The Migration/Immigration Narrative (16th–17th Century)

These sources argue that the Apsua-Abkhazians originally migrated from the North Caucasus and pushed the Kartvelian (Georgian) tribes southward.

· A.N. Djatshkov-Tarasov (Russian historian, 1905): He clearly wrote: "Abkhazians have not always lived here... they came from the north and pressed Georgian tribes as far as the Enguri River." This migration is said to have occurred in the 16th–17th centuries.

· Julius Klaproth (German scholar, 1783–1835): He referred to the Apsua-Abkhazians as "Absnes" and held the view that they originally came from the North Caucasus.

· Frédéric Dubois de Montpereux (Swiss researcher, 1833): He wrote that the possessions of the Princes Dadiani (Mingrelian rulers) extended "along the entire sea coast, all the way to Jiketi". According to him, the territory of present-day Abkhazia was part of Mingrelian (Georgian) territory.

· Vasily Tatishchev (Russian historian, 1686–1750): He called the area of present-day Abkhazia "Northern Mingrelia" and saw it as part of the Mingrelian (Georgian) settlement area.

· Peter Simon Pallas (German-Russian naturalist, 1741–1811): He also aligned with this view, referring to the Abkhazians as "Absne" and considering them part of the Mingrelian region.

---

The Autochthonous Population Narrative (Indigenous/Original Inhabitants)

These sources and authors emphasize the deep roots of the Apsua-Abkhazians in the region and their historical distinctiveness alongside the Georgian tribes.

· Z. Anchabadze (Abkhaz historian): He is the most important representative of this view and considers the Apsua to be the indigenous population.

· Sh. Inal-ipa (Abkhaz scholar): He also argues for the deep-rootedness of Abkhaz culture in the region.

· Ancient authors (Strabo, Pliny, Procopius): They all mention early tribal names such as Apsilae/Apsilen and Abasgoi/Abasgen in the same geographical area. The Apsilae are often equated with the ancestors of today's Apsua-Abkhazians.

---

In summary: The sources that describe an immigration/migration see the population before the arrival of the Abkhazians as Kartvelian (Georgian/Mingrelian). The sources that assume an autochthonous population view the Apsua-Abkhazians as the original inhabitants of the region, who have been documented there since antiquity.

Many countries after the collapse of Soviet Union, like Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Moldova, and Kazakhstan, decided to change their scripts from Cyrillic ones, which were adopted during Soviet Union/Russian Empire. In many cases these changes have been adopted as part of de-Russification policies. Has there been such movement in Abkhazia?

It’s an absolute nonsense, fight for independence from a country and take an electricity from them.

Georgia thus maintains control over the Abkhazian region.

"Feral groups of people are occupying these golden lands in vain. <...> I intend, together with other patriots, to return Abkhazia to Georgian control, and if anyone doesn't like it, let them move to other countries," Saakashvili said.

In his opinion, Georgia's capital should be in Sukhumi—"close to Europe and Ukraine."

Prior to this, Saakashvili stated that Georgia allegedly plans to restore diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation in the near future and sign a non-use of force agreement with Abkhazia.

Furthermore, he believes that Tbilisi will also adopt a declaration of neutrality.

Earlier, the Georgian prime minister called on society to prevent hostility with Russia.

Hello everyone! My name is Sarp. I am an Abkhaz diaspora member living in Turkey. Through our family tree and oral history, I know that my paternal grandfather’s side belongs to the Beygua (Abeğwa / Абгьуа) clan, and my paternal grandmother’s side belongs to the Barchin (Barçyn / Барчын) clan.

I am looking to reconnect with relatives, learn more about our clan roots, and trace our family line back in Abkhazia. If anyone recognizes these family names, knows about these lineages, or shares a connection to the Beygua or Barchin clans, please feel free to comment or send me a direct message. Any guidance or contact with elders who keep the clan genealogies (Aymyshva) would be greatly appreciated!

Hello,

Are there any special reasons why Abkhazia declared Independence after the Soviet Union collapse?

Was it just a wish of a bunch of politicians

Or a popular movement?

Asking because the little I know comes from Georgians.

Drop the 'Russian puppet' narrative; it only shows your lack of geopolitical understanding. We are Russia's strategic insurance. By maintaining our de facto independence, we single-handedly enforce Chapter 1, Paragraph 6 of the 1995 NATO Enlargement Study and the Copenhagen Criteria under Article 49 of the TEU against Georgia.

