Abkhaz people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Abkhazians (Аҧсуа) |
|---|
| Total population |
|
600,000 est |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Abkhazia (de jure autonomous republic of Georgia): 83,000 (est)[1] Rest of Georgia: |
| Languages |
| Abkhaz language |
| Religions |
| Eastern Orthodox, Sunni Islam |
| Related ethnic groups |
| Abazins, other "Circassian" peoples |
The Abkhazians or Abkhaz (Abkhaz: Аҧсуа, Georgian: აფხაზები, Turkish: Abhazlar) are a Caucasian ethnic group, mainly living in Abkhazia, de jure an autonomous republic of Georgia. A large Abkhazian diaspora lives in Turkey who are descendants of Abkazians who emigrated from the Abkhaz homeland in late 19th century[citation needed]. Many also live in other parts of former USSR like Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Origins
The origins of the Abkhaz are disputed for several reasons. The language of the Abkhaz belongs to the Northwest Caucasian languages group which is distinct from the Georgian (Kartvelian) language family. However, scholarly opinion (mostly Western and Georgian) favors the notion that the indigenous people of Abkhazia were directly related to the Heniochi tribe, a proto-Georgian group that lived along the northeastern shores of the Black Sea, on the southern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains. According to Professor David Marshall Lang, the Henoichi tribe lived near the border of Colchis (Western Georgian Kingdom) and were eventually absorbed into that state in the first millennium BC.[2]
[edit] Religion
The main religion of Abkhaz living in Abkhazia is Orthodox Christianity. According to Professor Lang Saint Nino's evangelization included the Western Georgian Kingdoms of Lazica, Colchis and Abkhazia.[3]
Later, during the 15th century Ottoman invasion of Abkhazia, many people adopted Islam. Many Abkhazians who were Muslim migrated in the 19th century to the Ottoman Empire.
[edit] History
In the early Middle Ages, the Abkhazian Kingdom coexisted together with the Georgian Kingdom. The Abkhaz and Georgian kingdoms were eventually unified into a single, Georgian State by the beginning of the 11th century. In the 1860s, Abkhazia was annexed by the Russian Empire, at a time when Georgia had disintegrated into various local kingdoms and statelets (principalities). During this period and soon afterward, a significant part of the Abkhazian population (which confesses a mixture of Islamic, Christian and pagan beliefs) was either expelled or freely moved into the adjacent Ottoman Empire.
After the 1917 revolution, Abkhazia became a part of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, but was conquered by the Red Army soon thereafter and eventually entered the Soviet Union as a sovereign republic in the composition of what was called the Transcaucasian Federation, a status that was confirmed in 1925 in the new constitution of Abkhazia. This status, however, was lowered in 1931 to an Autonomous Republic, and Abkhazia became a part of Georgia once again.
During the Soviet period (especially under Stalin), Abkhazia underwent "Georgification", and Abkhazians experienced discrimination. Lavrenty Beria, the head of the Georgian Communist Party in 1930, played an active role in implementing this policy. As a result, the population of Abkhazians sharply changed during the next two generations. By 1989, the number of Abkhazians was about 93,000 (18% of the population of the republic), while the Georgian population numbered 240,000 (45%). The number of Armenians (15% of the entire population) and Russians (14%) also substantially grew.
In 1993, the majority of the ethnic Georgian population was expelled from Abkhazia, so after this year, Abkhazians form an ethnic plurality in Abkhazia (45%), with Russians, Armenians, Georgians, Greeks, and Jews comprising most of the remainder of the population of Abkhazia. There are about 200,000 ethnic Abkhazians in all, of whom 150,000 live in Abkhazia. The total population of Abkhazia is estimated at 340,000 people.
However, the exact demographic figures for the region are disputed and alternative figures are available.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Caucasian Information
- ^ D. M. Lang, Caucasian studies, University of London, 1964 Vol.1
- ^ Roger Rosen, Abkhazia, Library of Congress Catalogue, 2004
- ^ Georgians and Abkhazians. The Search for a Peace Settlement (Notes and References section), by various authors, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, August 1998.
[edit] References
- David Marshall Lang, Caucasian studies, University of London, 1964, Vol.1
- Roger Rosen, Abkhazia, Library of Congress Catalogue, 2004, ISBN 962-217-748-4
