Abkhazia

Abkhazia (Abkhazian: Аҧсны Aphsny /apʰsˈnɨ/; Georgian: აფხაზეთი Apkhazeti /ɑpʰxɑˈzɛtʰi/; Russian: Абхазия i>Abkhaziya /abxaˈzʲijə/), calling itself the Republic of Abkhazia, is a territory located on the southwestern slope of the Caucasus Mountains, northeast of the Black Sea, and whose capital is the city of Sukhumi. It is a de facto independent republic since 1992. However Georgia, Georgia, and most of the international community consider it an autonomous republic belonging to that country, while Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru, and Syria consider it an independent state.

In 1991, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic became an independent state and Soviet Abkhazia was integrated into this new state as an autonomous republic. However, ethnic friction between the Abkhazians and Georgians led to the unilateral declaration of independence on July 23, 1992.

After a bloody war between Georgian troops and Russian and Abkhazian paramilitaries, a ceasefire was established in 1994, and until 2008, Abkhazia remained a de facto independent state without international recognition, but with the support of the Russian Federation.

In 2006, Georgian troops entered Abkhazia and imposed their rule over the Upper Abkhazia area. Since September 27 of that year, the de jure government has been established in that area, setting its headquarters in the town of Chjalta, in the Kodori valley area. However, the Georgian advance was expelled from the territory of Abkhazia after the military intervention of Russia after the outbreak of the Second South Ossetian War in August 2008. On the 26th of that same month, the Russian Federation became the first country to recognize its independence and that of South Ossetia, a movement that was followed by five other States with the rejection of the United States, the European Union and NATO.

Name

The name of the region is Аҧсны, Aphsny in Abkhaz, აფხაზეთი, Apjazeti, in Georgian, and Абхазия, Abkhazia in Russian. In Megrelian, Abkhazia is known as აბჟუა ( Abzhua) or სააფხაზო (Saapjazo).

Russian Abkhazia is an adaptation of Georgian, and the names of the region in Spanish and other western languages derive directly from the Russian form.

One Abajsian folk etymology interprets it as "Country of the soul,", but it literally means " country of the Abkhazians" that is, of "human beings" (literally, mortals).

The Abkhaz people descend from the Asbagians (in ancient Greek: Αβασγοί, Abasgoi, in Latin: Abasci, Abasgi;) from Late Antiquity and perhaps from Classical apsilians. The name appears in a VII century Armenian text as Psin(oun), possibly in reference to the apsilios.

The state is formally designated as the "Republic of Abkhazia" or "Apsny".

History

Early history

Between the 9th century and the VI a. The territory of modern Abkhazia was part of Colchis, famous in Greek mythology for being the place where the Argonauts stole the Golden Fleece. This kingdom was later absorbed in 63 BC. C. in the Kingdom of Egrisi, known by Roman-Byzantine sources as Lazica.

Between 1000 and 550 BC, the Greeks established trading colonies along the Black Sea coast, particularly at Pitiunt and Dioscurias; this would become the capital of present-day Abkhazia. They encountered local warrior tribes which they named the Heniochi. Classical authors describe the various peoples who lived in the region and the great multitude of languages they spoke. Arrian, Pliny, and Strabo mention the Abasgoi (generally considered ancestors of modern Abkhazians) and Moschoi (usually held to be ancestors of the Meskhetian peoples of Georgia) somewhere in modern Abkhazia on the eastern shore of the Black Sea.

The Roman Empire conquered Egrisi in the I century and administered it until the IV, after which some independence was regained, although the region remained within the sphere of influence of the Byzantine Empire. Although the exact time when the population of the Abkhaz region converted to Christianity has not been determined, it is known that the Metropolitan of Pityus participated in the first Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in the year 325.

In the mid-VI century, the Byzantines and Sassanid Persia vied for the supremacy of Abkhazia for twenty years, a period which is called lazic warfare.

Abkhazia, or Abasgia in classical sources, formerly part of Colchis and later Egrisi (Lazica) until late 690, was a principality under Byzantine rule. Anacopia was the capital of the principality. The country was mostly populated by Christians and the seat of the archbishopric was in Pityus. An Arab raid on Abkhazia led by Marwan II was repelled by Leo III and his allies from Egrisi and Kartli in 736.

After acquiring Egrisi through a dynastic union in 780, the kingdom of Abkhazia was established and became a dominant power in the Western Caucasus. During this period, the Georgian language replaced Greek as the language of literacy and culture. The kingdom of western Georgia flourished between 850 and 950, when it annexed significant parts of central Georgia. Then came a period of turmoil that ended with the union of the states of eastern Georgia and Abkhazia into a single Georgian monarchy, headed by King Bagrat III (who was buried in the Bedia Monastery in eastern Abkhazia) at the turn of the century. X and early XI century .

Lazic

Ruins of an ancient castle in Anacopia, Abkhaz capital during the Byzantine period.

The devastated kingdom of Colchis fell under Roman rule and was converted into the province of Lazica. Hellenization, which had begun with the arrival of Alexander the Great, intensified at this time. Despite the long struggle between the Romans and the Parthians for control of the area, the Lazica region remained flourishing and in relative peace, even though it suffered some Parthian military incursions from the East.

As part of the Byzantine Empire, in the III century Lazica began to gain a degree of autonomy, which led to the establishment of an independent kingdom of Lázica-Egrisi, made up of the principalities of the Zhans, the Svans, the Psyles and the Sanyghes. The expansion of Christianity during these years was very important, although it had already begun with the missionary trips of the apostle Simon the Canaanite, who is supposed to have suffered martyrdom with a saw in the city of Suaniri. In the year 523, Orthodox Christianity was declared the official religion and Saint George was appointed patron saint of the country.

After several years of self-rule, Abkhazia was reincorporated into the Byzantine Empire in 562. For more than 150 years, Lazica enjoyed a new period of peace and prosperity.

Kingdom of Abkhazia

The Caucasus in the Plenitude of the Middle Ages

In the year 656 the Arab troops of the Umayyad Caliphate invaded the Christian kingdoms of the Caucasus, but Lazica resisted. The establishment of the Emirate of Tefelis led to the flight of the Kartvelian inhabitants of the destroyed Kingdom of Iberia to the west. Thus, Lazica, traditionally inhabited by the Svans and the Zhans, was found to be occupied by ethnic Georgians.

