Şavşat, Turkey

History

According to Rayfield, in 790 BC, King Menua of Urartu invaded Shesheti in Kingdom of Diauehi, which is the Kartvelian province of Shavsheti.

In 387 this land was a part of Marzpan Iberia (vassal of Iran). After this, in IX century it was one of the Georgian princedoms in the constellation of several polities which is conventionally known as Tao-Klarjeti in Georgian. The princedom of Shavsheti included today's districts of Şavşat, Borçka, and Murgul in Turkey and Lower Machakheli in Adjara (Georgia). The fortress above the town is primarily of Georgian construction and probably dates from the 9th century A.D., when it was rebuilt by Adarnase I of Iberia. The site has an impressive circuit wall with strategically placed towers and rooms, including two small chapels. In 1983 the fortress was surveyed and three years later an accurate scaled plan and description were published.

Following the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) Şavşat was among the territories ceded to Russia, and was returned to the new Republic of Turkey in 1921. It was briefly bounded to Ardahan Province between 27 February 1921 and 7 July 1921. People living in Şavşat and Imerkhevi are a mix of Georgians, Turkified Georgians, and ethnic Turks (both Ottoman settlers, and earlier Cuman-Kipchak Turks (settled during medieval Georgian kingdom as mercenaries).

From the History section of Şavşat on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.