article Adjara in Ivane Gomarteli’s Publicistic Letters(Based on Materials from the Monastery of Istanbul)

Abstract

The article examines the travels of Ivane Gomarteli in Adjara during the first half of the nineteenth century. He explored both Upper and Lower Adjara, documenting his impressions and reflections, which were later published in the newspaper Alioni under the title Adjara and the Adjarans (Letter I – 1917, №64; Letter II – 1917, №65; Letter III – 1917, №67; Letter IV – 1917, №68). The materials in question are currently preserved at the Georgian Catholic Monastery in Istanbul, Republic of Turkey. Through the efforts of the research team at the Niko Berdzenishvili Institute of Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University—Roin Malaqmadze, Shushana Putkaradze, and Elza Putkaradze—these letters have been included in the volume Letters from the Georgian Monastery of Istanbul, Vol. III (2024).

The article addresses the historical context of the period when Adjara was already part of the Georgian homeland. Georgian writers and public figures began to visit the region, contributing significantly to its revival. In this respect, the journey of one such public figure—Ivane Gomarteli—in Adjara is particularly noteworthy.

Ivane Gomarteli visited Adjara in the early twentieth century. He engaged in a detailed discussion of the problems faced by the locals and the ways to address them. At the beginning of his letter, he reflects on the historical past of this region, emphasizing Adjara's strategic location and its role and significance. The author points out the most crucial issue: “the true mother tongue of the Adjarans, preserved both at home and in public, is Georgian.” In addition, the publicist emphasizes and addresses the matter: “the revival of Muslim Georgia and the awakening of national consciousness within it are crucially linked to the future of the Georgian nation.” In his letters, Ivane Gomarteli also discusses the socio-economic state of this region, indicating its urgent problems and suggesting the ways to strengthen this southwestern part of Georgia. He highlights its strategic significance and reflects on its future.

Considering the above, Gomarteli’s writings depict Adjara as a ‘paradise’. It was his first visit to the breathtaking Adjara, and his emotions reflect this experience. The author generously employs tropes such as metaphors, comparisons, epithets, and so on. Thus, the material presented in Gomarteli’s letters remains valuable due to both its content and details it provides.