![Gomismta and the Lesser Caucasus mountains](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Gomismta_and_the_Lesser_Caucasus_mountains.jpg)
Guria ( ka, გურია) is a region (''
mkhare
A ''mkhare'' ( ka, მხარე, ''mxare'') is a type of administrative division in the country of Georgia. It is usually translated as "region".
According to presidential decrees in 1994 and 1996, Georgia's division into regions is on a pr ...
'') in
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, in the western part of the country, bordered by the eastern end of the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
. The region has a population of 113,000 (2016), with
Ozurgeti
Ozurgeti ( ka, ოზურგეთი ) is the capital of the western Georgian province of Guria. It was formerly known as Macharadze or Makharadze (named in honor of Filipp Makharadze). It is a regional center of tea and hazelnut processing. ...
as the regional capital.
Geography
![Georgia Guria relief location map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Georgia_Guria_relief_location_map.svg)
Guria is bordered by
Samegrelo
Mingrelia ( ka, სამეგრელო, tr; xmf, სამარგალო, samargalo; ab, Агырны, Agirni) is a historic province in the western part of Georgia, formerly known as Odishi. It is primarily inhabited by the Mingrelian ...
to the north-west,
Imereti
Imereti ( Georgian: იმერეთი) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 munic ...
to the north,
Samtskhe-Javakheti to the east,
Ajaria
Adjara ( ka, აჭარა ''Ach’ara'' ) or Achara, officially known as the Autonomous Republic of Adjara ( ka, აჭარის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა ''Ach’aris Avt’onomiuri Resp’ublik’a'' ...
to the south, and the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
to the west. The province has an area of .
Guria is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude.
Administrative divisions
![GR-ka](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/GR-ka.svg)
Guria is divided into 4 entities (3 municipalities and 1 city), including :
*
City of Ozurgeti
*
Ozurgeti Municipality
Ozurgeti ( ka, ოზურგეთის მუნიციპალიტეტი, ''Ozurgetis munitsipalit'et'i'') is a municipality of Georgia, in the region of Guria. Its main town is Ozurgeti.
Ozurgeti municipality is located on the terr ...
*
Lanchkhuti Municipality
Lanchkhuti ( ka, ლანჩხუთის მუნიციპალიტეტი, ''Lančxutis municip’alit’et’i'') is a district of Georgia, in the region of Guria. Its main town is Lanchkhuti.
Lanchkhuti municipality is located in w ...
*
Chokhatauri Municipality
Chokhatauri ( ka, ჩოხატაურის მუნიციპალიტეტი) is a district of Georgia, in the region of Guria. Its largest city and administrative centre is Chokhatauri
Chokhatauri ( ka, ჩოხატაურ ...
History
The territory that is now Guria was part of the kingdom of
Colchis
In Greco-Roman geography, Colchis (; ) was an exonym for the Georgian polity of Egrisi ( ka, ეგრისი) located on the coast of the Black Sea, centered in present-day western Georgia (country), Georgia.
Its population, the Colchians a ...
, best known in the West for the tale of the
Golden Fleece
In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece ( el, Χρυσόμαλλον δέρας, ''Chrysómallon déras'') is the fleece of the golden-woolled,, ''Khrusómallos''. winged ram, Chrysomallos, that rescued Phrixus and brought him to Colchis, where ...
. Following the collapse of the Colchian Kingdom it became part of the Kingdom of
Lazica
Lazica ( ka, ეგრისი, ; lzz, ლაზიკა, ; grc-gre, Λαζική, ; fa, لازستان, ; hy, Եգեր, ) was the Latin name given to the territory of Colchis during the Roman/Byzantine period, from about the 1st centur ...
in the first century BC. In antiquity the area was a significant source of iron, as early as the fifth century BC, and also copper and gold.
The toponym "Guria" is first attested in the c. 800 Georgian chronicle of Pseudo-Juansher.
[Rapp, Stephen H. (2003), ''Studies In Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts'', p. 427. Peeters Bvba, .]
![Historical Guria in modern international borders of Georgia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Historical_Guria_in_modern_international_borders_of_Georgia.svg)
Guria first appears c. 1352 as a fief of the house of
Vardanidze-
Dadiani
The House of Dadiani ( ka, დადიანი ), later known as the House of Dadiani- Chikovani, was a Georgian family of nobles, dukes and princes, and a ruling dynasty of the western Georgian province of Mingrelia.
The House of Dadiani
Th ...
; and after 1463 it became a sovereign principality independent of the
Kingdom of Georgia
The Kingdom of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამეფო, tr), also known as the Georgian Empire, was a medieval Eurasian monarchy that was founded in circa 1008 AD. It reached its Golden Age of political and economic ...
under a branch of that house, known thereafter by the name of
Gurieli
The House of Gurieli () was a Georgian princely (''mtavari'') family and a ruling dynasty (dukes) of the southwestern Georgian province of Guria, which was autonomous and later, for a few centuries, independent. A few ducal rulers of the dynast ...
