Batumi is the capital of multinational autonomy on the territory of Georgia. The republic is called Adjara, but there are many nationalities among the population - Greeks, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Russians, Ukrainians, Jews. The Armenians have a powerful community here, as do the Jews. Each has its roots here, and it is enough to look at the temples to understand how strong both communities are here. However, the history of Batumi is connected with many other peoples, because it began in the era of antiquity.
By the way, it is the Greek name "batos" - "deep" that is considered today one of the variants of the prototype for the name of the city. Aristotle mentions a place called Batus. He is also indicated in his writings by Pliny the Elder. In the Middle Ages, the city from Batus turns into Batomi.
City development
In 1547, the Ottoman Empire conquered this city and held dominion over it for more than 300 years, then Georgian and Russian troops recaptured it from the Turks. However, these almost three centuries have left a mark in the form of the emergence of Islamic culture here. It was then that the name Batum appeared. A free port was organized here, as it was then called - a free port, which served as an impetus to the significant economic development of the city. A branch of the railway from Baku led here, thus the Caspian oil was transported to the Black Sea port.
The twentieth century
Parallel to this was the development of the local oil refining industry, which flourished during the Soviet period of Georgia's life. However, this was preceded by more years of struggle, since before that the country had experienced the events of the First World War, and then the October Revolution. Since revolutionary sentiments were strong in industrial Batumi, it was not possible to assemble the Caucasian Front. The Turks took advantage of this and occupied their former possessions, designated by the borders from 1877. After that, a thorough struggle for Batum ensued, in which the opposing sides were not only Turks, Georgians and Russians. Here the civil war also left its mark.
And although in the early 20s of the last century Soviet power was established here, the dramatic pages in the history of the city did not diminish. The city had a chance to survive the repressions in 1937-1938. In the Great Patriotic War, many went to the front from here. A third of those who fought did not return. This is the history of Batumi in short.
