Samurzakano

Historical region in Abkhazia, Georgia

Samurzakano სამურზაყანო
Historical region
Samurzakano Militia standard, 1841
42°41′N 41°39′E / 42.683°N 41.650°E / 42.683; 41.650 An approximate geographical area.
Country	Georgia
Mkhare	Abkhazia
Capital	Tbilisi

Samurzakano (Georgian: სამურზაყანო, Samurzak'ano, Samurzaqano) is a historical region in southeastern Abkhazia,^[1] in western Georgia.^[2]^[3] It is populated by Mingrelians.

History

Samurzakano was established as a fief of one of the branches of the Chachba family in the early 18th century. It included the territory of the contemporary Gal district and part of Ochamchira district.

The Georgian Soviet Encyclopaedia wrote "in 1705 three brothers of the Abkhazian ruling family, surnamed Chachba (in Georgian Shervashidze) divided up their territory, one taking the north (from Gagra to the R. Kodor), the second the central Abzhywa region (from the Kodor to the R. Ghalidzga), and the third, Murzaqan, the southern part (from the Ghalidzga to the R. Ingur), and so this province, which was roughly equivalent to the modern Gal District, became known as Samurzaqano."^[2]^[4]

Gallery

Cultural depictions of Samurzakano

Barns in Saberio, 1884
Bazaar in Okumi, 1884
Okumi, 1884
Samurzakanians, 1913
School in Okumi, 1884

References

^ 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 previously recognised it but then withdrew their recognition), while the remainder of the international community recognizes it as as de jure Georgian territory. Georgia continues to claim the area as its own territory, designating it as Russian-occupied territory.
^ ^a ^b Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia, v. 9, p. 37, Tb., 1985.
^ კახა კვაშილავა, ისტორიული სამურზაყანო (XVII-XVIII სს. მიჯნა – 1840 წ.). საკვალიფიკაციო ნაშრომი ისტორიის დოქტორის /Ph.D/ აკადემიური ხარისხის მოსაპოვებლად, თბილისი, 2009
^ Kakha N. Kvashilava. From the Historical Past of Samurzakano (The Turn of XVII-XVIII Centuries – 1840). Tbilisi, 2011 (in Georgian; Summaries in English and Russian)