agreement and years of negotiations, the dispute remains unresolved. The long-term presence of a United Nations Observer Mission and

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2398-714: The Byzantine Empire 's sphere of influence. Anacopia was the principality's capital. The country was mostly Christian, with the archbishop's seat in Pityus . Stratophilus, the Metropolitan of Pityus, participated in the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Around the middle of the 6th century AD, the Byzantines and the neighbouring Sassanid Persia fought for supremacy over Abkhazia, a conflict known as

2507-606: The December 1991 Coup . Shevardnadze announced that the Abkhaz faction took the decision without considering the opinion of the majority of population in Abkhazia. In August 1992, war broke out when the National Guard of Georgia entered Abkhazia to free captive Georgian officials, and to reopen the railway line. Abkhaz troops were the first to open fire. Abkhaz separatist government retreated to Gudauta where

2616-580: The Georgian SSR . It was also a popular holiday destination. As the Soviet Union dissolved in the early 1990s, the city suffered significant damage during the Abkhaz–Georgian conflict . The present-day population of 60,000 is only half of the population living there toward the end of Soviet rule. In Georgian , the city is known as Sokhumi (სოხუმი), amongst Samurzakans in Megrelian the city

2725-462: The Georgian government and nearly all United Nations member states consider Abkhazia sovereign territory of Georgia . Lacking effective control over the Abkhazian territory, Georgia maintains an Abkhaz government-in-exile . The region had autonomy within Soviet Georgia at the time when the Soviet Union began to disintegrate in the late 1980s. Simmering ethnic tensions between

2834-500: The Georgian kings . According to Russian scholar V. Sizov, it became an important "cultural and administrative center of the Georgian state. A Later Tskhumi served as capital of the Odishi — Megrelian rulers, it was in this city that Vamek I ( c. 1384–1396), the most influential Dadiani , minted his coins. Documents of the 15th century clearly distinguished Tskhumi from Principality of Abkhazia . The Ottoman navy occupied

2943-532: The Gulripshi District assembly Adgur Kharazia as acting mayor. During his first speech he called upon the two leading candidates, Sergei Bagapsh and Raul Khadjimba , to both withdraw. On 16 February 2005, after his election as president, Bagapsh replaced Kharazia with Astamur Adleiba , who had been Minister for Youth, Sports, Resorts and Tourism until December 2004. In the 11 February 2007 local elections, Adleiba successfully defended his seat in

3052-569: The Kutaisi Governorate . Large numbers of Muslim Abkhazians, said to have constituted as much as 40% of the Abkhazian population, emigrated to the Ottoman Empire between 1864 and 1878 together with other Muslim populations of the Caucasus, a process known as Muhajirism . Large areas of the region were left uninhabited and many Armenians , Georgians, Russians and others subsequently migrated to Abkhazia, resettling much of

3161-612: The Lazic War . During the war the Abasgians revolted against the Byzantine Empire and requested Sasanian assistance; the revolt was suppressed by General Bessas . An Arab incursion into Abasgia, led by Marwan II , was repelled by Prince Leon I jointly with his Lazic and Iberian allies in 736. Leon I then married Mirian 's daughter and a successor, King Leon II exploited this dynastic union to acquire Lazica in

3270-543: The Nordmann Fir , which reach heights of over 70 metres (230 ft), are found around the lake. In 1930 the Ritsa Nature Reserve (162.89 km) was established to protect the natural state of the lake and the surrounding land. The Soviet leader Joseph Stalin had one of his summer-houses ( dacha ) by the lake. Later Leonid Brezhnev had his summer house nearby as well. Today the dacha belongs to

3379-814: The October Revolution in Russia, the Transcaucasian Commissariat was set up in Southern Caucasus, which gradually took steps towards the independence. Transcaucasia declared its independence from Russia on 9 April 1918 as a federative republic . On 8 May 1918, the Bolsheviks seized power in Abkhazia and disbanded the local Abkhaz People's Council. It requested aid from the Transcausian authorities, which dispatched

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3488-825: The Ottoman Empire in the 1570s, where it remained until it was conquered by the Russian Empire in 1810. After a period of conflict during the Russian Civil War , it briefly became part of the Democratic Republic of Georgia , until it was again taken by the Bolsheviks . Within the Soviet Union , Sukhumi served as the capital of the Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia and then the Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within