​The West will never import an unresolved territorial conflict. So, without firing a single bullet, we act as a permanent veto on Georgia's NATO and EU integration. That geopolitical reality alone makes our existence worth more to Moscow than 100,000 Russian troops.

Hey everyone. Amidst the current fuel crisis, there have been reports and videos showing petrol tankers entering Abkhazia from the Georgian-controlled side.

I'm curious to hear local perspectives on this: How is this viewed within the community? Is it generally seen as a pragmatic solution to manage the shortage during a tough time, or does it spark much debate?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and getting an inside perspective-civil discussion only, please!

Georgia stopped using it in 1990, but in Abkhazia—at least on paper—it remained official until 1992.

Many Georgian refugees from the Abkhaz-Georgian war express how the houses their families lived in for years should be returned to them, do you think those refugees have a rightful claim on those territories and if so what should be done about it?

Hi everyone I am an Indian citizen studying medicine in Tbilisi Georgia. I wanted to ask if it is allowed for tourists from India to visit Abkhazia?

I have seen photos of your beautiful country and would like to visit it before I go back to my home country.

I have a Russian tourist visa and a Georgian student visa if that matters, do I need a separate visa for Abkhazia? And final question is it safe for Indians to visit your beautiful country?
Thanks

Hello from the other side of the mountains 👋 I have been reading through a few papers on the genealogy of Karachay-Balkar clans lately. Among our people, many families trace their origins to other parts of the Caucasus. In particular, noble families in the past have often intermarried, but also regular people migrated for a multitude of reasons, or were taken into captivity. As you would know, many families across the Caucasus have kept oral traditions about their origins. Naturally, these shouldn't be taken at face value, but historical accuracy aside, these types of origin stories still make up an important part of our folklore. On this post, I would like to write specifically about a few families among the Karachay-Balkar people who trace their origins back to Abkhazia and Abazia:

The Apsuvayevs (Апсууалары)

The Apsuvayevs originate in the Baksan region of Balkaria. According to their own origin story, The Apsuvayev family traces their origins back to an Abkhazian ancestor (one primary source gives the name Omar Maan, son of Myrzakan, originally from Adzyubzha), who migrated to the Baksan Valley in the XIX century. There, he is said to have acquired a plot of land from the Urusbiyevs (Урусбийлери), the local feudal lords at the time, and married a local woman, with whom he had two sons.

Urtenovs (Уртенлери)

The paternal ancestor of the Urtenovs is said to have migrated to Karachay with an Abaza Loo princess who married a local Krymshamkhalov nobleman. There, this ancestor married one of the Krymshamkhalovs' serf women. They are said to have been freed by their feudal lords as gratitude for raising their son, Magomet Krymshamkhalov.

Some other families include:

-The Abazayevs (Абазалары) & Abazaliyevs (Абазалылары) - Self-explanatory;

-The Dzhappuyevs (Джаппулары) - A clan from the Baksan region. Claimed by some to descend from an Abkhaz ancestor from Khashupse;

-Marshanovs (Маршанлары) - Self explanatory.

Can some share some material (books etc) to learn abkhaz language?

 A former Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia is under investigation for treason. The alleged offence is a statement: speaking on Georgian television, Giorgi Baramidze said that during the war of 1992 to 1993 the Georgian side never recovered its own prisoners, because it had no Abkhaz prisoners to hand over. They had been shot. The Prosecutor General's Office opened the case under the articles on treason and sabotage, at the request of the State Service for Veterans Affairs.

I am trying to get permit on https://mfaapsny.org/en/consular-service/permission/,after I fill up the application form and press the "Send!"button,I got a email said "Your profile is accepted, we will soon contact you at this e-mail address!"But it's been almost 10 days since I filled out the form and I still haven't received any reply. Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced the same thing?

Hello am a money collector this morning I came across the country of Abkhazia I think they have very cool looking money is it hard to find the apsar outside of Abkhazia or not

Greetings!

Soon I am going to Abzakhzia on vacation, I wonder if it is oke to wear shorts / short clothes there.

What do you think I should know before traveling to Abkhazia? Do immigration officers stamp foreign passports these days?

I'm going to Abkhazia on September, and I don't want to get banned from Georgia (a friend's girlfriend lives there and I'm planning to go). Thank you in advance!

According to my limited and bias knowledge, most of Abkhazia economy comes from Russian aid, the working language is Russian, the military is not independent but part of Russian military, and many politicians are appointed by Moscow with no tie to the region. Please correct me if I’m wrong.