In the year 767, an archon (archontos, Byzantine governor) expelled the established Byzantine troops and proclaimed the independence of the kingdom of Egrisi-Abkhazia, assuming as king the name of Leo I of Abkhazia. He set Kutaisi as the capital and, although at first he mixed local with Byzantine characteristics, over the years, Abkhazia was ending the reminiscences of the old Empire, replacing them with Georgian customs. An example of this was the schism that occurred between King Leo I and the Patriarch of Constantinople, which determined the conversion of Abkhazia to the Georgian Orthodox Church, led by the Patriarch of Mtskheta.

The defeats suffered by the Arabs allowed the formation of new Caucasian states. At the end of the X century, King David of Tao-Klardsheti conquered the principality of Kartli. In the year 975, David left his adopted son as king of Kartli under the name of Bagrat III. After the death of Theodosius III the Blind in the year 978, the throne of Abkhazia was handed over to Bagrat III, in his capacity as successor and nephew of the late king. With David's death in 1001, Bagrat III assumed power in Tao-Klardsheti and eventually annexed Kakheti and Ereti seven years later, crowning himself king of unified Georgia. Only the lands of Tiflis, under Arab domination, and part of the south of Tao, governed by Constantinople, were not part of this new kingdom.

Kingdom of Georgia

King David IV of Georgia.

The kingdom of Abkhazia joined by dynastic succession with the newly formed Georgia in 1008: Bagrat III of Abkhazia devino Bagrat III of Georgia.

Since the middle of the XI century, the Kingdom of Georgia was devastated by the invasions of the Seljuk Turks. The combined forces of Armenians, Byzantines, and Georgians were crushed by Islamic invaders at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, allowing most of the Kingdom of Georgia to be conquered and devastated by the Seljuks ten years later. Only Abkhazia remained free from the invasion and served as a refuge for Georgians fleeing the catastrophe. At the same time, the chaos in which the country found itself caused the rise of secessionist ideals in Esvanetia, which led to attacks against Abkhazia. Although King George II managed to put down the rebellion, the pressure exerted in trying to keep the country unified led to his abdication in 1089.

His successor, David IV, managed to handle the invasions of the Arabs. During the First Crusade and using Abkhazia as his center of operations, David the Restorer managed to recapture part of Georgia, until he finally defeated the Seljuks at the Battle of Didgori on August 12, 1121. During his reign, David IV managed to establish Georgia as a regional power and ushered in the kingdom's Golden Age. This period of splendor reached its climax during the rule of Queen Tamar. Between the years 1194 and 1204 Georgia expanded to the south, conquering lands in Armenia and present-day Iran, such as the city of Tabriz, and founded the Trebizonda Empire.

Literature and art developed fully during these years, and Abkhazia became a prosperous province of the Greater Kingdom of Georgia. However, the Golden Age of the Kingdom of Georgia ended with the Mongol invasions of the 13th century.

Under Mongol rule, Georgia fell into crisis and its kingdom fractured into several states. In 1260, under the reign of David VI Narin, the Kingdom of Imereti was founded, which still remained a part of Georgia. Imereti concentrated the western part of Georgia, including Abkhazia, Mingrelia and Guria. In 1455 its independence was officially declared when Georgia was divided into three states: Imereti itself, Kartli and Kakheti. Since that date, Abkhazia has been the battlefield of the struggles between the Georgians, Persia, Russia and the Ottoman Empire. Between 1478 and 1483, a Kakheti rule over Abkhazia was established, but it would soon be driven out.

In 1578 the Ottomans entered the region and a vassal principality was established in Abkhazia. Although major attempts at Islamization were made in the region, Christianity continued to dominate, thanks in part to strong Russian influence from the 18th century. During those years, the Islamization process was strengthened, causing a division in the Abkhazian elites between Orthodox Christians and converts to Islam.

Inside the Russian Empire

The borders of the Sukhumi and Samurzakan District in 1899, when Abkhazia was part of the Russian Empire.

In the early 19th century, as the Russians and Ottomans were vying for control of the region, the rulers of Abkhazia crossed on either side of the religious divide. The first attempt to enter into relations with Russia was made by Keilash Bey in 1803, shortly after the incorporation of eastern Georgia into the expanding Tsarist Empire (1801). However, the Pro-Ottoman orientation prevailed for a short time after his assassination by his son Aslan-Bey on May 2, 1808. On July 2, 1810, Russian marines stormed Sukhum-Kale and Aslan-Bey would be replaced by his brother, Sefer-Bey (1810-1821), who had converted to Christianity and taken the name George. Abkhazia joined the Russian Empire as an autonomous principality in 1810. However, the rule of George Shervasidze, as well as that of his successors, was limited to the vicinity of Sukhum-Kale and the Bzyb area. The ensuing Russo-Turkish war strongly improved Russian positions, leading to a further split in the Abkhazian elite, mainly along religious divisions. During the Crimean War (1853-1856), Russian forces had to evacuate Abkhazia and Prince Michael (1822-1864) apparently turned to the Ottomans.

Later, the Russian presence was reinforced and the mountaineers of the western Caucasus were finally subjugated by the Russian Empire in 1864. The autonomy of Abkhazia, which had functioned as a "buffer zone" pro-Russian in this troubled region, it was no longer needed by the tsarist government and the rule of the Shervashidzes came to an end. In November 1864, Prince Michael was forced to renounce his rights and resettle in Voronezh. Later that same year, Abkhazia was incorporated into the Russian Empire as a special military province of Sukhum-Kale which was transformed, in 1883, into an okrug as part of the Kutaisi Governorate. Large numbers of Abkhaz Muslims, said to have made up as much as 40% of Abkhazia's population, immigrated to the Ottoman Empire between 1864 and 1878 with other Muslim populations from the Caucasus, a process known as Muhajiriism.

Abkhaz and Georgian Generals of the Russian Imperial Army, CenturyXIX

Large areas of the region were left uninhabited, and many Armenians, Georgians, Russians, and others later emigrated to Abkhazia, repopulating much of the vacated territory. Some historians claim that Georgian tribes (Svans and Megrelians) had populated Abkhazia since the time of the Kingdom of Colchis.

By official decision of the Russian authorities, residents of Abkhazia and Samurzakan had to study and pray in Russian. After the mass deportation of 1878, the Abkhaz were left in the minority, officially marked as a 'guilty people', and had no leader capable of mounting serious opposition to Russification. On March 17, 1898, the Synodal Department of the Russian Orthodox Church of Georgia-Imereti, by order 2771, again prohibited the teaching and conduct of religious services in Georgian in church schools and churches of the Sukhumi district. Mass protests by the Georgian population of Abkhazia and Samurzakan followed, with news reaching the Emperor of Russia. On September 3, 1898, the Holy Synod issued Order 4880, which decreed that those parishes where the congregation was Megrelian, that is, Georgian, would conduct religious services and education in Georgian, while Abkhaz parishes would use Church Slavonic.. In the Sukhumi district, this order was carried out in only three out of 42 parishes. Tedo Sakhokia demanded that the Russian authorities introduce the Abkhazian and Georgian languages into religious services and education. The official response was a criminal lawsuit against Tedo Sakhokia and leaders of his & # 34;Georgian Party & # 34; active in Abkhazia.

