Английская Википедия:Adjara

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Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Distinguish Шаблон:More citations neededШаблон:Infobox dependency Adjara (Шаблон:Lang-ka Ach’ara Шаблон:IPA-ka) or Achara, officially known as the Autonomous Republic of Adjara (Шаблон:Lang-ka Ach’aris Avt’onomiuri Resp’ublik’a Шаблон:IPAc-ka), is a political-administrative region of Georgia. It is in the country's southwestern corner, on the coast of the Black Sea, near the foot of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains, north of Turkey. It is an important tourist destination and includes Georgia's second most populous city of Batumi as its capital. About 350,000 people live on its Шаблон:Cvt.

Adjara is home to the Adjarians, a regional subgroup of Georgians. The name can be spelled in a number of ways: Ajara, Ajaria, Adjaria, Adzharia, Atchara and Achara. Under the Soviet Union, 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

Шаблон:Main Adjara was a part of Georgian polities, Colchis and Caucasian Iberia, since ancient times.Шаблон:Citation needed span

Adjaria was occupied by several empires: the Seljuks (11th century), Mongols (13th century), and Timurids (14th century).Шаблон:Sfn

Ottoman period

The Ottomans conquered the area in 1614. Although, the Ottoman millet system allowed its subjects extensive self-governance and religious freedom, many Adjarians gradually chose to convert to Islam during the 200 years of Ottoman presence.Шаблон:Sfn The nobility converted first.Шаблон:Sfn Adjarians were fully Islamized by the end of the eighteenth century.Шаблон:Sfn This conversion marked a differentiation from the Georgian cultural identity, which strongly identifies as Orthodox Christian.Шаблон:Sfn

Russian Empire

The Ottomans were forced to cede Adjara to the expanding Russian Empire in 1878 under the Treaty of Berlin.Шаблон:Sfn The Berlin Treaty allowed Adjarians to leave for Turkey, keeping a provision of Section 6, article 21 of the Treaty of San Stefano.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Many Adjarians emigrated to Turkey.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn This was followed by an influx of Christians from Kakheti, resulting in a change of demographics.Шаблон:Sfn Orthodox Christian missionaries also started to proselytize in Adjara.Шаблон:Sfn While the Russian authorities supported the Russian Orthodox Church's missionary efforts, they also tried to win the loyalty of Adjarians by building mosques and madrassas and supporting the local Muslim clergy.Шаблон:Sfn As a result, many Adjarians emigrants, called Muhacir, came back to Adjara.Шаблон:Sfn

Soviet rule

Шаблон:Citation needed span 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 population, while Turkish commodities were guaranteed free transit through the port of Batumi.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn The Soviets established in 1921 the Adjarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic 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 autonomous unit in the USSR based solely on religion.Шаблон:Efn However, Stalin's definition of what constituted a nation was based on language. Without their own language, Adjars did not develop a strong sense of national identity, separate from Georgian.Шаблон:Sfn Moreover, the Soviet atheist ideology dampened religious practice.Шаблон:Sfn In the 1920s, the Achars rebelled against the Soviet anti-Islamic activities, as well as against the collectivization reforms.Шаблон:Sfn Still, Soviet authorities never accepted to politicize the term “Muslim Georgian”.Шаблон:Sfn So that, over time, the Acharan population began again to identify with their Georgian ethnic forebears, whose language they spoke, instead of identifying with Turks.Шаблон:Sfn

Independent Georgia

There was a resurgence of the Acharan religious identity during the dissolution of the USSR.Шаблон:Sfn Islamic religious practice became the cultural norm, madrassas reopened and the call to prayer sounded from mosques.Шаблон:Sfn After the Georgian independence, the first president, Georgian nationalist Zviad Gamsakhurdia, had an anti-federal policy that targeted Adjara.Шаблон:Sfn According to his Foreign Minister, Giorgi Khoshtaria, Gamsakhurdia considered that it was just as he saw Adjarians as Christian Georgians polluted by years of Ottoman rule.Шаблон:Sfn Adjarians protested in Batumi in 1991, after Gamsakhurdia announced he would end Adjara's autonomy.Шаблон:Sfn To appease the situation, Gamsakhurdia appointed Aslan Abashidze, from a local powerful family, as Chairman of the Acharan Supreme Soviet.Шаблон:Sfn Abashidze leveraged the ongoing Islamic revival to advance his political goals.Шаблон:Sfn He organized Muslim rallies in Batumi in 1992, demanding political, economic, and cultural autonomy for the Ajar region.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Taking advantage of the turmoil caused by the wars with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, he unilaterally took power without formal agreement and started to withhold tax revenue and capture Adjara's considerable wealth.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn The Head Mufti of Achara, Haji Mahmud Kamashidze, supported Abashidze in his power struggled against the central Georgian government led by Gamsakhurdia.Шаблон:Sfn However, after Abashidze reached his goals, he stopped using the Muslim movement and gradually erased Adjara's cultural characteristics.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn He built churches, promoted conversion to Christianity and asserted that Adjara wasn't separatist.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

Шаблон:Citation needed span Elections in Adjara were not free and fair, Abashidze controlled the media and captured customs revenue for his personal enrichment.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Even though Shevardnadze often complained about Abashidze's aggressive autonomous strategy, they had good relationships and supported each other when they needed public support.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

