Adjara, officially the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, is an autonomous
republic of Georgia. Adjara, located in the southwestern
corner of Georgia, is on the eastern end of the Black Sea and is bordered by
Turkey to the south. Adjara is a home to the Adjar ethnic subgroup of Georgians.
Adjara is also known as Ajara, Adzhara, Ajaria, Adjaria, Adzharia, Achara,
Acharia and Ajaristan. Under the Soviet Union, it was known as the Adjarian
Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. 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 region of Egrisi before being
incorporated into the unified Georgian Kingdom in the 9th century AD.
The Ottomans conquered the area in 1614. The people of Adjara converted to Islam
in this period. The Ottomans were forced to cede Adjara to the expanding Russian
Empire in 1878. After a temporary occupation by Turkish
and British troops in 1918–1920, Adjara became part of the Democratic Republic
of Georgia in 1920. 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. The
Soviet Union established the Adjar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in
1921 in accord with this clause. Thus, Adjara was still a component part of
Georgia, but with considerable local autonomy.
= 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 that afflicted the rest of the country between 1991 and 1993 due
largely to the authoritarian rule of its leader Aslan Abashidze. 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 crack down on separatism within Georgia. In the spring of 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 ultimatums 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 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
in Batumi. Since mid-2000s Turkey has expanded its
influence over Adjara. Turkish influence 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. 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.
Archil Khabadze is the current head of the Adjaran government.
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 3,000 meters above sea level. Around 60% of Adjara is covered by
forests. Many parts of the Meskheti Range 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 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 2,200 mm of
precipitation per year. The west-facing slopes of the Meskheti Range receive
upwards of 4,500 mm of precipitation per year. The coastal lowlands receive most
of the precipitation in the form of rain. September and October are usually
the wettest months. Batumi's average monthly rainfall for the month of
September is 410 mm. 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, 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. Population
According to the 2014 census, the population of Adjara is 336,077. The
Adjarians 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
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 now about 70% Christian.
Ethnic minorities include Russians, Armenians, Pontic Greeks, Abkhaz, etc.
Religion The collapse of the Soviet Union and the
re-establishment of Georgia's independence accelerated
re-Christianisation, especially among the young. However, there are still
remaining Sunni Muslim communities in Adjara, mainly in the Khulo district.
According to the 2006 estimates by the Department of Statistics of Adjara, 63%
are Georgian Orthodox Christians, and 30% Muslim. The remaining are Armenian
Christians, Roman Catholics, and others. Traditional public festivals
= Selimoba= Selimoba is held in Bako village, Khulo
Municipality on July 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 is a traditional festival, which is held on the summer mountain
pastures of two municipalities, in the first weekend of every August. Horse
racing, folk handicraft products exhibition and a concert involving folk
ensembles are held on Shuamtoba. = Machakhloba=
Machakhloba is Machakhela gorge festivity, held in the second half of
September. It is a traditional holiday celebrated in Machakhela gorge,
Khelvachauri Municipality. Festival begins at the Machakhela rifle monument,
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 myth about
Argonauts is performed on stage during the festival.
Famous Adjarans Tbeli Abuserisdze, a Georgian writer and
scientist. Selim Khimshiashvili, as Pasha of
Ottoman and Russia Political Affairs on 1802.
Ahmed-Pasha Khimshiashvili, Great Ottoman Pasha.
Memed Abashidze, a prominent political leader of Muslim Georgians.
Aslan Abashidze, an ousted regional leader.
Zurab Nogaideli, former Prime Minister of Georgia.
Levan Varshalomidze, Head of the Adjaran government, 2004–2012.
See also Former countries in Europe after 1815
Laz people Subdivisions of Georgia
References External links
Government of Adjara Supreme Council of Adjara
Tourism & Resords Department of Adjara Georgian territories: Ajaria - BBC
profile Islam and Islamic Practices in Georgia
In pictures: Ajaria's 'velvet revolution' 2004