Inside the Soviet Union

Map of the Soviet Caucasus (1936-1991) showing the RASS of Abkhazia within the RSS of Georgia.

The Russian Revolution of 1917 led to the creation of an independent Georgia, including Abkhazia, in 1918. German support enabled Georgians to repel the Bolshevik threat to Abkhazia in 1918. The 1921 constitution granted Abkhazia autonomy.

In 1921, the Bolshevik Red Army invaded Georgia and ended its short-lived independence. Abkhazia became a Soviet Socialist Republic (Abkhazian SSR) with the ambiguous status of a Republic associated with the Georgian SSR. In 1931, Joseph Stalin made an autonomous Republic (Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, or ARSS) within the Georgian SSR. Despite its nominal autonomy, it was subjected to strong direct rule by the Soviet central authorities. Under the rule of Stalin and Beria Abkhaz schools were closed, requiring Abkhaz children to study in the Georgian language. The publication of Abkhazian materials declined and eventually stopped altogether; Abkhazian schools were closed in 1945-1946. In the terror of 1937-1938, the ruling elite removed Abkhazians and by 1952 more than 80% of the 228 party and government officials were of Georgian origin; 34 Abkhazians, 7 Russians and 3 Armenians remained at these posts. The leader of the Georgian Communist Party, Kandid Charkviani supported the Georgianization of Abkhazia.

The policy of repression eased after Stalin's death and Beria's execution, and the Abkhazians played a larger role in the government of the republic. As in most of the smaller autonomous republics, the Soviet government stimulated the development of culture and in particular of literature. The Abkhazian ASSR was the only autonomous republic in the USSR in which the language of the titular nation (in this case Abkhazian) was confirmed in its constitution as one of its official languages.

Abkhazia under Russian and Soviet administration

Monastery of Novi Afon built at the end of the nineteenth century near the cave of Simon Zelote.

After dominating much of the surrounding territory (in 1801 the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakhetia had been annexed), the Russian Empire annexed Abkhazia in 1810. However, it did not fully control the territory until 1842, only succeeding in subjecting it to from 1865, when it ended the Principality of Abkhazia.

Flags of Abkhazia as part of the Soviet Union: 1.a between 1921 and 1978, 2.a between 1978 and 1989, and 3.a between 1989 and 1991.

Russian rule was widely disapproved of by the local population, especially because of the strong religious persecution, underway at the time, against Muslims. The outbreak of the Russo-Turkish war, which lasted between 1827 and 1828, led to the establishment of a harsh regime in Abkhazia, adjacent to the conflict zone. The rejection of the Russians was exacerbated when they used Abkhazia as a base to attack the Circassians, a people related to the Abkhazians. Finally, Moscow forced a massive exodus of Muslim Abkhazians to the Ottoman Empire. Thus, between 1864 and 1878, more than 60% of the population of Abkhazia (approximately 200,000 people) fled to the south. To compensate for this loss, the Russian imperial authorities encouraged Georgian, Armenian, and Russian immigration. According to data from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, of the 40,000 inhabitants of Sukhum-kaleh (present-day Sukhumi), two-thirds were Migrelian Georgians and only one-third Abkhazians.

Following the October Revolution and the creation of the Soviet Union, the Bolsheviks promised autonomy to the people of Abkhazia. In 1931, Stalin undertook an administrative reorganization, making Abkhazia the Abkhazian SASS. However, it was incorporated into the Georgian SSR. Despite nominally having some autonomy, this never came into force and the Tbilisi government waged a strong campaign to georgize Abkhazia. Meanwhile, thousands of Abkhazians were being killed as part of Soviet operations against resistance to the regime.

With the death of Stalin and the execution of Lavrenty Beria, the main leader of the repression, Abkhazia regained its autonomy. The development of Abkhazian culture and literature was promoted. Preferential quotas for the population of Abkhaz origin were also established in bureaucratic posts. However, they represented a minority within the country, so such measures generated discontent among the inhabitants of Georgian extraction, who saw these privileges as discrimination against their ethnic group.

Abkhazian War

During the 1980s, tension between the two ethnic groups began to escalate rapidly, due to the wishes of the Georgian elite for independence from the USSR. Fearing that a probable emancipation from the Tbilisi government could lead to a complete Georgization of Abkhazia, the Abkhazians collected more than 30,000 signatures for the government of Mikhail Gorbachev to declare the Abkhazian SASS a full member. union law.

The tension erupted on July 16, 1989, when there was an attempt to install a branch of the Tbilisi State University in Sukhumi. Violence against Georgians, unleashed by Abkhaz extremists, resulted in 16 deaths and 137 injuries. After several days of violence, the Red Army intervened to restore order in the city.

On August 23, 1990, in the face of the imminent collapse of the Soviet Union, the Supreme Soviet of Abkhazia declared its independence from the Georgian SSR and its inclusion as a full member of the Soviet Union. Access to the session was prevented by legislators of Georgian origin, who had been ordered from Tbilisi to boycott this statement.

Georgia finally declared its independence on April 9, 1991. However, the government of Zviad Gamsakhurdia was rejected by the Georgians and was deposed in January 1992 by General Tengiz Kitovani. The successor in the presidency would be Eduard Shevardnadze, former Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs. Although Shevardnadze was not a nationalist, the government he inherited from Gamsakhurdia was riddled with politicians who were, so he had to act on his advice to prevent a fall of his newly assumed government.

Administrative division of Abkhazia prior to 1995.

On February 22, 1992, the Constitution of the Georgian SSR was abolished and that of the former Democratic Republic of Georgia was reinstated. For the Abkhazians this annulled their level of autonomy, so in response to this they declared their independence on July 23 of that same year. Taking advantage of this situation, many supporters of Gamsakhurdia (zviadists) took refuge in Abkhazia.

