Adjara – Ottoman conquest in 1614 and two centuries of Ottoman rule
In 1614 the Ottomans conquered Adjara, beginning some two hundred years of Ottoman presence. During this time many Adjarians gradually converted to Islam, the nobility first, yet the population kept its Georgian language and identity.
The region’s history reaches much further back: Adjara belonged to Colchis and Caucasian Iberia, was colonised by Greeks in the 5th century BC, came under Rome, and later became part of Lazica and the Kingdom of Abkhazia, which led the unification of the Georgian monarchy in the 11th century. Today, with Batumi as its capital, Adjara is a popular destination on the Black Sea. Share your seaside and mountain village stories with us!