Abkhazia, known in Georgian as Apkhazeti, is a region of extraordinary natural beauty and deep historical significance on the eastern Black Sea coast. Recognized internationally as an integral part of Georgia and supported by 32 United Nations Security Council resolutions affirming Georgia's territorial integrity, Abkhazia has been under Russian military occupation since the 2008 war. Despite this contemporary tragedy, the region's cultural heritage—spanning millennia from ancient Colchis to the medieval Georgian Kingdom—remains an indelible part of Georgia's story.
The region's history begins in the mists of Greek mythology. This was Colchis, the destination of Jason and the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece, the homeland of Medea. In the 6th century BCE, Greek traders from Miletus established Dioscurias (modern Sukhumi/Sokhumi), the most remote colony founded by that city. Dioscurias flourished as a vital commercial hub where, according to ancient accounts, a multitude of languages were spoken—a testament to its role as a crossroads of civilizations. Under Roman rule, the city was renamed Sebastopolis, and archaeological excavations have revealed underwater towers and walls, with the lowest levels dating to the 1st-2nd centuries AD. Emperor Justinian I restored the city walls and adorned it with streets and buildings in 565 AD.
The medieval period saw the rise of the Abkhazian Kingdom in the 780s, which flourished between 850-950 AD. This influential feudal state expanded across western Georgia and into eastern provinces, with its ruling family considered Georgian in culture, language, and ethnicity by most scholars. Through dynastic succession, the Abkhazian Kingdom united with the Kingdom of the Iberians in 1008 under Bagrat III, forming the unified Kingdom of Georgia. During this era, the city was known as Tskhumi and served as a summer residence for Georgian kings.
The region's architectural heritage testifies to this Georgian cultural sphere. Bedia Cathedral, constructed in the late 10th century and consecrated in 999, was commissioned by King Bagrat II of Abkhazia (later Bagrat III, first king of united Georgia). Bagrat III and his mother were interred at this church, which served as a vital religious, cultural, and educational hub. Dranda Cathedral, traditionally believed to have been built around 551 AD by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, functioned as an episcopal seat within the Georgian Orthodox Catholicate of Abkhazia during the medieval period. The Church of St. George at Ilori, constructed in the first quarter of the 11th century, represents a crucial example of western Georgian architecture.
The landscape itself is a study in contrasts. The subtropical Black Sea coast, with its humid climate and lush vegetation, gives way to forested mountains of the western Greater Caucasus. Lake Ritsa, at 950 meters elevation, is an emerald jewel surrounded by peaks that retain snow well into summer. The New Athos Cave, a vast karst system described as an "underground town," features cathedral-sized halls and subterranean lakes. The New Athos Monastery (Simon the Canaanite Monastery), with roots dating to the 9th-10th centuries, stands near the coast as a monument to centuries of Orthodox Christian tradition.
Historically, Abkhazia has been home to diverse communities. The Abkhaz language, a Northwest Caucasian tongue unrelated to Georgian's Kartvelian family, coexisted for centuries with Georgian (particularly Mingrelian), creating a region of linguistic and cultural complexity. Centuries of coexistence led to bilingualism, code-switching, and the transfer of linguistic features, while also producing periods of both cooperation and tension.
In the 19th century, Abkhazia became a protectorate of the Russian Empire. The Soviet era brought significant demographic changes, including the mass resettlement of Georgians and the reduction of Abkhazia's status from a Soviet Socialist Republic to an Autonomous Republic within Georgia in 1931. The late Soviet period saw escalating tensions, culminating in the 1992-1993 war and subsequent ethnic cleansing. Following the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, Russia recognized Abkhazia's independence—a move condemned by the overwhelming majority of the international community as a violation of international law. Only five UN member states (Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, and Syria) recognize this status, while the European Union, United States, United Kingdom, and United Nations consistently reaffirm Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
Today, Abkhazia remains inaccessible to most travelers from Georgia-controlled territory, with entry restricted primarily to those crossing from Russia—itself a violation of Georgian law. Yet the region's cultural heritage—its Greek and Roman archaeological layers, its medieval Georgian cathedrals, its natural wonders—continues to exist as a living archive of civilizations, awaiting the day when it can once again be freely experienced as part of Georgia's unified cultural landscape.