Under the pretext that the Zviadists had kidnapped the Georgian Interior Minister and were holding him captive in Abkhazia, the Tbilisi government sent more than 3,000 soldiers into the rebel province to restore order, starting the war on August 14, 1992 Heavy fighting broke out between the Georgian Army and Abkhazian militias in the vicinity of Sukhumi. This did not prevent the Georgian troops from managing to enter the capital on the 18th, controlling a large part of the territory and causing the Abkhazian independence government to flee to the city of Gudauta.

The defeat of the rebels led, in the first instance, to the formation of a Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus: a paramilitary group of different pro-Russian peoples (Ossetians, Cossacks, Chechens, etc.) from the area. Hundreds of volunteers from Russia, such as the Chechen Shamil Basáyev, joined the Abkhaz separatist cause. Although a cessation of hostilities plan was negotiated in Moscow on September 3, during the first days of October Gagra was attacked by the Abkhazians and CPMC troops. After their victory many Georgians died, while others fled the city or were evacuated by the Russian Navy.

Although Russia declared itself neutral in the conflict, there are many testimonies of bombardments of Georgian troops by Russian planes. Shevardnadze accused Moscow of carrying out an undeclared war against Georgia, a theory that was reinforced when Russian soldiers were captured among the separatists, leading to the shooting down of a Russian military plane on March 11, 1993 by Georgian troops. flying over Abkhazian territory.

Paramilitaries launched a strong offensive to capture Sukhumi but were repelled. At that time, a genocide against the Georgians by the rebels and the Abkhazians began in the territories controlled by the Army. It is estimated that more than 6,000 people perished as part of these ethnic cleansing methods.

On July 2, fighting resumed after, with Russian air support, the rebels reached the village of Tamishi and approached the capital, only to be repelled again after a violent battle. However, Sukhumi was surrounded by the rebels. On July 27, 1993, a ceasefire agreement was signed in Sochi, which was again broken within a couple of months.

During a visit by President Shevardnadze to Sukhumi on September 16, 1993, secessionist troops launched a definitive attack on the city. Faced with the imminent fall of Sukhumi and the arson attack on the hotel where he was staying and from which he was saved almost miraculously, Shevardnadze had to flee the city on a Russian ship.

Sukhumi fell on September 27, and with this event, separatist forces quickly gained control of the rest of Abkhazia and expelled most of the communities of Georgian origin. It is estimated that more than 10,000 died^{[citation needed]} during the conflict and between 250,000 and 300,000 had to flee Abkhazia. These exiles went mainly to the Samegrelo area, the epicenter of the civil war against the Zviadists.

In December 1993, Georgian and Abkhaz leaders signed a peace agreement mediated by the UN and Russia. On April 4, 1994, the "Statement of Policies for the Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict" was signed in Moscow. In turn, in June of the same year, the peacekeepers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) made up only of Russian soldiers entered Abkhazia and months later the United Nations Observation Mission in Georgia did so.

However, the atrocities against ethnic Georgians did not end. An estimated 1,500 Georgians were exterminated^{[citation needed]} after the peace agreement. On September 14, 1994, through a television network, the leaders of Abkhazia ordered the expulsion of all Georgians before the 27th anniversary of the fall of Sukhumi. On November 30, a new Constitution was signed reaffirming the independence of Abkhazia, which even so was not recognized by any other nation and was repudiated by the United States. On March 21, 1995, the UNHCR accused Abkhaz militias of killing and torturing dozens of refugees in the Gali area. Meanwhile, and despite the embargo that weighed on the region, Russia supported the new Abkhaz government militarily and economically.

In April 1998, hundreds of Abkhaz forces entered the Gali district, killing several Georgians still in the area. Eduard Shevardnadze, however, refused to send troops to the conflict zone and signed a new ceasefire on May 20 of the same year. This new escalation ended with hundreds of deaths and more than 20,000 new Georgian refugees.

Political conflicts

On October 3, 2004, presidential elections were held to determine the successor to Vladislav Ardzinba, the then president of Abkhazia. Russia strongly supported Prime Minister Raul Khadjimba, who had the support of Vladimir Putin, deputies and other Russian personalities, and Ardzinba himself. However, on October 12, 2004, the Supreme Court of Abkhazia, after a series of contradictory decisions of the Election Committee, recognized the victory of businessman Sergei Bagapsh, accused by his detractors of being pro-Georgian or in favor of negotiations with Tbilisi.. Ardzinba accused the decision of being illegal and the pressure exerted caused the Court to retract it. However, the next day the Supreme Court reappointed Bagapsh as president. Khadjimba's supporters seized the Abkhazian Parliament building, while Bagapsh's supporters did the same with a TV channel. To avoid further trouble, Ardzinba replaced Khadjimba with Nodar Khashba.

On November 12, 2004, Bagapsh supporters seized the Abkhazian government headquarters, causing Khashba to flee. In this mess, Abkhazian linguist and Bagapsh supporter Tamara Shakryl was killed, probably by Ardzinba's guards. Because of the chaos in Sukhumi, Russia made it clear that it would directly intervene in Abkhazia if its interests in the area were affected, accusing Bagapsh of being responsible for the situation. After these events, Georgia reacted by declaring that Russia was once again "meddling" in internal affairs of the country.

On November 14, Khashba, accused by Shakryl's relatives of being responsible for his death, had to take refuge in the headquarters of the Russian peacekeeping troops in Sukhumi. The tension continued until December 7, the day of Bagapsh's inauguration. Upon taking office Bagapsh reached an agreement with Khadjimba to organize a government with him as vice president. This new government was approved with 90% of the votes and began on February 12, 2005, ending this crisis.

Negotiations

Avenida de la Paz, in Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia.

After the war Abkhazia was organized as an independent state, which however was not recognized by any state and only had the informal support of Russia. UNOMIG and CIS peacekeeping troops were established in Abkhazia in order to prevent a new military escalation against the Georgians who remained inside the territory.

Various attempts arose in order to find a solution to the Abkhaz situation. The Government of Abkhazia presented various proposals ranging from absolute recognition of its independence to integration as an associate member of the Russian Federation. Although Russia rejected the proposals, it began a process of granting Russian citizenship to a large number of Abkhazians. On the other hand, the European Union and the UN stated that Abkhazia should remain as part of Georgia and that, if it wants to become independent, all Georgian exiles should return and hold a referendum. The Georgian government, for its part, maintained its idea of reintegrating Abkhazia into its territory, but has had different plans to do so. For this, at least two peace plans were proposed. One would divide Georgia into seven autonomous entities with power over internal security and economic policies, while the central government would manage defense and foreign relations. The second proposal would establish a federal republic similar to the one formed by Serbia and Montenegro until 2006.

