Saturday, February 7, 2015

Adjara - Side of Georgia

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 condition that autonomy is 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.[citation needed]





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, it seemed convenient to turn a blind eye to the situation in Adjara.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] Levan Varshalomidze succeeded Abashidze as the chairman of the government.[citation needed]




For many years, Russia maintained the 12th Military Base (the former 145th Motor Rifle Division) in Batumi.[3] This was a source of great tension with Georgia, which had threatened to block access to the facility. Following talks in March 2005, the Russian government proposed to begin the process of withdrawal later the same year; Russia returned the base to Georgia on November 17, 2007, more than a year ahead of schedule.[

info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjara

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Guria - Side of Georgia

Guria is a region in Georgia, in the western part of Country, bordered by the black sea in eastern. Look at the map:
This is guria on the map of Georgia
As for the etymology of the name of Guria, some say that the root of the word refers to restlessness and the word should mean “the land of the restless” and may be associated with events during the eighth and ninth centuries when “Leon became the King of Abkhazeti, Guruls refused to obey the ruler of Odzrakho, ceased their vassal relations with Adarnase and Ashot Bagrationi and united with Leon” as it was described in Vakhushti Bagrationi’s historical works of the eighteenth century.

According to a later explanation, in the times of Georgia’s prosperity, when its borders stretched from “Nikopsia to Daruband”, Guria was situated in the heart of the Georgian territory. The linguistic evidence for the above hypothesis is the Megrelian for “heart” – “guri”.
These photos are token in Guria:
Beautiful sight of Guria

Lake in Guria

River in Guria

Christian church in Guria
The toponym "Guria" is first attested in the c. 800 Georgian chronicle of Pseudo-Juansher.

Guria first appears c. 1352 as a fief of the house of Vardanidze-Dadiani; and after 1463 it became a sovereign principality independent of the Kingdom of Georgia under a branch of that house, known thereafter by the name of Gurieli. The principality, comprising modern Guria and much of Adjara with the city of Batumi, was subsequently reduced in size and devastated in a series of conflicts with the Ottoman Empire. A Russian protectorate was established by the treaty concluded on June 19, 1810 between the Gurieli Mamia V and the empire, and in 1829, during the regency for the last prince, the Gurieli David, the principality was annexed by Russia.

There were uprisings against Russian rule in 1819 and again in 1841. In 1840, Guria was made a county (uyezd) and renamed Ozurgeti, after one of its main towns. In 1846, it was transferred to the new Kutais Governorate. By 1904, the population was just under 100,000, occupying an area of approximately 532,000 acres (2,150 km2) of mountains and swampy valleys, covered by corn fields, vineyards, and some tea plantations. It was the most ethnically homogenous of Georgian areas, with the peasantry and lesser rural nobility making up almost the entire population, with a high level of literacy and relatively high degree of economic self-satisfaction. The peasant protest movement, which originated in 1902 and culminated in an open insurrection against the government during the Russian Revolution of 1905, was the most effective and organized peasant movement in the empire. The peasants’ self-government, the so-called Gurian Republic, survived into 1906, when it was crashed and Guria devastated by the Cossack punitive expedition. The region was a native powerbase of the Georgian Social Democratic (Menshevik) Party which dominated the Democratic Republic of Georgia from 1918 to 1921. Guria was a scene of guerrilla resistance to the militarily imposed Soviet rule early in the 1920s. Under the Soviet government, Guria was an agrarian area divided into three administrative districts. In 1995, the Georgian government decreed the creation of the region (mkhare) of Guria, restoring the province’s historical name to official usage.

Some of information is taken from wikipedia, the url: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guria

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Svaneti - Side of Georgia

The landscape of Svaneti is dominated by mountains that are separated by deep gorges. This is resort of winter, good place for skiers. Here comes many tourists, there is beautiful sights of mountains in svaneti. Also there are old towers built by svani (people who live in svaneti). Look at these photos...


There is part of Georgian history. There still live people in svaneti. They have reserved their culture. You will be surprised when You will see people wears their traditional clother. Almost all sides of Georgia have their selectable clothes, they look so different to each other.


There are towers of Svaneti. This is important part of worlds history. These towers was build for self-defence from enemies. There is gun shooting place at the top of tower. 


the svans are usually identified with the soanes monitone by Greek eographer Strabo, who placed them more or less in the area still occupied by the modern-day svans


This is mountin by named Ushguli. The height oof ushguli is 2,100 meters from the level of the sea.
Te Ushguli villages contain buildings that are part of  UNESCO Heritage site of Upper Svaneti


The Svans, the indigenous population of Svanetia, are ethnic subgroup of the Georgians. Until the 1930s, Mingrelians and Svans had their own census grouping, but were classified under the broader category of Georgian thereafter. They are Georgian Orthodox Christians, and were Christianized in the 4th-6th centuries. However, some remnants of old paganism have been maintained. Saint George (known as Jgëræg to the locals), a patron saint of Georgia, is the most respected saint. The Svans have retained many of their old traditions, including blood revenge. Their families are small, and the husband is the head of his family. The Svan really respect the older women in families.[citation needed]

Typically bilingual, they use both Georgian and their own, unwritten Svan language, which together with the Georgian, Mingrelian, and Laz languages constitute the South Caucasian or Kartvelian language family. The Svan language is endangered and is being largely replaced by Georgian.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Racha - Side of Georgia

Racha, this is one of the best sides of Georgia. There is most beautiful nature... You will be able to see  the mountains and plain together. There is beautiful sights, also there is good tracks for tourists in racha. Watch this pictures of beautiful sights.

One of the beautiful mountains in racha, there is so much green color...






Also there is some rivers in racha. You will have fun here. In racha live very hostpitable people, they love regaling guests. People in racha are very hearty. I will show some pictures of them...



People love dance and sing in racha. In general georgian people have very wide culture of dancing, singing. Georgia have selectable culture and history. It's very interesting, cognitive, interesting traveling in racha - Georgia.