3597-574: The Principality of Abkhazia (nominally a vassal of the Kingdom of Imereti ) emerged, ruled by the Shervashidze dynasty . In 1453, the Ottomans first attacked Sukhumi , and in the 1570s, they had a garrison there. Throughout the 17th century, they continued to launch attacks, leading to the imposition of tribute on Abkhazia. Ottoman influence grew significantly in the 18th century with

3706-682: The Republic of Abkhazia , is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus , on the eastern coast of the Black Sea , at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia . It covers 8,665 square kilometres (3,346 sq mi) and has a population of around 245,000. Its capital and largest city is Sukhumi . The political status of Abkhazia is a central issue of the Abkhazia conflict and Georgia–Russia relations . Abkhazia has been recognised as an independent state by Russia , Venezuela , Nicaragua , Nauru , and Syria ; however,

3815-457: The Republic of Genoa . The Genoese established their trading port in Tskhumi in the end of 13th century and a Catholic bishopric existed there which is now a titular see . A Genoese consulate was established in 1354 with the consul dispatched from Caffa . In spite of occasional conflicts with the locals, the consulate functioned until 1456. The city of Tskhumi became the summer residence of

3924-474: The Russian Civil War . A short-lived Bolshevik government was suppressed in May 1918 and Sukhumi was incorporated into the Democratic Republic of Georgia as a residence of the autonomous People's Council of Abkhazia and the headquarters of the Georgian governor-general. The Red Army and the local revolutionaries took the city from the Georgian forces on 4 March 1921, and declared Soviet rule. Sukhumi functioned as

4033-546: The Russian ruble became the de facto currency and Russia began issuing passports to the population of Abkhazia. Georgia has also accused Russia of violating its airspace by sending helicopters to attack Georgian-controlled towns in the Kodori Gorge . In April 2008, a Russian MiG – prohibited from Georgian airspace, including Abkhazia – shot down a Georgian UAV . Sukhumi Sukhumi (see also other names )

4142-545: The post-war period, the Abkhazian ASSR was dominated by the ethnic Abkhazs, which occupied much more positions in the autonomous republic compared to Georgians. During the late Soviet period, ethnic Abkhazs occupied 41% of the seats in Abkhazian Supreme Soviet, and 67% of the republican ministers were ethnically Abkhaz. Moreover, they held even larger proportion of lower level official posts within

4251-642: The 1880s on behest of Tsar Alexander III of Russia . Northward in the mountains is the Krubera Cave , one of the deepest in the world, with a depth of 2,140 meters. The city hosts a number of research and educational institutions, including the Abkhazian State University , the Sukhumi Open Institute and about a half a dozen of vocational education colleges. From 1945 to 1954 the city's electron physics laboratory

4360-414: The 1921 constitution contained a provision for the region's autonomy. On 23 July 1992, the Abkhaz faction in the republic's Supreme Council declared effective independence from Georgia, although the session was boycotted by ethnic Georgian deputies and the gesture went unrecognised by any other country. The Abkhaz leadership launched a campaign of ousting Georgian officials from their offices, a process which

4469-632: The 1st century AD; however, the Roman presence was confined to the ports. According to Arrian , the Abasgoi and Apsilae peoples were nominal Roman subjects, and there was a small Roman outpost in Dioscurias . Abasgoi likely served in the Roman army in Ala Prima Abasgorum which was stationed in Egypt . After the 4th century Lazica regained a measure of independence, but remained within

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4578-511: The 25% required. Since Adleiba was now a member of the city assembly, president Bagapsh could permanently appoint him Mayor of Sukhumi on 18 September. Following the May 2014 Revolution and the election of Raul Khajimba as president, he on 22 October dismissed Labakhua and again appointed (as acting Mayor) Adgur Kharazia , who at that point was Vice Speaker of the People's Assembly . Kharazia won

4687-689: The 4 April 2015 by-election to the City Council in constituency no. 3 unopposed, and was confirmed as mayor by Khajimba on 4 May. The 6th convocation of the Sukhumi City Council was elected 13 April 2016. Sukhumi is served by the Sukhumi Trolleybus , consisting of 3 Lines. There is a railway station in Sukhumi, that has a daily train to Moscow via Sochi . Babushara Airport now handles only local flights due to

4796-576: The 770s. The successful defence against the Arab Caliphate, and new territorial gains in the east gave the Abasgian princes enough power to claim more autonomy from the Byzantine Empire. Circa 778, Prince Leon II, with the help of the Khazars , declared independence from the Byzantine Empire and transferred his residence to Kutaisi . During this period the Georgian language replaced Greek as