New conflicts

Major milestones of the Russian-Georgian War (2008) in August 2008 and areas occupied by Georgia in Abkhazia before the conflict.

Despite the proposals for a peaceful solution, the Georgian side did not reject the idea of subduing Abkhazia by military methods, especially after the fall of Aslan Abashidze, leader of the also rebellious Ajaria region, in 2004. Mikheil Saakashvili, president of Georgia after the so-called Revolution of the Roses, proposed to reintegrate both Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the same way, although it later retracted. Saakashvili stated that the Abkhaz issue was actually a conflict between Georgia and Russia, suggesting that the Abkhaz separatist government would be a puppet government dependent on Moscow. After strong pressure, the Russian government accepted the withdrawal of its military bases in Abkhazia in 2003, leaving only its peace corps.

In July 2006, the paramilitary chief of the Kodori Valley, located in the northwest of the country and the only part of the country not under Abkhazian rule, announced the rearmament of his guerrilla groups, an act that the Georgian government rejected. On the 25th of that month, the Georgian Army entered Abkhazia and, in less than two days, seized the Kodori area, eliminating Emzar Kvitsiani, the Svan "warlord" who had controlled the territory until then. On September 27 of that year, with the presence of Saakashvili and the patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church, the area controlled by the Army was renamed "Upper Abkhazia" and officially became the seat of the Georgian administration in the territory.

Ideas to subdue Abkhazia and South Ossetia by military means would resurface after a series of conflicts between Tbilisi and Moscow, and on August 8, 2008, Georgian troops invaded Ossetian secessionist areas. This fact led to the outbreak of the Second South Ossetian War after the penetration of the Russian Army in South Ossetia and its advance towards Georgian territory. Abkhazian volunteers traveled to Ossetia to assist separatist troops, while Russian military forces entered Abkhazia to support attacks on Georgia. The following day the Abkhaz separatist government established a new war front by attacking the Georgian forces located in the Kodori Valley. After the battle of the Kodori Valley, the Abkhazian Army took complete control of the valley, thus the entire territory of Abkhazia came under the sovereignty of the separatist government, whose authorities expressed their intention to consolidate the Abkhazian-Georgian border through an agreement with Russia to deploy troops in the area, in addition to the construction of border guards and fences with barbed wire.

After the end of the hostilities, which ended with a large part of Georgian territory under Russian occupation and with Abkhazia completely dominated by the separatists, procedures began for Russia to recognize Abkhaz independence. On August 25, 2008, the two chambers of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation asked President Dmitry Medvedev to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which in turn has been categorically rejected by the United States and the member countries. of NATO and has strained Russia's relations with the West. Finally, the next day, the Russian president recognized the independence of both regions.

2020 Pandemic

Like most countries in the world, Abkhazia has been affected by the 2020-2021 coronavirus pandemic. As of August 3, the Ministry of Health recorded 98 confirmed cases in the territory, 3 deaths and 37 recovered. The previous Sunday confirmed 14 more cases compared to the previous day, completing the aforementioned total.

As of August 31, the total cases were 330, with 120 people recovered and 4 deaths.

Geography

View of Lake Ritsa

The Abkhaz Caucasus.

Abkhazia is located in the Caucasus region, the border between Asia and Europe. It is a mountainous land, crossed by the Caucasus (which separates Abkhazia from Circassia), and whose coasts are bathed by the Black Sea. Of its 8,700 km² extension, 75% corresponds to mountainous areas, especially in the eastern area, close to Esvanetia, where some mountains exceed 4,000 meters in altitude, such as Peak Dombai, the highest altitude in Abkhazia.

The different arms that break off from the main mountain range, form deep valleys with small but important fluvial channels. An example of this is Lake Ritsa, north of Gagra, considered one of the most beautiful mountain lakes in the world. In this environment are also the four deepest known caves in the world. The deepest of them is the Veryovkina Cave, with an explored depth of 2212 meters. The second is Sima Krubera-Voronya, with a depth of 2,197 meters. Both are located in the Arabika massif (Orto-Balagan valley) and are the only two caves known worldwide whose depth exceeds 2000 meters.

A large part of the territory (about 70%) of Abkhazia is covered by oak, beech and alder forests. In the altitude interval that goes from sea level to 600 m s. no. m., the region is prodigal in deciduous forests. Above this level, and up to 1800 m s. no. m., various species of conifers proliferate, including some of the tallest trees in Europe, such as fir trees that exceed 70 meters. Between 1800 and 2900 m s. no. m., meadows with alpine characteristics can be found. Finally, above that altitude, the eternal snows of the mountain range and the glaciers extend.

Hydrography

The rivers are relatively short and all belong to the Black Sea basin. The most important ones (the Kodori (Kudry), the Bzib, the Kialasur, the Gumista) have a lot of water and their potential hydroelectric resources exceed 3, 5 million kWh. The rivers are mainly fed by rain and snow, and there are floods in spring and summer. The shortest river in the world, the Reprua, only 18 meters long, flows on the territory of the Gagra region. In the mountains there are picturesque lakes Ritsa and Amtkel.

Gega Waterfall is very popular with tourists.

In the film The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, the scene of Holmes' meeting with Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls was filmed near the Geg Falls.

Map and Elevation of Abkhazia.

Climate

Abkhazia enjoys a temperate subtropical climate due to the regulating effect of the Black Sea and the climate screen formed by the Caucasus, preventing the entry of cold boreal winds. The annual average temperature reaches 15 °C, with extremes of 4 °C in winter (January) and 23 °C in summer (July). Meanwhile, rainfall ranges between 1,100 and 1,500 mm per year, and humidity is relatively low. Above 1000 m s. no. m., the thermal amplitude increases, and harsher winters and summers occur, forming a climate with continental characteristics. Beyond 2000 meters of altitude, the mountain climate prevails, and temperatures drop considerably. In inland regions, rainfall increases, reaching 3,500 mm per year in mountainous areas. The snow can accumulate to exceed five meters in height in some regions of the Caucasus: avalanches are a latent danger in the few populated centers of the place.

Due to its pleasant climate and its beautiful landscapes, part of this territory was a place of great tourist influx, being known as part of the Soviet Riviera. In addition, the climate has allowed the development of agriculture, mainly crops such as tea, tobacco and fruits, as well as the installation of vineyards.

