Borchali
Borchali (Azerbaijani: Borçalı Borchali, Georgian: ბორჩალო Borchalo, Russian: Борчалы Borchaly, Armenian: Բորչալու Borchalu) is a historical name of the province in southern Georgia largely populated by ethnic Azerbaijanis. It is part of the present day region of Kvemo Kartli.
Etymology
According to the etymological research "Borchali" toponymy is considered coming from the words "hole" and "empty". Means "wolf's nest".
History
Georgia's Azeri population traces its roots to the events following the Seldjuk invasion in the second half of the eleventh century, when Oghuz tribes settled in southern Georgia. To oppose being subjected to the Seldjuk Empire, Georgians allied with the Cumans (a group of Kipchak tribes to the north of the Caucasus) thus allowing for more Turkic migration into the region. Constant influx of Turkic tribes continued until the late Middle Ages. Their further consolidation led to the formation of the Azeri community.[1] The area populated by ethnic Azeris today is historically known as Borchali (which in the form Burjoglu was originally the name of a Kipchak tribe that settled here in the twelfth century).[2]
Demography
According to the 1897 Russian census, the Borchali uyezd (district) of the Tiflis Governorate, which at the time also included the mainly Armenian populated historical region of Lori, had a population of 128,587. The ethnic makeup of the district was the following:[3]
- Armenians - 47,423 (36.9%)
- Azerbaijanis - 37,742 (29.4%)
- Greeks - 21,393 (16.6%)
- Russians - 8,089 (6.3%)
- Georgians - 7,840 (6.1%)
- Germans - 2,496 (1.9)
In 2002, Kvemo Kartli province of Georgia had the following ethnic makeup of 497,530 total population:[4]
- Azerbaijanis - 224,606 (45.1%)
- Georgians - 222,450 (44.7%)
- Armenians - 31,777 (6.4%)
- Greeks - 7,415 (1.5%)
- Russians - 6,464 (1.3%)
See also
References
- ↑ The Ancient Orient. Transcaucasia in the 11th–15th centuries by Lev Gumilev
- ↑ Cumans. The Don and the North Caucasus in the 4th–12th centuries
- ↑ (Russian) Борчалинский уезд Archived August 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Демоскоп Weekly
- ↑ Georgian Census 2002: Ethnic groups by major administrative-territorial units
Coordinates: 41°28′10″N 44°49′01″E / 41.46944°N 44.81694°E