. The principality, comprising modern Guria and much of
Adjara
Adjara ( ka, აჭარა ''Ach’ara'' ) or Achara, officially known as the Autonomous Republic of Adjara ( ka, აჭარის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა ''Ach’aris Avt’onomiuri Resp’ublik’a'' ...
with the city of
Batumi
Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ) is the second largest city of Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Georgia's southwest. It is situated in a subtropical zone at the foot of th ...
, was subsequently reduced in size and devastated in a series of conflicts with the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. A
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
protectorate was established by the treaty concluded on June 19, 1810 between
Mamia V Gurieli Mamia V Gurieli ( ka, მამია V გურიელი; 1789 – 21 November 1826), of the House of Gurieli, became Prince of Guria, in western Georgia, in 1797. From 1797 to 1809, he was under the regency of his paternal uncle, Prince Kaikh ...
and the empire, and in 1829, during the regency for the last prince, the Gurieli
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
, the principality was annexed by Russia.
There were uprisings against Russian rule in 1819 and again
in 1841. In 1840, Guria was made a county (''
uyezd
An uezd (also spelled uyezd; rus, уе́зд, p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context ( uk, повіт), or Kreis in Baltic-German context, was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Russian Empire, and the ea ...
'') and renamed Ozurgeti, after one of its main towns. In 1846, it was transferred to the new
Kutais Governorate
The Kutaisi or Kutais Governorate was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire. It roughly corresponded to most of western Georgia throughout most of its existence, and most of the Artvin Province (except th ...
. By 1904, the population was just under 100,000, occupying an area of approximately of mountains and swampy valleys, covered by corn fields, vineyards, and some tea plantations. It was the most ethnically homogenous of Georgian areas, with the peasantry and lesser rural nobility making up almost the entire population, with a high level of literacy and a relatively high degree of economic self-satisfaction. The peasant protest movement, which originated in 1902 and culminated in an open insurrection against the government during the
Russian Revolution of 1905
The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...
, was the most effective and organized peasant movement in the empire. The peasants’ self-government, the so-called
Gurian Republic, survived into 1906, when it was crushed and Guria devastated by the
Cossack punitive expedition
A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong beh ...
. The region was a native powerbase of the
Georgian Social Democratic (Menshevik) Party which dominated the
Democratic Republic of Georgia
The Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG; ka, საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკა ') was the first modern establishment of a republic of Georgia, which existed from May 1918 to F ...
from 1918 to 1921. Guria was a scene of guerrilla resistance to the
militarily imposed Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
rule early in the 1920s. Under the Soviet government, Guria was an agrarian area divided into three administrative districts. In 1995, the Georgian government decreed the creation of the region (''
mkhare
A ''mkhare'' ( ka, მხარე, ''mxare'') is a type of administrative division in the country of Georgia. It is usually translated as "region".
According to presidential decrees in 1994 and 1996, Georgia's division into regions is on a pr ...
'') of Guria, restoring the province's historical name to official usage.
The
Orthodox churches of
Likhauri
Likhauri ( ka, ლიხაური) is a village in the Ozurgeti district of Guria in western Georgia.
References
* Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia
The ''Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia'' ( ka, ქართული საბჭოთა ენც ...
and
Shemokmedi are the main historical buildings in the province.
Etymology
The linguistic evidence for the above hypothesis is the
Megrelian
Mingrelian or Megrelian (, ) is a Kartvelian language spoken in Western Georgia (regions of Mingrelia and Abkhazia), primarily by the Mingrelians. The language was also called kolkhuri (Georgian ) in the early 20th century. Mingrelian has his ...
word for “heart” – “guri” (Georgian: “guli”).
Economy
Subtropic farming and tourism are a mainstay of the region's economy. Water is one of Guria's main assets. The province is famous for the mineral water of
Nabeglavi
Nabeglavi (also Nabeghlavi) ( ka, ნაბეღლავი) is a mineral water from Georgia.
Georgian-Swiss joint stock company “Healthy Water” produces famous mineral water “Nabeghlavi” and spring water “Bakhmaro.” The company was ...
, which is similar to
Borjomi
Borjomi ( ka, ბორჯომი) is a resort town in south-central Georgia, 160 km from Tbilisi, with a population of 11,122 (2021). It is one of the municipalities of the Samtskhe–Javakheti region and is situated in the northwestern ...
in its chemical composition, and the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
health resort of
Ureki
Ureki ( ka, ურეკი) is a town and a seaside climatic resort on the Black Sea coast of Georgia. Located within Ozurgeti District in the region of Guria, Ureki is 60 kilometers north of Batumi and approximately 300 km west of the natio ...
, which is rich in magnetic sand. Guria is also one of the largest
tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...
growing regions in Georgia.
Demographics
Ethnic and religious groups
According to the 2014 census, Guria has a population of 113.350 inhabitants, which accounts for 3.1% of the total population of
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. 98% of the population is ethnic
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
(mostly native ''Gurians''), 1% is ethnic
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
and the remaining 1% is composed of
Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
, image =
, caption =
, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
and
Ukrainians
Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian. The majority ...
and the majority of the population is
Orthodox Christians
Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churc ...
(87%), followed by
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
(11%).