Landscape of the Gagra District in front of the Black Sea

Flora and fauna

The flora includes more than 3,500 plant species, 180 of which are woody and shrubby forms, while the rest are herbaceous. Some 400 species are endemic to the Caucasus and more than 100 are found only in Abkhazia. More than 55% of the country's area is covered with forests. There are individual massifs of broad-leaved forests (hornbeam, hornbeam, oak, chestnut, and others) and alder forests in the foothills of the Black Sea, which have been specially developed for cultivation (subtropical, technical, fruit and decorative crops, cereals, etc.) and in the gorges. At Pitsunda Cape there is a grove of relict Pitsunda pines. The mountains are dominated by beech trees (with boxwood in some places on the second story), with forests of fir and spruce on the upper slopes. From 2000 m, subalpine forests, alpine meadows and rocky vegetation begin to grow. Beginning in the 1920s, Soviet epidemiologists planted eucalyptus and sycamore trees to drain swamps and reduce breeding grounds for the malaria mosquito.

The forests are home to bears, wild boar, lynx, red deer and roe deer, upland chamois and Caucasian black grouse and lowland jackals. The rivers and lakes are inhabited by trout, salmon, carp, zander and other species of fish. Gambusia fish have been regularly introduced into Abkhazian reservoirs and rivers since 1925 to control malaria mosquito larvae and eggs. The Ritsi, Gumista and Pitsunda nature reserves are located on Abkhazian territory.

Government and administration

The Head of State of Abkhazia corresponds to the President of the Republic, a position currently held by Aslan Bzhania since 2020. The Head of Government, meanwhile, is the Prime Minister, a function that Artur Mikvabia has exercised since 20 March 2015.

Legislative power is exercised by the People's Assembly. This is made up of 35 members, elected by each of the 35 constituencies.

Territorial organization

Gudauta District Lake

The country has been administratively divided into 7 districts since 1995, named after its capital city:

• Gagra (capital)
• Gali (capital)
• Gudauta (capital)
• Gulripsh (capital)
• Ochamchira (capital)
• Sukhumi (capital)
• Tkvarcheli (capital)

International recognition

Abkhazia Postal Seals

The Republic of Abkhazia is not a member of the UN, but since 2008 it has been recognized by two countries that belong to that organization: Russia and Nicaragua. Additionally, on November 17, 2006, Abkhazia signed a mutual recognition protocol with the independent governments of South Ossetia and Transnistria, whose recognition is also disputed by other states. In 2009 Venezuela became the third UN member to recognize Abkhazia as an independent state.

Until September 27, 2006, a government-in-exile (the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia) operated in parallel in Tbilisi, led by a Supreme Council and a Council of Ministers. From that date, the government moved to the area of Upper Abkhazia, after the Georgian Army took control of the region. The pro-Georgian government was led by Malkhaz Akishbaia, Chairman of the Council of Ministers, until the expulsion of the Georgians after their defeat at the Battle of Kodori Valley on August 12, 2008.

Decree No. 1260 of the President of Russia recognizing the independence of Abkhazia

On August 25, 2008, both houses of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation asked then-President Dmitry Medvedev to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. On August 26, the Russian government recognized Ossetia's independence South and Abkhazia and urged other governments to do the same. Subsequently, on September 9, Russia established diplomatic relations with the two countries.

Nicaragua was the second country to recognize Abkhazia, after Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega did so on September 3. On August 29, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez reiterated his support for Russia in the conflict in the Caucasus, without recognizing at that time the independence of the two republics, which it finally recognized on September 10, 2009.

Following these three countries' recognition of Abkhazia, in the weeks since the end of the war, Nauru, Vanuatu and Tuvalu have joined the recognition; although Vanuatu and Tuvalu have subsequently withdrawn their recognition in May 2013 and March 2014, respectively.

Defense

Abkhaz Air Force scarapela.

The Armed Forces of Abkhazia are responsible for the defense of the Republic of Abkhazia. The base of the Abkhazian armed forces is formed by the National Guard, which started operating in early 1992. Most of the weapons come from the former Russian Airborne Division base in Gudauta. The Army of Abkhazia is primarily a land force, but also includes small air and sea forces. Additionally, Russia currently has about 1,600 soldiers stationed in Abkhazia.

The Armed Forces of Abkhazia consist of:

• The Abkhaz Land Forces, with a permanent force of about 5,000 troops, but with reservists that can increase this number to a maximum of 5,000 in times of military conflict. The exact number and type of equipment used remain impossible to verify.
• The Abkhaz Navy, which consists of three divisions based in Sukhumi, Ochamchira and Pitsunda, in addition to the presence of Russian Navy patrols in their waters.
• Abkhazia Air Force. Its composition is not known specifically. It has an undetermined number of combat, training and helicopter planes.

In 2010 Russia also deployed the S-300 air defense system in Abkhazia.

Economy

Pitsunda is one of the main tourist centers in the country.

Traditionally, agriculture has been the most important economic activity in Abkhazia, having as its most representative products: citrus fruits, tobacco, tea and grapes. However, the meager extent of land suitable for agricultural work imposed a prohibitive limit on the development of the sector. Industrial production is concentrated in meat packaging, and in the wood industry. In times of peace, the services area boosts the economy with the income derived from tourism, highlighting the activity of recreational enterprises installed on the coast. Abkhazia is connected to Russia and the rest of the Caucasian countries by road and rail; The capital also has an important airport.

The economy of this republic is in a difficult situation. In recent years, with the support of Russia, efforts have been made to improve the quality of life of its inhabitants. During its years of de facto independence, Abkhazia has had to deal with the economic chaos bequeathed by the Soviet collapse and, later, the bloody war against Georgia, in addition to the subsequent humanitarian crisis. Added to this is the embargo to which it is subjected, and which is broken only by Russia. As a way to overcome the crisis, the Abkhazian government has tried to encourage foreign investment, promoting neoliberalism and requesting various loans from Russian banks. According to a United Nations Development Program report in April 2004, Abkhazia's GDP had fallen by 80-90% in the past 15 years, and the unemployment rate had reached 90%..

The de facto currency used is the Russian ruble, and the US dollar can be exchanged at banks in Sukhumi, Gagra, Gali and Gudauta. The Georgian lari is out of circulation.

