Adjara (Georgian: აჭარა [at͡ʃʼara]), officially the Autonomous Republic of Adjara (აჭარის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა [at͡ʃʼaris avtʼɔnɔmiuri rɛspʼublikʼa]), is an autonomous republic of Georgia.
Adjara, located in the southwestern corner of Georgia, is on the eastern end of the Black Sea and is bordered by Turkey to the south. Adjara is a home to the Adjar ethnic subgroup of Georgians.
Adjara is also known as Ajara, Adzhara, Ajaria, Adjaria, Adzharia, Achara, Acharia and Ajaristan. Under the Soviet Union, it was known as the Adjarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Adjar ASSR).
History
Adjara has been part of Colchis and Caucasian Iberia since ancient times. Colonized by Greeks in the 5th century BC, the region fell under Rome in the 2nd century BC. It became part of the region of Egrisi before being incorporated into the unified Georgian Kingdom in the 9th century AD.
The Ottomans conquered the area in 1614. The people of Adjara converted to Islam in this period. The Ottomans were forced to cede Adjara to the expanding Russian Empire in 1878.
Achara is an autonomous republic of Georgia.
Achara may also refer to: