Adjara ( ka, აჭარა ''Ach’ara'' ) or Achara, officially known as the Autonomous Republic of Adjara ( ka, აჭარის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა ''Ach’aris Avt’onomiuri Resp’ublik’a'' ), is a political-administrative region of
Georgia. Located in the country's southwestern corner, Adjara lies on the coast of the
Black Sea near the foot of the
Lesser Caucasus Mountains, north of
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
. It is an important tourist destination and includes Georgia's second most populous city of
Batumi
Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ) is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Georgia's ...
as its capital. About 350,000 people live on its .
Adjara is home to the
Adjarians, a regional subgroup of
Georgians. The name can be spelled in a number of ways, including ''Ajara'', ''Ajaria'', ''Adjaria'', ''Adzharia'', ''Atchara'' and ''Achara''. Under the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
, Adjara was part of the
Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic as the
Adjarian ASSR. The autonomous status of Adjara is guaranteed under article 6 of the
Treaty of Kars.
History
Adjara has been part of
Colchis and
Caucasian Iberia since ancient times. Colonized by
Greeks in the 5th century BC, the region fell under Rome in the 2nd century BC. It became part of the
Lazica before being incorporated into the
Kingdom of Abkhazia
The Kingdom of Abkhazia ( ka, აფხაზთა სამეფო, tr; lit. "Kingdom of the Abkhazians"), also known as Abasgia or Egrisi-Abkhazia, was a medieval feudal state in the Caucasus which was established in the 780s. Through d ...
in the 8th century AD, the latter led
unification of Georgian monarchy in the 11th century.
The
Ottomans conquered the area in 1614. The people of Adjara gradually converted to Islam in this period. The Ottomans were forced to cede Adjara to the expanding
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
in 1878.
After a temporary occupation by
Ottoman and
British troops in 1918–1920, Adjara became part of the
Democratic Republic of Georgia in 1920, and was granted autonomy under the Georgian constitution adopted in February 1921 when the
Red Army invaded Georgia.
After a brief military conflict in March 1921,
Ankara's government ceded the territory to Georgia under Article VI of
Treaty of Kars on the condition that autonomy be provided for the
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
population, while Turkish commodities were guaranteed free transit through the port of
Batumi
Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ) is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Georgia's ...
. The Soviets established in
1921
Events
January
* January 2
** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in Brazil.
** The Spanish liner ''Santa Isabel'' bre ...
the
within the
Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in accord with this clause, thus Adjara remained part of Georgia. Until 1937 it had the name Ajaristan. The autonomous republic was the only Soviet autonomy based on religion rather than ethnicity.
Independent Georgia
After the
dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Adjara became part of a newly independent but politically divided Republic of Georgia. It avoided being dragged into the chaos and
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
that afflicted the rest of the country between 1991 and 1993, largely due to the authoritarian rule of Adjara's leader
Aslan Abashidze
Aslan Abashidze ( ka, ასლან აბაშიძე; born July 20, 1938) is the former leader of the Ajarian Autonomous Republic in western Georgia. He served in this capacity from 18 August 1991 to May 5, 2004. He resigned under the pres ...
. Although he successfully maintained order in Adjara and made it one of the country's most prosperous regions, he was accused of involvement in organised crime—notably large-scale smuggling to fund his government and enrich himself. The central government in Tbilisi had very little say in what went on in Adjara during the presidency of
Eduard Shevardnadze.
This changed following the
Rose Revolution of 2003 when Shevardnadze was deposed in favour of the reformist opposition leader
Mikheil Saakashvili, who pledged to restore the country's territorial integrity and reunite it. Soon after his inauguration as president in January 2004 Saakashvili took aim at Abashidze. In spring 2004, a major
crisis in Adjara erupted as the central government sought to reimpose its authority on the region. It threatened to develop into an armed confrontation. However, Saakashvili's ultimata and mass protests against Abashidze's autocratic rule forced the Adjaran leader to resign in May 2004, following which he went into exile in Russia. After Abashidze's ousting, a new law was introduced to redefine the terms of Adjara's autonomy.
Levan Varshalomidze
Levan Varshalomidze ( ka, ლევან ვარშალომიძე) (born 17 January 1972) is a Georgian politician and the Chairman of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara from 2004 to 2012. He assumed office on 20 July 20 ...
succeeded Abashidze as the chairman of the government.
In July 2007, the seat of the
Georgian Constitutional Court was moved from Tbilisi to Batumi.
In November 2007 Russia ended its two century military presence in Georgia by withdrawing from the
12th Military Base (the former 145th Motor Rifle Division) in
Batumi
Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ) is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Georgia's ...
.
Turkey is a guarantor of Adjaran autonomy based on Article 6 of the
Treaty of Kars, and currently has noticeable influence in Adjara, which can be seen in the region's economy and in the religious life—through the region's Muslim population.
Law and government
The status of the Adjaran Autonomous Republic is defined by Georgia's law on Adjara and the region's new constitution, adopted following the ousting of
Aslan Abashidze
Aslan Abashidze ( ka, ასლან აბაშიძე; born July 20, 1938) is the former leader of the Ajarian Autonomous Republic in western Georgia. He served in this capacity from 18 August 1991 to May 5, 2004. He resigned under the pres ...