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. Soon after his inauguration as president in January 2004, Saakashvili took aim at Abashidze with strong anticorruption reforms.Шаблон:Sfn In spring 2004, a major crisis in Adjara erupted as the central government sought to reimpose its authority on the region. It led to several encounters between Adjaran paramilitaries and the Georgian army.Шаблон:Sfn However, Saakashvili's ultimata and mass protests against Abashidze's autocratic rule forced the Adjaran leader to resign in May 2004. Facing charges of embezzlement and murder, Abashidze destroyed the bridges between Adjara and the rest of Georgia to delay the advance of Georgian troops in Batumi and then fled to Moscow.Шаблон:Sfn

After Abashidze's ousting, Acharan separatism declined.Шаблон:Sfn Muslims did not support Abashidze during the crisis.Шаблон:Sfn Even Abashidze's former ally, Haji Mahmud Kamashidze, sided with Saakashvili.Шаблон:Sfn Saakashvili wanted Adjara to keep a significant autonomy.Шаблон:Sfn The Turkish government, guarantor of Adjaran autonomy under Article 6 of the Treaty of Kars, also spoke out against calls for Adjarian autonomy dissolution by certain opposition parties.Шаблон:Sfn A new law was therefore introduced to redefine the terms of Adjara's autonomy. Levan Varshalomidze 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.

Turkey still has noticeable economic and religious influence in Adjara.

Law and government

Файл:Adjara-gov-logo.JPG

Logo of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Файл:Council of Ministers of Adjara.jpg

Government building in Batumi.

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. The local legislative body is the Supreme Council. 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:

Name	Area Шаблон:Smaller	Population
		Census Шаблон:Smaller	Census Шаблон:Smaller
City of Batumi	64.9	121,806	152,839
Keda Municipality	452	20,024	16,760
Kobuleti Municipality	720	88,063	74,794
Khelvachauri Municipality	410	90,843	51,189
Shuakhevi Municipality	588	21,850	15,044
Khulo Municipality	710	33,430	23,327

Geography and climate

Файл:Kvariati.jpg

Black Sea coast near the resort of Kvariati.

Adjara is on the southeastern 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 Шаблон:Convert 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.

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. It is also one of the wettest temperate regions in the northern hemisphere. No region along Adjara's coast receives less than Шаблон:Convert of precipitation per year. The west-facing (windward) slopes of the Meskheti Range receive upwards of Шаблон:Convert 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 Шаблон:Convert. 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

Шаблон:More citations needed 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, is an important gateway for the shipment of goods heading into Georgia, Azerbaijan and landlocked Armenia. The port of Batumi is used for the shipment of oil from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Its oil refinery handles Caspian oil from Azerbaijan 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

According to the 2014 census, the population of Adjara is 333,953.

Ethnic groups

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.Шаблон:Citation needed Adjarians have been known as "Muslim Georgians".Шаблон:Sfn They were officially referred as such until the 1926 Soviet census 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. In independent Georgia, censuses do not include an "Adjarian" category, nor do they distinguish between ethnic Georgian Muslims and other Muslims, such as Azerbaijanis.Шаблон:Sfn

Ethnic minorities include Laz, Russians, Armenians, Pontic Greeks, and Abkhaz.

Religion

Шаблон:Pie chart After Adjara was ceded to the Russian Empire in 1878 under the Treaty of Berlin, Adjarians, who were Muslims, were allowed to leave for Turkey.Шаблон:Sfn This was followed by an influx of Christians from Kakheti, resulting in a change of the religious landscape.Шаблон:Sfn

Although Adjara's political and religious autonomy was guaranteed by the 1921 Treaty of Kars,Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn the Soviet atheist ideology dampened religious practice in the region.Шаблон:Sfn

The collapse of the Soviet Union and the re-establishment of Georgia's independence first led to an Islamic revival.Шаблон:Sfn However, after Abashidze took control of the region he erased Adjara's Muslim identity and promoted conversion to Christianity.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Since then, Christianity has experienced a strong growth in Adjara, especially among the young.Шаблон:Sfn However, there still remain Sunni Muslim communities in Adjara, mainly in the Khulo district.Шаблон:Sfn The Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs is active in Adjara.Шаблон:Sfn According to Ghia Nodia, "most Acharans are Muslims but they consider themselves ethnic Georgians".

According to the 2014 Georgian national census, 54.5% of the population of Adjara was Georgian Orthodox, 39.8% Muslim, 0.3% Armenian Apostolic, and 5.3% others.Шаблон:Efn

Traditional public festivals

Selimoba

Selimoba is held in the village of Bako, Khulo Municipality on June 3 and commemorates the life of Selim Khimshiashvili. 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), 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 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. The story of the Argonauts is performed on stage during the festival.

Notable people

Файл:Old Batumi.jpg

Batumi in the 1900s.

• Aslan Abashidze (born 1938), head of the Adjarian government 1991–2004
• Memed Abashidze (1873–1941), prominent political leader of Muslim Georgians
• Tbeli Abuserisdze (1190–1240), Georgian writer and scientist
• Sopho Khalvashi (born 31 May 1986), Georgian singer
• Ahmed-Pasha Khimshiashvili (died 1836), Great Ottoman Pasha
• Selim Khimshiashvili (3 June 1815), Pasha (Minister) of Ottoman and Russia Political Affairs on 1802
• Zurab Nogaideli (born 1964), former Prime Minister of Georgia 2005–2007
• Levan Varshalomidze (born 1972), head of the Adjarian government 2004–2012
• Fyodor Yurchikhin (born 3 January 1959), cosmonaut

See also

• Former countries in Europe after 1815
• Laz people
• Merisi Mining District
• Administrative divisions of Georgia (country)

Sources

• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite journal
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite journal

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