SHERIF KHIMSHIASHVILI — THE RETURN OF ADJARA TO ITS HOMELAND AS A RESULT OF THE RUSSO-TURKISH WAR OF 1877–1878
Abstract
The paper includes a detailed analysis focused on the historical role of Sherif Khimshiashvili, which is related to the peaceful return of the Adjara region to its homeland after the Russo-Ottoman War of 1877–1878. isThe article aims to demonstrate Sherif Khimshiashvili’s political intuition, decisions based on ancestral memory, and his critical importance in expanding the Georgian state space. Sherif Khimshiashvili represented the type of regional leaders who, despite their feudal origins, responded to historical turning points by strengthening national self-awareness, not only for maintaining personal influence.
The presented article discusses Adjara's existing complex political context in the second half of the 19th century—the weakening of the Ottoman Empire, Russia’s expansion into the South Caucasus, and the regional feudal elites’ wariness of maintaining power. In this context, Sherif Khimshiashvili’s choice—peaceful cooperation with the Russian Empire and ensuring regional stability—is a thoughtful expression of national strategy.
Special attention will be paid to Sherif Khimshiashvili's family legacy - the death of Selim Pasha Khimshiashvili and national aspirations, which in his descendants turned into a concrete realisation of the idea of returning to the homeland. Sherif Khimshiashvili carried out the political line, which is a continuation of the family tradition and a state choice made in the historical context, considering geopolitical realities.
A historiographical review shows that the role of Sherif Khimshiashvili has not yet been fully recognised in Georgian historiography. Early Georgian studies (D. Bakradze, T. Sakhokia, Z. Chichinadze) focused on general discussions of the Khimshiashvili dynasty. However, the image of Selim Pasha overshadowed the personal importance of Sherif Khimshiashvili. Soviet historiography assessed his role through a social class prism, which reduced his state significance by emphasising his feudal status. It pays more attention to the historical decision made by Sherif as an example of national integration and regional stability.
This paper also examines the international dimensions, particularly Russian imperial interests in the region, Western involvement in the Batumi port question—especially by Britain—and the diplomatic outcomes of the Berlin Congress that shaped Adjara’s unique status. In this light, Khimshiashvili emerges as a key figure of local legitimacy, without whom the regional transition could not have proceeded peacefully.
Sherif Khimshiashvili’s actions were not simply political opportunism, but the result of ancestral memory, national identity, and geopolitical calculation. His participation in the process of returning Adjara is seen as a model of peaceful transformation, different from the classic scenarios of annexation based on military force. The author concludes that Sherif Khimshiashvili was an unobtrusive but crucial architect of the national-state plan.
The final part of the article focuses on the contemporary significance of Sherif Khimshiashvili: his figure should be as a harmonious synthesis of regional leadership, national responsibility, and state intuition. His image needs to be fully integrated into the historical narrative of modern Georgia as a leader who managed to avoid violence in the process of national unification and achieve a peaceful historical turning point.
Keywords: Sherif Khimshiashvili; Russo-Ottoman War of 1877–1878; Adjara.