4905-452: The 9th and 6th centuries BC, the territory of modern Abkhazia was part of the ancient Kingdom of Colchis . Around the 6th century BC, the Greeks established trade colonies along the Black Sea coast of present-day Abkhazia, in particular at Pitiunt and Dioscurias . Classical authors described various peoples living in the region and the great multitude of languages they spoke. Arrian , Pliny and Strabo have given accounts of

5014-574: The Abkhaz de facto authorities "to refrain from adopting measures incompatible with the right to return and with international human rights standards, such as discriminatory legislation... [and] to cooperate in the establishment of a permanent international human rights office in Gali and to admit United Nations civilian police without further delay." Key officials of the Gali District are virtually all ethnic Abkhaz, though their support staff are ethnic Georgian. Presidential elections were held in Abkhazia on 3 October 2004. Russia supported Raul Khajimba ,

5123-472: The Abkhaz and North Caucasian paramilitaries mounted a major offensive against Gagra after breaking a cease-fire, which drove the Georgian forces out of large swathes of the republic. Shevardnadze's government accused Russia of giving covert military support to the rebels with the aim of "detaching from Georgia its native territory and the Georgia-Russian frontier land". 1992 ended with the rebels in control of much of Abkhazia northwest of Sukhumi. The conflict

5232-509: The Abkhaz population out of their homes" in the first phase of the war (according to Human Rights Watch ), while Georgia blames the Abkhaz forces and their allies for the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia, which has also been recognised by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Summits in Budapest (1994), Lisbon (1996) and Istanbul (1999). Before the 1992 War in Abkhazia , Georgians made up nearly half of Abkhazia's population, while less than one-fifth of

5341-417: The Abkhaz tribes; the 14th-century Genoese fort and the 18th-century Ottoman fortress. The 11th century Kamani Monastery (12 kilometres (7 miles) from Sukhumi) is erected, according to tradition, over the tomb of Saint John Chrysostom . Some 22 km (14 mi) from Sukhumi lies New Athos with the ruins of the medieval city of Anacopia . The Neo-Byzantine New Athos Monastery was constructed here in

5450-420: The Abkhaz were given a greater role in the governance of the republic. As in most of the smaller autonomous republics, the Soviet government encouraged the development of culture and particularly of literature. The Abkhazian ASSR was the only autonomous republic in the USSR in which the language of the titular nation (in that case Abkhazian) was confirmed in its constitution as one of its official languages. In

5559-402: The Byzantine strongholds in Colchis until being sacked by the Arab conqueror Marwan II in 736. Afterwards, the town came to be known as Tskhumi . Restored by the kings of Abkhazia from the Arab devastation, it particularly flourished during the Georgian Golden Age in the 12th–13th centuries, when Tskhumi became a center of traffic with the European maritime powers, particularly with

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5668-444: The Caucasus. Sukhumi houses a number of historical monuments, notably the Besleti Bridge built during the reign of queen Tamar of Georgia in the 12th century. It also retains visible vestiges of the defunct monuments, including the Roman walls, the medieval Castle of Bagrat , several towers of the Kelasuri Wall , also known as Great Abkhazian Wall, constructed between 1628 and 1653 by Levan II Dadiani to protect his fiefdom from

5777-453: The Gali District in 1998. Nevertheless, between 40,000 and 60,000 refugees have returned to the Gali District since 1998, including persons commuting daily across the ceasefire line and those migrating seasonally in accordance with agricultural cycles. The human rights situation remained precarious for a while in the Georgian-populated areas of the Gali District. The United Nations and other international organisations have been fruitlessly urging

5886-419: The Georgian Kings by Leonti Mroveli and The History of Armenia by Hovhannes Draskhanakerttsi ). The state is designated as the "Republic of Abkhazia" in its constitution. On the website of the President of Abkhazia, it says: "The names the Republic of Abkhazia and Apsny are equivalent". Before the 20th century, the region was sometimes referred to in English language sources as Abhasia . Between

5995-411: The Georgian People's Guard and defeated the rebels on 17 May. On 26 May 1918, Georgia declared independence from the Transcaucasian Federation, which soon dissolved. On 8 June 1918, the Abkhaz People's Council signed a treaty with the Georgian National Council, which confirmed Abkhazia's status as an autonomy within the Georgian Democratic Republic. Georgian army defeated another Bolshevik rebellion in

