Abzhywa

This article does not cite any sources. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Abzhywa აბჟუა
Historical region
Abzhywa Map highlighting the historical region of Abzhywa
Coordinates: 42°51′N 41°22′E / 42.850°N 41.367°E / 42.850; 41.367Coordinates: 42°51′N 41°22′E / 42.850°N 41.367°E / 42.850; 41.367 An approximate geographical area.
Country	Georgia
Mkhare	Abkhazia
Capital	Tbilisi

Abzhywa (Abkhazian: Abzhuaa - "middle people" – Абжьыуа, Abƶywa; also transliterates as Abzhua from Russian: Абжуа, Абжива; Georgian: აბჟუა) is one of the seven historical regions in Abkhazia, and accordingly one of the seven stars on Flag of Abkhazia represents Abzhywa. Local residents belong to ethnographic group of  [ru] (Abzhui Abkhazians).

Territory[]

Since emergence of separate feudal entity in the 15th-16th centuries – the Principality of Abkhazia, Abzhywa was a separate administrative district. Later, in the Russian Empire Abzhywa constituted an okrug of Abkhazia. It occupied most of the territory of modern Ochamchire, as well as part of the territory of the Tkvarcheli District of Abkhazia, between the Kodor and rivers.

History[]

Abzhywa got its name from its middle location among the rest of the historical regions of Abkhazia. Historically it was part of the principality of Apsilae. During the period of Russian rule in Abkhazia up to 1866, Abzhua was called "Abzhuiskiy district", in 1868-1883 - "Kodori district", in 1919-1930 - "Kodori district". Since 1930, Abzhua officially became known as the Ochamchira region (later - Ochamchire Municipality). The historical centers of Abjua were the villages of Mokva and  [ru]. The principality of Apsilae appears as part of Abkhazian principality from the first half of the XVIII century. It was created after the Abkhazian principality annexed the northwestern part of the Samegrelo principality. The first governor of Abzhua was the son of the Abkhazian prince  [ka] —  [ka], who inherited the middle part of the principality from his father's inheritance, hence the etymology of the toponym.

Literature[]

Maan O. V. (in Russian) Abzhua. Historical and ethnological sketches of the Ochamchira region of Abkhazia. Sukhum, 2006

References[]

This Abkhazia location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

• v
• t