. The local legislative body is the
Parliament. The head of the region's government—the Council of Ministers of Adjara—is nominated by the
President of Georgia who also has powers to dissolve the assembly and government and to overrule local authorities on issues where the constitution of Georgia is contravened.
Tornike Rizhvadze is the current head of the Adjaran government.
Administrative divisions
Adjara is subdivided into six administrative units:
Geography and climate
Adjara is located on the south-eastern coast of the Black Sea and extends into the wooded foothills and mountains of the
Lesser Caucasus. It has borders with the region of
Guria to the north,
Samtskhe-Javakheti to the east and Turkey to the south. Most of Adjara's territory either consists of hills or mountains. The highest mountains rise more than
above sea level. Around 60% of Adjara is covered by forests. Many parts of the
Meskheti Range (the west-facing slopes) are covered by
temperate rain forests
Temperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rain.
Temperate rain forests occur in oceanic moist regions around the world: the Pacific temperate rain forests of North American Pac ...
.
Adjara is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude.
Climate
Adjara is well known for its humid climate (especially along the coastal regions) and prolonged rainy weather, although there is plentiful sunshine during the spring and summer months. Adjara receives the highest amounts of precipitation both in Georgia and in the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historica ...
. It is also one of the wettest temperate regions in the
northern hemisphere. No region along Adjara's coast receives less than of precipitation per year. The west-facing (
windward) slopes of the
Meskheti Range receive upwards of of precipitation per year. The coastal lowlands receive most of the precipitation in the form of rain (due to the area's subtropical climate). September and October are usually the wettest months. Batumi's average monthly rainfall for the month of September is . The interior parts of Adjara are considerably drier than the coastal mountains and lowlands. Winter usually brings significant snowfall to the higher regions of Adjara, where snowfall often reaches several meters. Average summer temperatures are between 22–24 degrees Celsius in the lowland areas and 17–21 degrees Celsius in the highlands. The highest areas of Adjara have lower temperatures. Average winter temperatures are between 4–6 degrees Celsius along the coast while the interior areas and mountains average around -3–2 degrees Celsius. Some of the highest mountains of Adjara have average winter temperatures of -8–(-7) degrees Celsius.
Economy
Adjara has good land for growing tea, citrus fruits and tobacco. Mountainous and forested, the region has a subtropical climate, and there are many health resorts. Tobacco, tea, citrus fruits, and avocados are leading crops; livestock raising is also important. Industries include tea packing, tobacco processing, fruit and fish canning, oil refining, and shipbuilding.
The regional capital,
Batumi
Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ) is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Georgia's ...
, is an important gateway for the shipment of goods heading into Georgia,
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
and landlocked Armenia. The port of Batumi is used for the shipment of oil from
Kazakhstan and
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the s ...
. Its oil refinery handles
Caspian oil from
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
which arrives by pipeline to
Supsa port and is transported from there to Batumi by rail. The Adjaran capital is a centre for shipbuilding and manufacturing.
Adjara is the main center of Georgia's coastal tourism industry, having displaced the northwestern province of
Abkhazia since that region's ''de facto'' secession from Georgia in 1993.
Demographics
Population
According to the 2014 census, the population of Adjara is 333,953.
The
Adjarians (Ajars) are an ethnographic group of the
Georgian people who speak a group of local dialects known collectively as
Adjarian. The written language is
Georgian.
The Georgian population of Adjara had been generally known as "Muslim Georgians" until the 1926 Soviet
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...
which listed them as "Ajars" and counted 71,000 of them. Later, they were simply classified under a broader category of Georgians as no official Soviet census asked about religion. Today, calling them "Muslim Georgians" would be a misnomer in any case as Adjarans are nearly 55% Christian and nearly 40% Muslim (see below).
Ethnic minorities include
Laz,
Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
, image =
, caption =
, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
,
Armenians
Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...
,
Pontic Greeks,
Abkhaz, etc.
[Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Department of Statistics](_blank)
/ref>
Religion
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the re-establishment of Georgia's independence accelerated the growth of Christianity in the region, especially among the young. However, there still remains Sunni Muslim communities in Adjara, mainly in the Khulo district. According to the 2014 Georgian national census, 54.5% were Orthodox Christians, and 39.8% Muslim. The remaining were Armenian Christians
, native_name_lang = hy
, icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg
, icon_width = 100px
, icon_alt =
, image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, a ...
(0.3%), and others (5.3%).
Traditional public festivals
Selimoba
Selimoba is held in the village of Bako, Khulo Municipality
Khulo ( ka, ხულოს მუნიციპალიტეტი) is a district of Georgia, in the autonomous republic of Adjara. Its main town is Khulo.
Population: 35,520
Area: 710 km2
Politics
Khulo Municipal Assembly ( Georgian: ...
on July 3 and commemorates the life of Selim Khimshiashvili Selim Paşa (1755 – 3 June 1815) was a Georgian nobleman of the Khimshiashvili princedom and dukedom and a Beylerbey of Upper Adjara under the Ottoman suzerainty, but with considerable autonomy. His seizure of power in the Pashalik of Akhaltsi ...
