Sukhum (Abkhazian: Аҟәа /а́куа/, from 1936 to 1992 – Sukhumi) is the capital of modern Abkhazia. It is located on the Black Sea shore, 107 km from the Russian border. It’s considered to be one of the most ancient cities in the world, with a history of 2500 years. Cultures and traditions of various nationalities have been coexisting there for many centuries.
The ancient Greek colony of Dioscuriada was located on the territory of the city in the 6th century BC. The Roman fortress of Sebastopolis replaced it later. It belonged to Byzantium at the beginning of the 6th century. It was a part of the Georgian Kingdom in the Middle Ages. A city called Sukhum-Kale was ruled by the Ottoman Empire and local feudal lords from the 16th till early 19th centuries. The city was seized by Russian troops in 1810, during the Russo-Turkish war, which took place in 1806 – 1812. It received city status again in the second half of the 1840s. Sukhum was being actively improved and restored after the October Revolution 1917, with the arrival of Soviet power and the city became the capital of Abkhaz ASSR. A hotel, an art school, a railway station, a Government House, and an Institute of Subtropical Agriculture were built there. Sukhum started to become a resort town at about the same time. A tourist infrastructure appeared, standard quarters were expanded, and public beaches were created.
Tourist attractions (Sights)
As a city with a rich history, Sukhum has preserved ancient sights that are of great value today. These are the ruins of the ancient Sukhum fortress, the castle of King Bagrat, the Beslet bridge, the ruins of the Kelasuri monastery and the Great Abkhazian wall. It stretches from the Kelasur River to the mouth of the Enguri River. It is the third largest fortification in the world after the Great Wall of China and the Great Wall of Gorgan in Iran. The length of the structure is 160 km. Only a few fragments of it remain today.
The famous Sukhum lighthouse, which is located on a sandy cape, is one of the popular places among the visitors. It was made by the French company Ernest Couin in 1861 and delivered to Sukhum unassembled, where it was put together within six months. There is a spiral cast-iron staircase with 137 steps inside the lighthouse. It is 37 metres high and stands on screw piles. A wonderful view of Sukhumi and New Athos opens from the lighthouse.
Science
In addition to historical and architectural monuments, Sukhum is famous for its natural attractions. A large area of the city (more than 30 hectares) is occupied by the Botanical Garden, which is the oldest botanical garden in the Caucasus. About 5 thousand species of subtropical plants grow there, among which regional plants are most fully represented, as well as the flora of Southeast Asia, North America, the Mediterranean and Australia. The Caucasian linden is the special pride of the garden, which had been growing here even before it was built. The tree is over 300 years old.
The Research Institute of Experimental Pathology and Therapy, which is also known as Monkey Nursery, is located next to the garden and gives asylum to more than 300 primates collected from different parts of the world (founded in 1927).
Scientists have resolved a number of issues of great theoretical and practical importance, and have written several thousand scientific papers during its existence. An international symposium on the use of non-human primates for research on problems of human reproduction was organized there by the headquarters of the World Health Organization in 1971.
Moreover, Sukhum has such important institutions as the Academy of Sciences of Abkhazia, the Abkhazian Institute of Humanitarian Researches, the Abkhazian State University and other educational institutions.
Tourism
One of the most dynamically developing and promising economic sectors of Sukhum, as well as Abkhazia as a whole, is tourism (it brings up to a third of tax revenues to the budget). Due to a number of competitive advantages (climate, nature, historical and architectural monuments, etc.), the tourism product of Abkhazia occupies a strong position in the tourist services market, attracting over one and a half million people to Abkhazia annually. There are many tourist centres, hotels, holiday homes and boarding houses located in the seaside area. Most of them were built in Soviet times.
In addition, a vast majority of industrial enterprises in Abkhazia are concentrated in Sukhum. The sphere of industrial production is represented, among other areas, by the wine-producing industry. The importance of the export-oriented wine industry is very great for the economy of Abkhazia. Abkhazia, along with such countries as Spain, Italy, Georgia and France, is a major supplier of wine to the Russian market.
The agricultural industry is also developing. Fishing (anchovy, horse mackerel) and crop production (citrus, feijoa, persimmon – occupying 7.1 thousand hectares; vineyards – occupying 2.6 thousand hectares; hazelnut, etc.) are among the main areas of agricultural development at present times. The majority of the agricultural products is exported to the Russian Federation and Turkey.
Useful information
City administration website: http://www.sukhumcity.ru
Area: 27 km²
Population: more than 65 000 people (2018)
Currency: Russian ruble
Language: Abkhazian, Russian.