6104-589: The Georgian language. This was part of the wider Soviet educational reform launched in all SSRs in 1938. The teaching of Abkhaz language was preserved in the new reorganized Abkhaz schools as a mandatory subject by the decision of the Georgian Communist Party . In the Terror of 1937–38 , the ruling elite was purged of Abkhaz and by 1952 over 80% of the 228 top party and government officials and enterprise managers were ethnic Georgians; there remained 34 Abkhaz, 7 Russians and 3 Armenians in these positions. Georgian Communist Party leader Kandid Charkviani supported

6213-402: The Georgianization of Abkhazia. Peasant households from the rest of the Georgian SSR were resettled to Abkhazia, which included the organised settlement of ethnic Georgians. About 9,000 peasant households were settled in the underpopulated areas of Abkhazia between 1947 and 1952 and left to fend for themselves. The policy of repression was eased after Stalin's death and Beria's execution, and

6322-430: The Kodori Gorge was brought back under the control of the central government in Tbilisi . Sporadic acts of violence continued throughout the postwar years. Despite the peacekeeping status of the Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia, Georgian officials routinely claimed that Russian peacekeepers were inciting violence by supplying Abkhaz rebels with arms and financial support. Russian support of Abkhazia became pronounced when

6431-438: The Leninist tradition of the right of nations to self-determination, which they asserted was violated when Abkhazia's sovereignty was curtailed in 1931. In June 1988, a manifesto defending Abkhaz distinctiveness (known as the Abkhaz Letter ) was sent to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev . The Georgian–Abkhaz dispute turned violent on 16 July 1989 in Sukhumi. Numerous Georgians were killed or injured when they tried to enroll in

6540-420: The Russian military base was located. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported the ethnic-based violence against Georgians in Gudauta. The Abkhaz were relatively unarmed at the time and the Georgian troops were able to march into the capital Sukhumi with relatively little resistance and subsequently engaged in ethnically based pillage, looting, assault, and murder. The Abkhaz military defeat

6649-484: The Russian positions, leading to a further split in the Abkhaz elite, mainly along religious divisions. During the Crimean War (1853–1856), Russian forces had to evacuate Abkhazia and Prince Hamud-Bey Sharvashidze-Chachba (Mikhail), who ruled from 1822 to 1864, seemingly switched to the Ottomans. Later on, the Russian presence strengthened and the highlanders of Western Caucasia were finally subjugated by Russia in 1864. The autonomy of Abkhazia, which had functioned as

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6758-413: The State Customs Committee and appointed him acting Mayor of Sukhumi, a post temporarily fulfilled by former Vice-Mayor Anzor Kortua . On 27 May Labakhua appointed Vadim Cherkezia as Deputy Chief of staff. On 2 September, Labakhua won the by-election in constituency No. 21, which had become necessary after Adleiba relinquished his seat. Adleiba was the only candidate and voter turnout was 34%, higher than

6867-418: The Sukhumi city assembly and was thereupon reappointed mayor by Bagapsh on 20 March. In April 2007, while President Bagapsh was in Moscow for medical treatment, the results of an investigation into corruption within the Sukhumi city administration were made public. The investigation found that large sums had been embezzled and upon his return, on 2 May, Bagapsh fired Adleiba along with his deputy Boris Achba ,

6976-422: The abyss. Some of the Germans, who had fallen in love with Abkhazia as a native country, shouted: "Farewell, Motherland!" Yet another says there were not prisoners in the truck, but soldiers retreating along the road at night. On a narrow road, the driver lost control and the truck fell into an abyss. Abkhazia Abkhazia ( / æ b ˈ k ɑː z i ə / ab- KAH -zee-ə ), officially

7085-534: The anti-Moscow Chechen secessionists. They sided with the Abkhaz separatists to fight against the Georgian government. Russian military did not impede the crossing of the Russia-Georgia border by the North Caucasian militants into Abkhazia. In the case of Basayev, it has been suggested that when he and the members of his battalion came to Abkhazia, they received training by the Russian Army (though others dispute this), presenting another possible motive. on September 25, 1992, Russian Supreme Council (parliament) passed

7194-542: The autonomous republic. The first secretary of the communist party in Abkhazia was also ethnically Abkhaz. All of this was despite the fact that Abkhazians made up only 17.8% of the region’s population, while Georgians were 45.7% and other ethnicities (Greeks, Russians, Armenians, etc.) — 36,5%. As the Soviet Union began to disintegrate at the end of the 1980s, ethnic tensions grew between the Abkhaz and Georgians over Georgia's moves towards independence. Many Abkhaz opposed this, fearing that an independent Georgia would lead to

