Lesser Abkhazia
Lesser Abkhazia (Georgian: ჯიქეთი, Jiqeti) was the term used to refer to those lands of Abkhazia that were not subject to the direct control of the ruling Shervashidze dynasty.
Lesser Abkhazia
ჯიქეთი | |
|---|---|
 Djiketi and Apkhazeti, 1766 map. | |
  Lesser Abkhazia Map highlighting the historical region of Lesser Abkhazia  Lesser Abkhazia Lesser Abkhazia (Southern Federal District) | |
| Coordinates: 43°35′N 39°43′EAn approximate geographical area. | |
| Country |  Georgia |
| Mkhare | Abkhazia |
| Capital | Tbilisi |
History
After the Russian-Circassian War, the bulk of the mountaineers relocated to the Ottoman Empire, while the depopulated coastline was gradually colonized by Christian settlers of various ethnicity.
Sadzen was an ill-defined region on the eastern shore of the Black Sea which used to be settled by the Sadz people, hence the name. In the mid-19th century, it came to be known in Russian and Western literature as Lesser Abkhazia. According to Ivane Javakhishvili it is a historical part of Georgia.[1]
The northern part of Sadzen today forms part of Greater Sochi, while the southern part falls within the borders of Abkhazia.[2] The Sochi conflict took place in Sadzen in 1918-1920.
References
- Ivane Javakhishvili, Javakhishvili, Ivane (1919). Borders of Georgia.
- The political status of Abkhazia is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence from Georgia in 1992, Abkhazia is formally recognised as an independent state by 5 UN member states (two other states recognised it but then withdrew their recognition), while Georgia continues to claim it as part of its own territory, designating it as Russian-occupied territory.