Gurians
![Gurian (B)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Gurian_%28B%29.jpg)
The Gurians or Gurulebi (
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
: გურულები) is one of the ethnographical groups of Georgians, inhabiting Guria. Gurians are Orthodox Christian and speak the
Gurian dialect of the
Georgian language
Georgian (, , ) is the most widely-spoken Kartvelian language, and serves as the literary language or lingua franca for speakers of related languages. It is the official language of Georgia and the native or primary language of 87.6% of its p ...
.
Politics
Administration
The administration centre is
Ozurgeti
Ozurgeti ( ka, ოზურგეთი ) is the capital of the western Georgian province of Guria. It was formerly known as Macharadze or Makharadze (named in honor of Filipp Makharadze). It is a regional center of tea and hazelnut processing. ...
.
There are 194 populated areas, including :
* City : 2 :
Ozurgeti
Ozurgeti ( ka, ოზურგეთი ) is the capital of the western Georgian province of Guria. It was formerly known as Macharadze or Makharadze (named in honor of Filipp Makharadze). It is a regional center of tea and hazelnut processing. ...
,
Lanchkhuti
Lanchkhuti ( ka, ლანჩხუთი) is a city in western Georgian region of Guria. It has a population of about 8,000.
Lanchkhuti received city status in 1961. Under the USSR, it was the centre of the Georgian SSR Lanchkhuti area and today ...
* Daba : 7 :
Chokhatauri
Chokhatauri ( ka, ჩოხატაური) is a town in Georgia’s Guria region, 310 km west to the nation's capital of Tbilisi. It is an administrative center of Chokhatauri Municipality, which comprises the town itself and its adjoining ...
,
Bakhmaro,
Gomismta,
Ureki
Ureki ( ka, ურეკი) is a town and a seaside climatic resort on the Black Sea coast of Georgia. Located within Ozurgeti District in the region of Guria, Ureki is 60 kilometers north of Batumi and approximately 300 km west of the natio ...
,
Naruja,
Laituri
Laituri ( ka, ლაითური) is a daba (small town) in the Ozurgeti Municipality of Guria in western Georgia.Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia
The ''Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia'' ( ka, ქართული საბჭოთა ენც ...
,
Kveda Nasakirali
* Villages : 185
Governors
To date, the following politicians have held the office of Governor of Guria:
* 1995-1997 - Mikheil Chkuaseli
* 1997-1998 - Oleg Nikoleishvili
* 1998–2003 - Carlo Gujabidze
* 2003-2004 - Vakhtang Goliadze
* 2004-2005 - Bezhan Kalandadze
* 2005-2006 - Aleko Tsintsadze
* 2006-2008 - Mikheil Svimonishvili
* 2008-2008 -
Ramaz Nikolaishvili
Ramaz Nikolaishvili ( Georgian: რამაზ ნიკოლაიშვილი; born June 17, 1965) is a Georgian politician who has served as Governor of Guria and Deputy Minister of Defense in 2008, Chairman of the Roads Department in 200 ...
* 2008–2013 - Valeri Chitaishvili
* 2013–2014 - Giorgi Chkhaidze
* 2015-2017 - Gia Salukvadze
* 2017-2018 -
Merab Chanukvadze
* 2018–present -
Zurab Nasaraya
Notable people
*
Ekvtime Takaishvili
Ekvtime Takaishvili (also spelled Taqaishvili) () (January 5, 1862 – February 21, 1953) was a Georgian historian, archaeologist and public benefactor.
Born in the village of Likhauri in the western Georgian province of Guria to a local noblema ...
(1862-1952), historian.
*
Noe Zhordania (1868-1953), Prime Minister of the
Democratic Republic of Georgia
The Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG; ka, საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკა ') was the first modern establishment of a republic of Georgia, which existed from May 1918 to F ...
from 1918 to 1921.
*
Pavle Ingorokva
Pavle Ingorokva ( ka, პავლე ინგოროყვა; January 1, 1893 in Poti – November 20, 1983 in Tbilisi) was a Georgian historian, philologist, and public benefactor.
He graduated from the University of St. Petersburg ( ...
(1893-1990), historian, philologist, and public benefactor.
*
Boris Paichadze
Boris Paichadze ( ka, ბორის პაიჭაძე, ; russian: Борис Соломонович Пайчадзе; 3 February 1915 – 9 October 1990) was a Georgian footballer, who played for FC Dinamo Tbilisi. The largest stadium in Ge ...
(1915-1990), Football Player.
*
Eduard Shevardnadze
Eduard Ambrosis dze Shevardnadze ( ka, ედუარდ ამბროსის ძე შევარდნაძე}, romanized: ; 25 January 1928 – 7 July 2014) was a Soviet and Georgian politician and diplomat who governed Georgia fo ...
(1928-2014),
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
's former president.
*
Nodar Dumbadze (1928-1984), Writer.
See also
*
Subdivisions of Georgia
References
{{coord, 41, 58, N, 42, 12, E, display=title, region:GE_type:adm1st_source:GNS-enwiki
Regions of Georgia (country)
Historical regions of Georgia (country)