. A concert with the participation of local amateur groups of a folk handicraft products exhibition is held during the festival. It is supported by Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Adjara.
Shuamtoba
Shuamtoba ("inter-mountain festival") is a traditional festival, which is held on the summer mountain pastures of two municipalities (Khulo and Shuakhevi
Shuakhevi ( ka, შუახევი ) is a small town in Georgia's Autonomous Republic of Adjara, 67 km east to the regional capital Batumi. Situated on the right bank of the Adjaristsqali River, it is an administrative center of Shuakhevi ...
), during the first weekend of every August. Horse racing, a folk handicraft exhibition and a concert involving folk ensembles are held as well.
Machakhloba
Machakhloba is a Machakhela gorge festivity, held in the second half of September. It is a traditional holiday celebrated in Machakhela gorge, Khelvachauri
Khelvachauri ( ka, ხელვაჩაური ) is a village in the Autonomous Republic of Adjara in the southwest of Georgia, southeast of the regional capital Batumi and situated on the right bank of the Chorokhi River. Between 1968 and 20 ...
Municipality. The festival begins at the Machakhela rifle monument (at the point of convergence of the rivers Machakhela and Chorokhi), continues in the village Machakhispiri and ends in the village Zeda Chkhutuneti.
Kolkhoba
Kolkhoba is an ancient Laz festival. It is held at the end of August or at the beginning of September in Sarpi village, Khelvachauri District
Khelvachauri ( ka, ხელვაჩაურის მუნიციპალიტეტი, ''Khelvachauris Municiṕaliťeťi'') is a municipality in Georgia's southwestern autonomous republic of Adjara with a population of 52,737 people (20 ...
. The story of the Argonauts is performed on stage during the festival.
People
* Tbeli Abuserisdze (1190–1240), a Georgian writer and scientist.
* Fyodor Yurchikhin (born 3 January 1959), cosmonaut.
* Sopho Khalvashi
Sopho Khalvashi ( ka, სოფო ხალვაში ; born 31 May 1986 in Batumi, Adjara, Georgia), also sometimes known as simply Sopho, is a Georgian musician of Laz heritage.
Biography
She claimed third prize at the commercial song c ...
(born 31 May 1986), Georgian singer.
* Selim Khimshiashvili Selim Paşa (1755 – 3 June 1815) was a Georgian nobleman of the Khimshiashvili princedom and dukedom and a Beylerbey of Upper Adjara under the Ottoman suzerainty, but with considerable autonomy. His seizure of power in the Pashalik of Akhaltsi ...
(3 June 1815), as Pasha (Minister) of Ottoman and Russia Political Affairs on 1802.
* Ahmed-Pasha Khimshiashvili
Ahmed Bey, subsequently Ahmed Paşa (1781 – October 1836) was a Muslim Georgian nobleman of the Khimshiashvili clan from Adjara, which he ruled as an autonomous ruler ('' bey'') under the Ottoman Empire after 1818. He played a notable role in ...
(died 1836), Great Ottoman Pasha.
* Memed Abashidze
Memed Abashidze ( ka, მემედ აბაშიძე; January 18, 1873 – 1937) was a Georgian politician, writer and public benefactor. An eminent leader of Muslim Georgian community of Adjarians, he was a major proponent of pro-Georgian ...
(1873–1941), a prominent political leader of Muslim Georgians.
* Aslan Abashidze
Aslan Abashidze ( ka, ასლან აბაშიძე; born July 20, 1938) is the former leader of the Ajarian Autonomous Republic in western Georgia. He served in this capacity from 18 August 1991 to May 5, 2004. He resigned under the pres ...
(born 1938), an ousted regional leader.
* Zurab Nogaideli (born 1964), former Prime Minister of Georgia
The prime minister of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს პრემიერ-მინისტრი, tr) is the head of government and chief executive of Georgia.
In Georgia, the president is a ceremonial head of state and ma ...
(3 February 2005 – 16 November 2007).
* Levan Varshalomidze
Levan Varshalomidze ( ka, ლევან ვარშალომიძე) (born 17 January 1972) is a Georgian politician and the Chairman of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara from 2004 to 2012. He assumed office on 20 July 20 ...
(born 1972), Head of the Adjarian Government, 2004–2012.
See also
*Former countries in Europe after 1815
This article gives a detailed listing of all the countries, including puppet states, that have existed in Europe since the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to the present day. Each country has information separated into columns: name of the distinct co ...
* Laz people
* Merisi Mining District
*Subdivisions of Georgia
The subdivisions of Georgia are autonomous republics ( ka, ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა, ''avtonomiuri respublika''), regions (მხარე, ''mkhare''), and municipalities (მუნიციპალი� ...
References
External links
Government of Adjara
Supreme Council of Adjara
Tourism & Resorts Department of Adjara
Georgian territories: Ajaria - BBC profile
Islam and Islamic Practices in Georgia
In pictures: Ajaria's 'velvet revolution' 2004
{{Authority control
Former provinces of Georgia (country)
Historical regions of Georgia (country)
Autonomous republics of Georgia (country)
States and territories established in 1991