''meskhebi'' , image = Georgian dialects.svg , image_caption = , population = - 100,000 , popplace =
Samtskhe-Javakheti: 89 995 or 43,4 % (2002)

Ardahan province: unknown , pop1 = , languages = Meskhetian dialect of

Georgian language Georgian (, , ) is the most widely-spoken Kartvelian language, and serves as the literary language or lingua franca for speakers of related languages. It is the official language of Georgia and the native or primary language of 87.6% of its p ...

, religions = Predominantly †

Georgian Orthodox Church The Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამოციქულო ავტოკეფალური მართლმადიდებელი ეკლესია, tr), commonly ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

and Muslim minority. , related-c = Meskhians (, ''Meskhebi'') are an ethnographic subgroup of Georgians who speak Meskhetian dialect of

, which among Georgia's regional dialects is relatively close to official Georgian. Meskhetians are indigenous population of Meskheti, historical region in southern

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

. Today they are mainly followers of

, while part of them are

Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

History

Several authors have connected Meskhetians or Meskhians to Mushki tribe or Moschoi (Μόσχοι) in Greek sources, who were an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

people of

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The r ...

. Meskhian tribes came to the fore, gradually moving northeast and forming their settlements in the very heart of

Kartli Kartli ( ka, ქართლი ) is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari (Kura), on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial rol ...

. Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Iberia (literarily means "town of Meskhs") was one such settlement, deriving its name from the ethnonym "Meskhians". According to the Cyril Toumanoff, Moschians were the early proto- Georgian tribe which played a leading role in the consolidation of Iberian tribes largely inhabiting eastern and southern Georgia.Cyril Toumanoff, Studies in Christian Caucasian History, p 80 Between 9th-11th centuries Mesketi, also known as Tao-Klarjeti, was governed by the

Bagrationi dynasty The Bagrationi dynasty (; ) is a royal dynasty which reigned in Georgia from the Middle Ages until the early 19th century, being among the oldest extant Christianity, Christian ruling dynasties in the world. In modern usage, the name of the dyn ...

and the region played a crucial role in the unification of the Georgian principalities into a single Georgian state in 1008. Meskheti gave many prominent people to the Georgia: such as Shota Rustaveli, who is considered to be the preeminent poet of the Georgian Golden Age and one of the greatest contributors to

Georgian literature The culture of Georgia has evolved over the country's long history, providing it with a unique national identity and a strong literary tradition based on the Georgian language and alphabet. This strong sense of national identity has helped to p ...

. Rustaveli is the author of '' The Knight in the Panther's Skin'', which is considered to be a Georgian national epic poem. Thereafter, the kingdom of Georgia declined and eventually disintegrated under hegemony of various regional powers, including the

Mongols The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...

, Timurids,

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

and White Sheeps. After the Mongol invasion of Georgia, Meskhetian princes gained virtual independence from the Georgian crown and established Principality of Samtskhe under the Mongol patronage. By the Peace of Amasya (1555), Principality of Samtskhe was divided into two, with the

Safavids Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...

keeping the eastern part and the Ottomans gaining the western part. In 1578, the Ottomans performed a successful invasion into the Safavid possessions in Georgia, initiating the Ottoman-Safavid War of 1578-1590, and by 1582 they were in possession of the eastern (Safavid) part of Meskheti as well. The Georgian population of Meskheti was displaced to inner regions of Georgia such as

Imereti Imereti ( Georgian: იმერეთი) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 mun ...

and

. Those who remained gradually became Muslim, the process is also known as Turkification of Meskhetians (then Meskhetian Turks)..

Notable Meskhetians

* Shota Rustaveli (c.1160—after c. 1220), medieval Georgian poet and author of '' The Knight in the Panther's Skin''. * Anthim the Iberian (1650—1716), Georgian

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or research ...

, calligrapher and philosopher. * Vano Merabishvili, Georgian politician and 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 ...

from 4 July to 25 October 2012.

References

{{Authority control

History

Notable Meskhetians

See also

References