- Lazistan
Lazistan ("Lazona" - ლაზონა in Laz, ლაზეთი - "lazeti" or ჭანეთი - "č’aneti" in Georgian) was the Ottoman administrative name for the
sanjak (undervilayet ofTrabzon ) comprising the Laz or "Lazuri"-speaking population on the southeastern shore of theBlack Sea . However, its boundaries did not coincide with the Laz-speaking area. It covered the land of contemporaryRize Province and the littoral of contemporaryArtvin Province .In ancient times, the region was a part of the Kingdom of
Colchis . In theMiddle Ages , this region was a part of Georgia until 1578 when it was conquered by Turks. In 1878, the eastern portion of Lazistan (includingBatum ) became part of theRussian Empire and the centre of the sanjak was moved from Batum toRize . [http://www.karalahana.com/makaleler/tarih/rize%20onomastic.htm#_ftn12] After the occupation of theDemocratic Republic of Georgia byBolshevik Russia (since 1922), the territory has been divided betweenTurkey and theSoviet Union . The sanjak and name was abolished by the newTurkish Republic in 1925.Kingdom of Egrisi, known to the ancient Greeks and Romans as "Lazica" was known to Persians as "Lazistan".
ee also
*
Laz language
*Anatolia
*Lesser Armenia
*Western Armenia (Ottoman Armenia)
*Kurdistan
*Pontus
*Ajaria
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