Samurzakano ( ka, სამურზაყანო, ''Samurzak'ano'', ''Samurzaqano'') is a historical region in southeastern Abkhazia, in western

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 ...

.''

Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia'' ( ka, ქართული საბჭოთა ენციკლოპედია, ქსე) is the first universal encyclopedia in the Georgian language, printed in Tbilisi from 1965, the editor in chi ...

'', v. 9, p. 37, Tb., 1985. Populated by Samurzakanians.

History

Samurzakano was established as a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...

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 Ochamchira District is a district of the partially recognised Abkhazia. Its capital is Ochamchire, the town by the same name. The district is smaller than the Ochamchire district in the de jure subdivision of Georgia, as some of its former terr ...

. 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 Gagra ( ka, გაგრა; Abkhaz and Russian: Гагра) is a town in Abkhazia/Georgia, sprawling for 5 km on the northeast coast of the Black Sea, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains. Its subtropical climate made Gagra a popular he ...

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."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)
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Gallery

References

{{Historical regions of Georgia Historical regions of Georgia (country) History of Abkhazia Regions of Abkhazia Kartvelian studies