Tourism

One of the region's top tourist attractions is New Athos. This city is famous for its monastery, founded in 1875. On the top of Mount Iveron is the Anakopia fortress, the oldest surviving in the eastern Black Sea region, as well as the ruins of an ancient temple. In the vicinity there are karst caves, the most famous of which is the Anakopi (New Athos) cave. In the gorge of the Psyrtskha River there is a grotto and the temple of Saint Simon the Zealot. North of New Athos, in Pitsunda, there is a church from the X century; The local history museum exhibits excavations from the ancient city of Pitiunt (11th century BC-8th century AD)

Sights of Abkhazia include various natural beauties, including the karst caves of the Arabica mountain massif, the largest and most picturesque in Abkhazia, the Ritsa mountain lake (formed at the beginning of the XVIII as a result of an earthquake), and also the mountain lake Amtkel, located 45 km northeast of Sukhumi (formed in 1891 as a result of an landslide), the blue Lake of karstic origin with a unique water color, several waterfalls (Geg or Geghi), Ptichy, Maiden's Tears, Man's Tears, the New Athos artificial waterfall, etc.), the roofs of boxwood), the boxwood-covered valley of the river Zhvala-Kvara; the large karst plateau of the Bzyb karst massif and the Stone Gorge on the Bzyb River.

Demographics

View of Sukhumi, the main city of Abkhazia.

Ethnic distribution in Abkhazia (2009). Most Abkhazia Most Georgian Most Armenian

Various ethnic groups have coexisted, throughout history, in Abkhazia. The apsuas stand out, considered as natural Abkhazians, and the Georgians, corresponding to the ancient tribes: kartvelians, esvanos and zanes. To these are added Greek, Armenian and Russian immigrants.

Abkhazia's demographics changed dramatically as a result of the war in the 1990s. According to the census conducted by Soviet authorities in 1989, Abkhazia had a population of approximately 500,000, of whom 48% were Georgians (mainly Mingrelians) and only 17% were Abkhazians. Almost half of the latter were Sunni Muslims and the other half were Orthodox Christians.

The war not only caused a sharp decline in the population (to less than 150,000 inhabitants and in 2003 it reached 215,972) but also wiped out much of the Georgian ethnicity. This was partly due to large-scale killings and, above all, mass expulsion initiatives. Only in the Gali area are communities of this origin maintained (close to 92% of the population).

According to official Georgian government estimates, 264,792 people fled from Abkhazia to other parts of the country between 1992 and 1998. Of these, about 120,000 took refuge in the area of Mingrelia and Esvanetia, and more than 77,800 in the capital, Tbilisi.

Recently, with the purpose of recovering the country's population to its historical levels, the Government of Abkhazia has promoted the repatriation of mujayirs, that is, Abkhazians who had been exiled, mainly to Turkey, after successive Georgian-Abkhaz conflicts.

Sukhumi is the capital and main city of the country. The last official census (carried out in 2003) estimated a population of 43,716 inhabitants in the city, figures that contrast with the 1989 figures of 121,406 inhabitants. Other towns of importance are Gagra, Gali, Gudauta, Ochamchire and Tkvarcheli.

The media are mostly under the influence of the government, which owns the main television and radio station in the country, although there are other private stations that have various restrictions. In much of the country, without However, signals from television and radio stations of Russian and Georgian origin can be captured. Respublika Abkhazia and the weeklies Ejo Abjazii, Nuzhnaya Gazeta and Forum) which also have various restrictions and have even been attacked or threatened after making some criticisms of the government.

Notice in Abkhazia in the Abkhaz, Russian and Latin alphabets. The Georgian language of traffic signals has been eliminated in Abkhazia. The Abkhaz alphabet is based on the Cyrillic.

Languages

The official languages of Abkhazia are Abkhazian, a member of the North-West Caucasian family of languages; and Russian, which is widespread and fluent in the majority of the population. Other languages spoken in Abkhazia are Georgian and Megrelian. The vast majority of the ethnically Georgian population is bilingual, speaking both Georgian and Megrelian. The population of Armenian origin speaks Armenian.

Article 6 of the Constitution of Abkhazia says:

"The official language of the Republic of Abkhazia shall be the Abkhazian language. The Russian language, like the Abkhazian language, will be recognized as a language of the State and other institutions. The State will guarantee the right to freely use the mother tongue to all ethnic groups residing in Abkhazia."

The languages spoken in Abkhazia are Abkhazian, Russian, Mingrelian, Van, Armenian, and Greek. The Autonomous Republic passed a law in 2007 defining the Abkhaz language as the only state language of Abkhazia. As such, Abkhaz is the required language for legislative and executive council debates (with translation from and into Russian) and at least half of the text in all magazines and newspapers must be in Abkhaz.

Despite Abkhaz's official status, the dominance of other languages within Abkhazia, especially Russian, is so great that experts as recently as 2004 labeled it an 'endangered language' 3. 4;. During the Soviet era, language teaching would begin in Abkhaz schools, only to switch to Russian for most of the compulsory schooling. The Government of the Republic is trying to institute an exclusively Abkhazian primary education, but success has been limited due to the lack of teaching facilities and materials. Even in the Georgian-speaking parts of the Republic, the termination of schooling in that language has resulted in teachers switching to Russian-language material instead of Abkhazian teaching.

Since the days of Stalinism, it was compulsory for Abkhazians in the Soviet Union to learn both Russian and Georgian. Since de facto independence, Georgian is practically no longer taught as a foreign language in Abkhazia and is used almost exclusively among the ethnic Georgians. In the south of the country, where the majority of the population is of Georgian origin, numerous Georgian schools existed, but they were severely underfunded. In 2021, the Abkhaz government closed the last Georgian schools, so only Georgian has been taught since then. as a foreign language. As a result, many Georgians from Abkhazia attend Russian schools or cross the Georgian border to go to school.

A large proportion of Georgians living in Abkhazia are Mingrelians, considered a sub-ethnic group of Georgians. Their language, Mingrelian, is also widespread in Abkhazia. It differs significantly from Georgian in some ways, but it is rarely used as a written language. The Gal magazine is published in Abkhazia and is considered the only Mingrelian-language newspaper in the world.

In addition, numerous minority languages are spoken in Abkhazia, including Armenian. In 2011, there were a total of 32 schools for the Armenian minority in the country.[28] Other minority languages are Pontic Greek, Estonian, Romanian and Ukrainian. The Estonian minority settled in Abkhazia in the second half of the 19th century.

Religion

Church of Saint Simon the Canaanite, Gudauta

Most people in Abkhazia are Christian (mainly belonging to the Georgian Orthodox Church and a small part to the Armenian Apostolic Church), Sunni Muslims or irreligious, but most of the people who declare themselves Christians or Muslims they do not attend religious services. The influence of Abkhaz's traditional religion also remains strong among Christians, Muslims and non-believers. There is a very small number of followers of Judaism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other new religious movements. Jehovah's Witnesses have been officially banned since 1995, although the decree is not enforced today.

Under the constitutions of both Abkhazia and Georgia, followers of all religions (as well as atheists or irreligious) have equal rights under the law.