7303-429: The beginning of the 19th century, while the Russians and Ottomans were vying for control of the region, the rulers of Abkhazia shifted back and forth across the religious divide. The first attempt to enter into relations with Russia was made by Prince Kelesh-Bey in 1803, shortly after the incorporation of eastern Georgia into the expanding Tsarist empire in 1801. However, pro-Ottoman sympathy in Abkhazia prevailed for

7412-406: The capital of the "Union treaty" Abkhaz Soviet Socialist Republic associated with the Georgian SSR from 1921 until 1931, when it became the capital of the Abkhazian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Georgian SSR. By 1989, Sukhumi had 120,000 inhabitants and was one of the most prosperous cities of Georgia. Many holiday dachas for Soviet leaders were situated there. Beginning with

7521-434: The charioteers of the Dioscuri. The Greek pottery found in Eshera , further north along the coast, predates findings in the area of Sukhumi bay by a century suggesting that the centre of the original Greek settlement could have been there. It became busily engaged in the commerce between Greece and the indigenous tribes, importing salt and wares from many parts of Greece, and exporting local timber, linen , and hemp . It

7630-443: The city began in the mid-6th century BC when an earlier settlement of the second and early first millennia BC, frequented by local Colchian tribes , was replaced by the Milesian Greek colony of Dioscurias ( Greek : Διοσκουριάς ). The city is said to have been founded and named by the Dioscuri , the twins Castor and Pollux of classical mythology . According to another legend it was founded by Amphitus and Cercius of Sparta ,

7739-447: The construction of a fort in Sukhumi, accompanied by a conversion of the rulers of Abkhazia and many other Abkhaz to Islam . Nonetheless, conflicts between the Abkhaz and Turks persisted. The spread of Islam in Abkhazia was first evidenced by the Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi in 1641. Despite this, the Islamization was more evident in the higher levels of society rather than the general population. In his work, Çelebi also wrote that

7848-524: The de facto Government of Abkhazia . The average annual temperature in the area is 7.8 degrees Celsius (January −1.1 °C, August 17.8 °C). The mean annual precipitation is approx. 2,000–2,200 mm. Winters are sometimes snowy, summers warm. There are many legends and fairy tales about the lake. In ancient times there was a valley and a river at the site of the modern lake. A girl named Ritsa lived there with three brothers Agepsta , Atsetuka and Pshegishkha . Ritsa used to pasture her animals in

7957-463: The elections to Sergei Bagapsh . The tense situation in the republic led to the cancellation of the election results by the Supreme Court. After that, a deal was struck between former rivals to run jointly, with Bagapsh as a presidential candidate and Khajimba as a vice-presidential candidate. They received more than 90% of the votes in the new election. In July 2006, Georgian forces launched

8066-505: The elimination of their autonomy, and argued instead for the establishment of Abkhazia as a separate Soviet republic in its own right. With the onset of perestroika , the agenda of Abkhaz nationalists became more radical and exclusive. In 1988, they began to ask for the reinstatement of Abkhazia's former status of Union Republic , as the submission of Abkhazia to another Union Republic was not considered to give enough guarantees of their development. They justified their request by referring to

8175-488: The ethnic non-Georgian population) took part in the referendum and voted by an overwhelming majority (98.6%) to preserve the Union. Most ethnic non-Georgians in Abkhazia later boycotted a 31 March referendum on Georgia's independence , which was supported by a huge majority of Georgia's population. Within weeks, Georgia declared independence on 9 April 1991, under former Soviet dissident Zviad Gamsakhurdia . Under Gamsakhurdia,

8284-469: The head of the Sukhumi's finance department Konstantin Tuzhba and the head of the housing department David Jinjolia . On 4 June Adleiba paid back to the municipal budget 200,000 rubels. and on 23 July, he resigned from the Sukhumi city council, citing health reasons and the need to travel abroad for medical treatment. On 15 May 2007, president Bagapsh released Alias Labakhua as First Deputy Chairman of

8393-416: The immediate cessation of hostilities and its condemnation of the violation of the ceasefire by the Abkhaz side, fighting continued. After ten days of heavy fighting, Sukhumi was taken by Abkhazian forces on 27 September 1993. Shevardnadze narrowly escaped death, after vowing to stay in the city no matter what. He changed his mind, however, and decided to flee when separatist snipers fired on the hotel where he

