Meskheti
|
|
Meskheti is a mountainous area and a province in the South-West of Georgia. Ancient Georgian tribes of Meshech (later Moskh) and Mosiniks were indigenous population of this region (4th-2nd millennia BC). Majority of the modern Georgian population (Meskhs) of Meskheti are descendants of these ancient tribes. Mosiniks were one of the inventors of iron metallurgy. In the 2nd millennium-4th century BC Meskheti was a part of Georgian Kingdom of Diaokhi, in the 4th century BC-6th century AD - part of the Kingdom of Iberia. In the 10th-15 centuries this region was a part of the united Georgian Kingdom. In the 16th century Meskhety was occupied and annexed by the Ottoman Empire. In 1829-1917 the region was a part of Tbilisi Province (Tiflisskaia Gubernia), in 1918-1921 part of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, in 1921-1990 part of the Georgian SSR. Since 1990 Meskheti (Samtskhe-Javakheti region) is a province of the Republic of Georgia.