According to a 2003 survey, 60% of Abkhazians identified themselves as Christian, 16% as Muslim, 8% as atheist or irreligious, and another 8% as belonging to traditional Abkhaz religions or outright pagans.

Health

Since ancient times, the coast of Abkhazia was swampy, swamps and other bodies of standing water served as breeding grounds for the malaria mosquito, and malaria was endemic in Abkhazia. The situation began to change in the early years of Soviet power, when malaria control on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus became a state objective.

In Abkhazia and Sochi, the fight against infection was led by epidemiologists N. P. Rukhadze and S. Sokolov. Radical measures were taken, such as draining the swamps, planting eucalyptus and plane trees to prevent them from re-wetting, stocking ponds and rivers with larvaeating fish, brought by N. P. Rukhadze from Italy, with gambusia. P. Rukhadze from Italy. By the mid-1950s, Abkhazia was completely free of malaria.

During the time of the Soviet Union, medical services were completely free but there was criticism about the quality of the service provided, especially in recent decades when economic problems became more evident, after the dissolution of the USSR, the war of Abkhazia's independence from Georgia affected the infrastructures, which have gradually been rebuilt.

Culture

Literature

Monument to Poet Bagrat Shinkuba in Sukhumi Central Park

Early Abkhaz writers were George Shervashidze (Chachba) (1846-1918, author of Russian and Georgian fiction) and Solomon Zvanba (1809-1855, published essays on Abkhazia in the Russian press). The founder of Abkhazian literature, Dmitri Iosifovich Gulia, wrote his works in both Abkhaz and Russian (in particular, he wrote The History of Abkhazia in Russian (Tiflis, 1925). Gulia's poetic work includes two collections of poems ("A Collection of poems", Tiflis, 1912; "Poems, Satires and Songs", Sukhum, 1923), which include works developing Abkhazian folklore themes and techniques, a poem "Love Letter" (Tiflis, 1913) D. I. Gulia also created the short story 'Under Alien Sky' (telling the story of an Abkhazian peasant exiled to Siberia, who accepts punishment for a prince's crime), various translations of the Russian and Georgian languages, and even plays.

Other Abkhaz authors of the 1920s include poet I. A. Kogonia ("Abkhaz Poems", Sukhumi, 1924), playwright and researcher S. Ya. Chanba (plays "Majadzhirs", "Maiden of the Mountains"; book "Geography of Abkhazia", Sukhumi, 1925), playwright and translator Mushni Khashba (comedy &# 34;Achapshara", or "Visiting the sick", Abkhaz translation of "Khadzhi-Murat" by L. N. Tolstoy), playwright S. Bzhania. the works of Russian-speaking Abkhaz authors Giorgi Guliya, Fazil Iskander, Daur Zantaria, and the poet and prose writer Bagrat Shinkuba, who wrote in both Abkhaz and Russian.

Literature written in Abkhaz appeared relatively recently, at the beginning of the XX century. However, Abkhazia shares with other peoples of the Caucasus the Nart sagas, a series of tales about mythical heroes. The Abkhaz alphabet was created in the 19th century. The first Abkhazian newspaper, called "Abkhazia" and edited by Dimitri Gulya, it appeared in 1917.

Arguably the most famous writers from Abkhazia are Fazil Iskander, who wrote mostly in Russian, and Bagrat Shinkuba, a local poet.

Music

Abkhaz folk music is polyphonic. The musical structure of Abkhaz songs (worship, hunting, work) testifies to their ancient origin.

The national musical instruments are: ayumaa (corner harp), ahymaa (zither-like instrument), the apherza (two-stringed bowed instrument), and the acharpin (a kind of local flute).

Russian Dramatic Theatre. Sukhumi, Abkhazia.

A. M. Balanchivadze, G. 3. Chkhikvadze, V. V. Akhobadze, D. N. Shvedov, Sh. M. Mshvelidze, I. E. Kortua, A. Pozdneev, N. Chanba and others were engaged in collecting and recording Abkhaz musical folklore.

Several musical works are based on Abkhazian folklore: one example is the opera "The Exiles" by D.N. Shvedov, "Mziya" by Balanchivadze (performed in 1949 at the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre).

Theater

The origins of Abkhaz theater culture lie in folk plays, rituals, and oral folklore.

In 1921, after the establishment of Soviet power in Abkhazia, a theater company began to work. The Abkhazian Drama Theater opened in Sukhumi in 1930. The theater was renamed after S. Chanba in 1967.

Widely known is the dance culture of Abkhazia: the Abkhaz State Folk Song and Dance Ensemble has existed since the 1940s, whose artistic director for many years was Fazilbey Kurua.

Architecture

Among the oldest monuments of Abkhazia are sites of ancient man (Kva-Chara cave), dolmens and cromlechs, the ruins of an early medieval church and fortress (5th-6th centuries) in the village of Azanta, remains of medieval fortresses at Abahuats, Mushba, Alta Eshera (in the latter, in addition to the ruins of the Uaz-Abaa fortress, from the 8th century, also ruins of a church from the 11th-12th centuries). The atsangguara stand out, old constructions of small uncut stones in the shape of fences, dating from approximately the 6th-10th centuries. The necropolises of the Tsebelda culture are preserved. In Likhnakh, the former capital of the Abkhaz kingdom, you can see some interesting monuments. Above all, these are the Assumption Cathedral from the 8th-10th centuries with rich fresco painting from the XIVth century, as well as the ruins of the Chachba-Shervashidze princely palace (16th-17th centuries).

Most recently, on July 8, 2016, a yeSUKHUM sculpture was installed in the capital, on the occasion of the celebration of the 2500th anniversary of the city of Sukhumi. The sculpture was installed in S. V. Bagapsh, at the main gate of the city of Sukhumi. Now it has already become one of the main tourist attractions of the pier.

Sports

Football remains the most popular sport in Abkhazia. Other popular sports are basketball, boxing, and wrestling. The Abkhazian National Basketball Team played its first international match with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus basketball team on May 27, 2015, which the Abkhazian team won 76-59. The Abkhazian basketball team "Apsny" he also plays in the third tier of the Russian Basketball League for Krasnodar Krai.

Daur Akhvlediani Stadium, Gagra, Abkhazia

Abkhazia has had its own amateur football league since 1994 (Abkhazian Football Championship). The league is not part of any international soccer association. In total, there are nineteen Abkhazian Football Clubs in the two leagues. In 2016, it hosted and won the ConIFA Soccer World Cup.