8502-476: The inhabitants belong to the Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic Churches, Islam and the Abkhaz traditional religion . Sukhumi theatres which offer classical and modern performances, with the theatre season lasting from September to June. Several galleries and museums exhibit modern and historical Abkhaz visual art. Sukhumi Botanical Garden was established in 1840 and is one of the oldest botanical gardens in

8611-465: The language of literacy and culture. The Kingdom of Abkhazia flourished between 850 and 950 AD, which ended by unification of Abkhazia and eastern Georgian states under a single Georgian monarchy ruled by King Bagrat III at the end of the 10th century and the beginning of the 11th century. During the reign of Queen Tamar , Georgian chronicles mention Otagho as the Eristavi of Abkhazia. He

8720-732: The late 19th-early 20th century and rapidly grew until the second half of the 20th century. For example, the number of college students grew from few dozens in the 1920s to several thousands in the 1980s. According to the official statistical data, Abkhazia has 12 TVET colleges (as of 2019, est.) providing education and vocational training to youth mostly in the capital city, though there are several colleges in all major district centers. Independent international assessments suggest that these colleges train in about 20 different specialties attracting between 1200 and 1500 young people annually (aged between 16 and 29) (as of 2019, est.). The largest colleges are as follows: Higher education in Sukhumi currently

8829-458: The lowest levels so far reached by archaeologists are of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. According to Gregory of Nyssa there were Christians in the city in the late 4th century. In 542 the Romans evacuated the town and demolished its citadel to prevent it from being captured by Sasanian Empire . In 565, however, the emperor Justinian I restored the fort and Sebastopolis continued to remain one of

8938-867: The population was Abkhaz . As the war progressed, confronted with hundreds of thousands of ethnic Georgians who were unwilling to leave their homes, the Abkhaz separatists implemented the process of ethnic cleansing in order to expel and eliminate the Georgian ethnic population in Abkhazia. About 5,000 were killed, 400 went missing and up to 250,000 ethnic Georgians were expelled from their homes. According to International Crisis Group , as of 2006 slightly over 200,000 Georgians remained displaced in Georgia proper. The campaign of ethnic cleansing also included Russians, Armenians, Greeks, moderate Abkhaz and other minor ethnic groups living in Abkhazia. More than 20,000 houses owned by ethnic Georgians were destroyed. Hundreds of schools, kindergartens, churches, hospitals, and historical monuments were pillaged and destroyed. Following

9047-431: The prime minister backed by the ailing outgoing separatist President Vladislav Ardzinba . Posters of Russia's President Vladimir Putin together with Khajimba, who, like Putin, had worked as a KGB official, were everywhere in Sukhumi. Deputies of Russia's parliament and Russian singers, led by Joseph Cobsohn , a State Duma deputy and a popular singer, came to Abkhazia, campaigning for Khajimba. However, Khajimba lost

9156-468: The principal tribe of Abkhazian principality, Chách, spoke Mingrelian language , a subset of Kartvelian (Georgian) languages. Abkhazia sought protection from the Russian Empire in 1801 but was declared "an autonomous principality " by the Russians in 1810. Russia then annexed Abkhazia in 1864, and Abkhaz resistance was quashed as the Russians deported Muslim Abkhaz to Ottoman territories. In

9265-412: The pro-Georgian Abkhazian government ( Zhiuli Shartava , Raul Eshba and others) and mayor of Sukhumi Guram Gabiskiria . Although the city has been relatively peaceful and partially rebuilt, it is still suffering the after-effects of the war, and it has not regained its earlier ethnic diversity. A relatively large infrastructure reconstruction program was launched in 2019–2020 focusing on the renovation of

9374-449: The process of ethnic cleansing and mass expulsion, the population of Abkhazia has been reduced to 216,000, from 525,000 in 1989. Pogroms against ethnic Georgians organized by Abkhaz leaders continued even after the end of war, as far as February 1995. Of about 250,000 Georgian refugees, some 60,000 subsequently returned to Abkhazia's Gali District between 1994 and 1998, but tens of thousands were displaced again when fighting resumed in

9483-568: The region. It remained part of Georgia after another Bolshevik revolt and a Turkish expedition were defeated in 1918. Russian general and a leader of White movement Anton Denikin laid claims on Abkhazia and captured Gagra , but Georgians counter-attacked in April 1919 and retook the city. Denikin's Volunteer Army was eventually defeated by the Red Army , and Bolshevik Russia signed an agreement with Georgia in May 1920, recognizing Abkhazia as

