Abstract
ACTIVITIES IN AHISKA FROM BATUM TREATY TO MONDROS ARMISTICE
Including its small hinterland, Ahıska region is one of the oldest places that Turks habitated. Under the Ottoman rule, Ahıska had its most comfortable and peaceful days. The governance of the region transferred to the rule of Russian Tsardom after the crush of the Ottoman domination and the recession of its influence in South Caucasus. From then on troublesome days began for Turkish Muslim inhabitants of the region. Hiding its true purposes, the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 promised freedom for various communities in the region. Alike most of the other communities, The Turkish Muslim inhabitants of Ahıska fostered hopes for peace and welfare. Rihgt after the revolution, Ahıskan Turks collected themselves and started to develop their national organisations. In paralel with these works, they also aimed to join up the Ottoman Empire by acquisition. The endevaors put into practice between 1918 and 1921 to realize the above purposes did not end up with success, becasue the Ottoman Empire retreated from the region and collapsed. The developments were concluded with 1921 Moscow Treaty, through which Ahıska was included in and attached to Soviet Georgia. The current study aims to recount the struggles of Ahıskan Turks from the early 1917 to late 1918 under the ligths of archival documents and research results.
Keywords
Ahıska, Batum Conference, the Provisional Governement of Ahıska
