Konstantin Machavariani on Abkhazia, the Muhajirism, and the Fate of the Abkhaz (Moambe, 1895)
Originally published in the Georgian journal Moambe in 1895, this remarkable account by Konstantin Machavariani (Abu-kino), centred on his conversation with Murzakan Kodor-ipa, offers a contemporary perspective on Abkhazia, the Muhajirism, and the fate of the Abkhaz people. Originally written in Georgian, it has been translated into English by AbkhazWorld.
From My Diary
By Konstantin Machavariani (Abu-kino)
Published in Moambe, No. 9, 1895, pp.61-64
The cause of any people who forget their language and make no effort to preserve and develop it is a lost cause. Its future is death and extinction.
In Ochamchira, on the banks of the Galidzga River, Abu-kino met Murzakan Kodor-ipa, a friend from his youth.
Having heard that Murzakan had emigrated to Turkey, Abu-kino asked him to recount what he had experienced. After a long hesitation, Kodor-ipa began his story:
“Abkhazia lies on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, between the rivers Bzyb and Enguri. It covers an area of 7,269.55 square versts and is divided into four districts: Gudauta, Gumista, Kodori and Samurzakano.
Allow me one brief remark. Some believe that Samurzakano, which stretches from the Okhurei River to the Enguri, belongs to Mingrelia rather than Abkhazia. They are mistaken. Although the inhabitants of Samurzakano speak Mingrelian, they are, in fact, Abkhazians.
There is no need to cite countless documents to prove this. One need only examine the names and surnames of the indigenous inhabitants of the region to be convinced that they are genuine Abkhazians. Among them are the Emukhvaris, Shervashidzes, Marganias, Chkhotuas, Anchabadzes, Kvadzhs, Murzakans, Abzagus, Bazalas, Kvablukhos, Gedlachs, and many others.
This region is called Samurzakano because it was once the hereditary domain of Murzakan Shervashidze.
Today (1895), the total number of Abkhazians does not exceed fifty-two thousand. They now live only in three districts: Gudauta, Kodori and Samurzakano. Gumista has been left almost entirely deserted, its inhabitants having emigrated—some in 1867, others later. After the last war, virtually the whole of Abkhazia was emptied as its people departed for Turkey.
Even before a single shot had been fired, confusion and unrest had already spread throughout the country.
On 18 April, the twenty-two Cossacks stationed at the port of Gudauta, the only harbour between the Bzyb and Sukhum, were recalled to Sukhum. By this single order, the entire region was left without a single soldier, defenceless and exposed to marauders.
I must tell you that at the time Sukhum was garrisoned by the Third and Fourth Battalions, a regiment of Labin Cossacks, militia units and mountain artillery. Altogether, the force numbered no fewer than four thousand men. As I understood it, this was more than sufficient for General M. Kravchenko to meet the enemy honourably both at Gudauta and at Sukhum.
Instead, he withdrew his troops from Sukhum, moving them eight or nine versts away to the banks of the Machara River. Nor did he remain there. He retreated another thirty-five versts to Tsebelda.
Such unwarranted caution on the part of the commander was soon exploited by certain individuals, who spread rumours among the population that the Russians must already be in serious difficulty if they were abandoning their positions before the enemy had even appeared and retreating towards Georgia. If the enemy were to arrive, they said, the Russians would surely flee even farther.”
“On 28 April, two armoured vessels approached the settlement of Gudauta. The whole of Upper Abkhazia gathered there. As I have already said, there was not a single soldier present. The people had neither weapons nor leaders. You may have heard that several years earlier the Abkhazians had been disarmed. What were they expected to do? How were they supposed to fight an enemy? With their bare hands? With their teeth?
It is easy enough to say: ‘You should have fought. You should have died rather than surrender a single piece of your native land to the enemy.’
Yet the war had not even begun when Reshid Gech, a well-known prince of the Jikhs living beyond the Bzyb River, came to Sukhum and warned General Kravchenko:
‘We have learned that the Hünkâr (the Sultan of Turkey —Ed.) is preparing to wage war against us. The first attacks will undoubtedly fall upon our Black Sea coast, above all upon Sukhum. Therefore, either return our weapons to us or provide us with troops to defend us from the enemy.’
Kravchenko did not believe him and dismissed the outraged prince empty-handed.
The war began, and once again, my dear Abu-kino, the old truth proved itself anew: the weak are always blamed by the strong.
Responsibility for the so-called uprising in Abkhazia was placed not upon the inept and helpless chief shepherd who abandoned his flock to the wolves, but upon the flock itself, the Abkhazians.
It was not General Kravchenko who was blamed, but the indigenous Abkhazians living between the Bzyb and Galidzga rivers, who were accused of having shamefully surrendered the Black Sea coast without shedding blood.
As a result, Abkhazia was divided into two parts: the ‘guilty’ and the ‘innocent’. Those living between the Bzyb and Galidzga rivers were declared guilty, while those living between the Galidzga and Enguri were deemed innocent.