9592-424: The rescue. Pshegishkha threw a sword at the robbers, but he missed and the sword flew over the river. The valley was filled with water and turned into a lake. Ritsa broke from Iupshara's grip, but fell into the lake. The brothers couldn't save her. Then Pshegishkha threw the robber Iupshara into the lake, but Ritsa's water wouldn't accept him and threw out him over Pshegishkha's sword and the water carried him away to

9701-413: The sea. Gega ran after Iupshara, but he didn't manage to rescue him. Out of grief, the brothers turned into mountains, and today they are still standing here to protect the resting-place of Ritsa. Several myths have risen up about origin of the name "Goodbye Motherland!" given to cliff and observation deck on the road to Lake Ritsa. It appears the name was coined by tourist guides, as the area's real name

9810-467: The situation was relatively calm in Abkhazia and a power-sharing agreement was soon reached between the Abkhaz and Georgian factions, granting to the Abkhaz a certain over-representation in the local legislature. Gamsakhurdia's rule was soon challenged by armed opposition groups, under the command of Tengiz Kitovani , that forced him to flee the country in a military coup in January 1992. Gamsakhurdia

9919-442: The supporters of the deposed Zviad Gamsakhurdia in the region of Mingrelia (Samegrelo). Only a small region of eastern Abkhazia, the upper Kodori gorge , remained under Georgian control (until 2008). During the war, gross human rights violations were reported on both sides (see Human Rights Watch report). Georgian troops have been accused of having committed looting and murders "for the purpose of terrorising, robbing and driving

10028-594: The symbols of the Dioskuri and Dionysus . Under the Roman emperor Augustus the city assumed the name of Sebastopolis ( Greek : Σεβαστούπολις ). But its prosperity was past, and in the 1st century Pliny the Elder described the place as virtually deserted though the town still continued to exist during the times of Arrian in the 130s. The remains of towers and walls of Sebastopolis have been found underwater; on land

10137-534: The synodal department of the Russian Orthodox Church of Georgia-Imereti, by Order 2771, again prohibited teaching and the conduct of religious services in Georgian. Mass protests by the Georgian population of Abkhazia and Samurzakano followed, news of which reached the Russian emperor. On 3 September 1898 the Holy Synod issued Order 4880, which decreed that those parishes where the congregation

10246-464: The town as Tskhumi (ცხუმი). Later, under Ottoman control, the town was known in Turkish as Suhum-Kale ( Ottoman Turkish : صخوم قلعه ), which was derived from the earlier Georgian form Tskhumi or read to mean "Tskhumi fortress". The ending -i in the above forms represents the Georgian nominative suffix. The town was officially called Сухум ( Sukhum ) in Russian until 16 August 1936, when this

10355-472: The town in 1451, but for a short time. Later contested between the princes of Abkhazia and Mingrelia , Tskhumi finally fell to the Turks in the 1570s. The new masters heavily fortified the town and called it Sohumkale , with kale meaning "fort" but the first part of the name of disputed origin. It may represent Turkish su ( Ottoman Turkish : صو ), "water", and kum ( Ottoman Turkish : قوم ), "sand", but

10464-558: The vacated territory. Some Georgian historians assert that Georgian tribes ( Svans and Mingrelians ) had populated Abkhazia since the time of the Colchis kingdom . By official decision of the Russian authorities, the residents of Abkhazia and Samurzakano had to study and pray in Russian. After the mass deportation of 1878, Abkhazians were left in the minority, officially branded "guilty people", and had no leader capable of mounting serious opposition to Russification . On 17 March 1898,

10573-438: The valley and her brothers hunted in the high mountains by day and returned to the valley in the evening, where they ate, sang songs, and admired their sister. Once the brothers went too far into the mountains. Ritsa missed them and sang. The forest robbers Gega and Iupshara heard her and decided to kidnap her. Iupshara caught her and rode down the valley, while Gega covered his flank. Ritsa's brothers heard her crying and came to

10682-466: The waterfront, rebuilding city roads and cleaning city parks. Its population in 2017 was 65,716, compared to about 120,000 in 1989. During summer holidays season its population usually doubles and triples with a large inflow of international tourists. In 2021, there was unrest in the city leading to the resignation of President Aslan Bzhani . Historic population figures for Sukhumi, split out by ethnicity, based on population censuses: Most of

