The trauma of Muhajirism remains a vivid and relevant part of Abkhaz society to this day. This is evidenced by the fact that in Sokhumi, the coastal area along the Black Sea is still referred to as the “Muhajirs’ Shore.” Furthermore, in 2010, a monument was erected to commemorate the tragedy of Muhajirism, depicting a man on horseback sinking into the sea, struggling for survival.

In order to gain a deeper understanding of Abkhaz society, it is essential to comprehend what the phenomenon of Muhajirism was, how tens of thousands of Abkhazians were deported to the Ottoman Empire by the Russian Empire, and what significance the trauma of Muhajirism holds in shaping contemporary Abkhaz collective consciousness.

Within the framework of the project “Youth Peace Initiatives,” members of the 16th Element, Temur Tektumanidze and Taia Tsiklauri, present a blog titled “The Abkhaz Muhajirism.”