The latter retained hereditary rights to the lands they occupied and those allocated to them by government mediators. The former, however, were stripped of their hereditary rights. They were permitted only lifelong use of their plots as tenants and were denied the right either to lease them on a sharecropping basis or to sell them.
Our country is so rich and so desirable that people come here from every direction, seeking to establish themselves. There is no need to look far for proof. Just look at the lands once belonging to our Abkhazians and Circassians. Today Armenians, Czechs, Little Russians and others have settled here and prosper. Everyone is drawn to this land.
Many of these newcomers attempt, by both word and deed, to mislead the indigenous inhabitants into abandoning their homeland forever, so that they, or government officials, may settle in their place.”
From the correspondence of Antimoz Jugheli (Gadagmeli), “Abkhazia, 13 November”, Droeba, 1883, No. 240
The most notable development in Abkhazia at present is the settlement of the uninhabited areas here. After the last war, the principal directive was that Abkhazians were not to be allowed to settle on the lands between the rivers Kodori and Psyrtskha (Psyrpha — Ed.). Everyone else, however, was granted the right to settle there.
As Droeba’s readers were previously informed, people of various nationalities poured into the country, yet no one apart from our Imeretians, Mingrelians and Greeks was able to establish themselves on these lands. At present, seven or eight Mingrelian villages and three or four Greek villages have been founded around Sukhum.
Being Christians, these settlers, once they had arrived and established themselves, also began to attend to their spiritual needs and set about building churches. For example, today, in the village of Merkheuli, fourteen versts from Sukhum, beside the main highway, representatives of the local population and Archpriest Father D. Machavariani were invited to attend the consecration of a church.
In addition, in the village of Abzhakva, close to Sukhum, the Mingrelians are building a church of stone and lime at their own expense.
It is said that other newcomers are shown greater favour and receive more assistance. It is difficult to say with certainty how true this is. What we do know for certain is that other settlers are given up to fifteen chervonets to help with the initial establishment of their farms.
From Sergei Meskhi’s article “Abkhazians and Abkhazia”, Droeba, 1878, No.158
In this 1878 article, Sergei Meskhi reflects on Abkhazia, the suffering of the Abkhazians and Circassians, and the forced exile of Abkhazians to Turkey. Originally written in Georgian and published in Droeba, it has been translated into English by AbkhazWorld.
Sergei Meskhi (1845–1883) was a famous 19th-century Georgian writer, journalist, and public figure. He edited the progressive Droeba (”Time”) newspaper from 1869 to 1881.
Abkhazians and Abkhazia
Abkhazia, and indeed this entire stretch of the Caucasian coast of the Black Sea, is one of the most beautiful and richest corners of the earth. Nature has generously endowed this land... Yet, just as rich as this nature is, so unhappy and impoverished was the people who had lived here since ancient times... The Circassians and Abkhazians who lived here enjoyed the blessings of their country only to the extent necessary not to die of hunger...
It would take us too far to describe the historical conditions which caused these peoples, of excellent character, fine abilities, and generously gifted by nature, to remain almost in a state of barbarism; why they retreated into their mountain cliffs, hid in the forests, and for what reason they became estranged from urban and civic life...
The Abkhazians left behind their ancestral lands, their fields, mountains, forests and huts, and resettled in Turkey, where great misfortune and a life of suffering awaited them.
In the years 1864–1866, as is known and as was written at the time, more than 200,000 Circassians alone migrated to Turkey.
This year, according to official figures, 50,000 Abkhazians have left their country and resettled in Turkey...
Most of the Abkhazians who were placed on ships to be deported to Turkey wept and sobbed, stretching out their hands towards their native land. And when they were bidding farewell, they said: “Tell the Russian government that we are not leaving of our own free will; we are being taken away by force, and therefore let them regard us as prisoners of the enemy, but not as traitors...”
Mr Machavariani says that this people was forced to side with Turkey because it had no means of resisting the enemy.
There is no doubt that among this people there were those who were haunted by the thought of liberating Abkhazia, and for that reason turned away from Russia. But there is also no doubt that the overwhelming majority of Abkhazians were compelled, against their will, to take the side of the Turks, because they had no other path, no other means of defending themselves and their families...
A few days ago, our newspaper published an article by Mr Machavariani, in which the reader had the opportunity to learn how, under what conditions, and with what degree of coercion the deportation of the Abkhazians was carried out...
If this is so, then we must hope that our government will grant all Abkhazians who wish to return the right to come back and settle once again in their own country. Apart from considerations of humanity, this is demanded by justice, and even by practical interest, because there can be no doubt that peoples such as the Circassians and Abkhazians are better to have as friends than as enemies.
See also:
+ Three Extracts from the Georgian Newspapers Droeba and Iveria
+ Revelations of forgotten voices
+ Georgii Tsereteli (1879): It’s time that we grab new territories in the Caucasus