10791-487: Was Mingrelian (i.e. Georgian), conduct both church services and church education in Georgian, while Abkhazian parishes use old Slavic . In the Sukhumi district, this order was carried out in only three of 42 parishes. Tedo Sakhokia demanded the Russian authorities introduce Abkhazian and Georgian languages in church services and education. The official response was a criminal case brought against Tedo Sakhokia and leaders of his "Georgian Party" active in Abkhazia. Following

10900-542: Was accompanied by violence. In the meantime, the Abkhaz leader Vladislav Ardzinba intensified his ties with hard-line Russian politicians and military elite and declared he was ready for a war with Georgia. To respond to this situation, Eduard Shevardnadze , new leader of Georgia, had interrupted his trip to Western Georgia, where the Georgian Civil War had been going on between his government and supporters of former President Zviad Gamsakhurdia , ousted during

11009-505: Was also a prime center of slave trade in Colchis. The city and its surroundings were remarkable for the multitude of languages spoken in its bazaars. Although the sea made serious inroads upon the territory of Dioscurias, it continued to flourish and became one of the key cities in the realm of Mithridates VI of Pontus in the 2nd century BC and supported his cause until the end. Dioscurias issued bronze coinage around 100 BC featuring

11118-557: Was changed to Sukhumi (Сухуми). This remained so until 4 December 1992, when the Supreme Council of Abkhazia restored the previous version. Russia also readopted its official spelling in 2008, though Сухуми is also still being used. In English, the most common form today is Sukhumi , although Sokhumi is increasing in usage and has been adopted by sources including United Nations , Encyclopædia Britannica , MSN Encarta , Esri and Google Maps . The history of

11227-541: Was in stalemate until July 1993, when Abkhaz separatist militias launched an abortive attack on Georgian-held Sukhumi. They surrounded and heavily shelled the capital, where Shevardnadze was trapped. The warring sides agreed to a Russian-brokered truce in Sochi at the end of July. But the ceasefire broke down again on 16 September 1993. Abkhaz forces, with armed support from outside Abkhazia, launched attacks on Sukhumi and Ochamchira. Notwithstanding UN Security Council's call for

11336-573: Was involved in the Soviet program to develop nuclear weapons. Additionally, the Abkhaz State Archive is located in the city. Until 19th century young people from Abkhazia usually received their education mainly at religious schools (Muslims at Madrasas and Christians at Seminaries), although a small number of children from wealthy families had opportunity to travel to foreign countries for education. The first modern educational institutions (both schools and colleges) were established in

11445-518: Was met with a hostile response by the self-styled Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus , an umbrella group uniting a number of movements in the North Caucasus , including elements of Circassians , Abazins , Chechens , Cossacks , Ossetians and hundreds of volunteer paramilitaries and mercenaries from Russia, including the then-little-known Shamil Basayev , later a leader of

11554-567: Was one of the first representatives of the House of Shervashidze (also known as Chachba) which went on to rule Abkhazia until the 19th century. In the 1240s, Mongols divided Georgia into eight military-administrative sectors ( tümens ). The territory of contemporary Abkhazia formed part of the tümen administered by Tsotne Dadiani . In the 16th century, after the break-up of the Georgian Kingdom into small kingdoms and principalities,

11663-720: Was ousted by the Russian authorities in 1864. During the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–1878 , the town was temporarily controlled by the Ottoman forces and Abkhaz- Adyghe rebels. After its annexation, Sukhumi became the administrative center of the Sukhumi Okrug of the Kutais Governorate . Following the Russian Revolution of 1917 , the town and Abkhazia in general were engulfed in the chaos of

11772-473: Was replaced by former Soviet Georgian leader and Soviet foreign minister Eduard Shevardnadze , who became the country's head of state. On 21 February 1992, Georgia's ruling military council announced that it was abolishing the Soviet-era constitution and restoring the 1921 Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Georgia . Many Abkhaz interpreted this as an abolition of their autonomous status, although

11881-474: Was staying. Abkhaz, North Caucasian militants, and their allies committed numerous atrocities against the city's remaining ethnic Georgians, in what has been dubbed the Sukhumi Massacre . The mass killings and destruction continued for two weeks, leaving thousands dead and missing. The Abkhaz forces quickly overran the rest of Abkhazia as the Georgian government faced a second threat; an uprising by

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