Sukhum

Dioskuria, Sebastopolis, Sukhum-Kale: Greeks, Romans, Turks 

Sukhum is one of the oldest cities in Europe. It was founded by Greek merchants from Milet in the 6th century BC. It was first named Dioskurias in the name of the Dioscura twins, Castor and Pollux, patrons of all seamen. In the 5th-2nd centuries BC Dioskurias played an important economic and political role in the West Caucasus which is mentioned in the works of Strabo, the famous ancient historian and geographer.

During the 1st century BC Dioskurias lost its importance and was at first destroyed, then rebuilt by the Romans and renamed Sebastopolis. Several centuries of decay followed as the city turned into an inferior Roman fortress.

Early in the 6th century the city was overtaken by the Byzantines. During the rule of Emperor Justinian I Sebastopolis was rebuilt and a new fortress was constructed along with many public buildings. The city was well-known by many historians and travelers and was mentioned quite a few times by Herodotus, Strabo, Pliny, Ptolemy, Procopius of Caesarea and others.

In the 10th-12th centuries Sebastopolis, now called Tshum, played an important role in the life of the Abkhazian-Georgian kingdom. It is called San-Sebastian on Italian sea maps of the 14th¬-15th centuries. The population of the city was then 2500 people. In 1578 the Ottomans took over the city and renamed into Sukhum-Kale. In 1724 the Ottomans rebuilt the Sukhum fortress. The city was home to the biggest slave market on the Black Sea coast. In 1810 the Russian marines destroyed the Ottoman garrison and declared the rule of the Russian Empire in this part of the Black Sea coast.

The flourishing of the city in the XIX-XX centuries 

It took long before Sukhum was restored back to life, and during the first part of the 19th century it was mainly a fortress. However, the city started to develop rapidly from the middle of the 19th century. Beside the hotels, restaurants and many cafés on the sea walk, the city boasted two theatres which invited famous theatre troupes to perform, several local newspapers and magazines were published, four printing establishments were open, drug stores and tailor shops were opened, as well as barber's shops, public saunas and educational institutions. In 1840 the Botanical Garden was founded and a cathedral was built in 1851 (the State Philharmonic Society occupies its place nowadays).

Since 1864, the region was called the Sukhum military section with the city itself serving as its center. By 1876 the population rose up to 2 thousand people, there were 400 private houses and over 40 shops. The population kept increasing rapidly: Russian engineers and army men came here in search of a job and a better life; many Greek merchants and Turkish citizens also permanently resided in Sukhum.

Sukhum was a resort for many famous people such as Konstantin Paustovsky, Anton Chekhov, Maxim Gorky, Sergei Yesenin, Osip Mandelstam, Vasily Vereshchagin, Ilya Repin.

In 1898, at the XII International Medical Congress in Moscow, Sukhum was declared the best place for recovering from lung diseases. Many entrepreneurs were attracted to Sukhum and built villas, hotels and health resorts.
After the Soviet rule was installed, Sukhum further developed as a regional capital and a Black Sea resort.