The Legacy of the Muhajirs
Award-winning documentary explores ancient traditions though historical records and personal testimony.
The Legacy of the Muhajirs
Award-winning documentary explores ancient traditions though historical records and personal testimony.
The Muhajirs were Muslim residents of Abkhazia expelled in the second half of the 19th century when the Georgian region was controlled by the Russian Empire. Many sought sanctuary in the Ottoman Empire, while others settled in Georgia’s western coastal region of Adjara.
In The Legacy of the Muhajirs, Radio Free Europe journalist Lela Kunchulia - winner of the EUMM Special Prize for Peace Journalism 2022 - sheds light on the community’s past and present though historical records and personal testimony.
The film follows Abkhaz Muhajirs in Adjara through with eyes and words of 24-year-old Neriman Ashlarba, whose family settled in Batumi in the 19th century and continue to follow ancient traditions.
The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) and Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR).
This documentary is a part of EUMM Special Prize for Peace Journalism 2023 edition. Special Prize for Peace Journalism is a joint initiative of IWPR and EUMM - implemented by Institute for War & Peace Reporting and funded by EU monitoring mission in Georgia.
