The Abkhazians: A Handbook (Peoples of the Caucasus Handbooks)

The Abkhazians are an ancient Caucasian people living mainly on the eastern shores of the Black Sea in the shadow of the Great Caucasus Mountains. Aside from their Caucasian homeland of Abkhazia, there are significant numbers of Abkhazians and their descendants settled throughout Russia and the Middle East, particularly Turkey. Their history, like other peoples and nations of the region, has been closely linked with the expansion of the Russians; the collapse of the Soviet Union, however, resulted in further domination, this time by the Georgian Republic, leading to the catastrophe of the War of 1992-3 and the scattering of the people that followed. With the publication of this book, which includes an entirely new interpretation of Abkhazia's union with Russia over the period from the 18th century to 1917, the relevant facts about Abkhazia have finally become accessible to the English-speaking world. "The Abkhazians are an ancient Caucasian people living mainly on the eastern shores of the Black Sea in the shadow of the Great Caucasus Mountains. Across the centuries, cultures as diverse as the Ancient Greeks, Christianity and Islam have all left their mark without affecting the unique individuality of the Abkhazians." "With the publication of this book, which includes an entirely new interpretation of Abkhazia's union with Russia over the period from the 18th century to 1917, the relevant facts about Abkhazia have finally become accessible to the English-speaking world, who would thus be better placed to understand Abkhazian aspirations."--BOOK JACKET. The Republic of Abkhazia lies the north-west Transcaucasus.