Koçi Bey Gorijeli

Koçi Bey Gorijeli (Kochibei Gorijeli), Turkish chronicler, active in the first half of the 17th century. He authored two treatises (risale) of a socio-political nature. His the second risale, compiled during the reign of Sultan Ibrahim (1640–1648), which outlines the administrative division of Samtskhe-Saatabago, is particularly interesting for us. It is also noteworthy that the peculiarities of Georgian feudal landownership are clearly reflected in this administrative structure.

According to the risale, Samtskhe-Saatabago did not constitute a single vilayet [eyalet]; rather, it was divided into sanjaks across various vilayets. One of these vilayets comprised Georgian territories entirely. Scattered within the Erzurum Vilayet were three Georgian sanjaks: Ispir, Tortumi, and Namervani. These Georgian territories, distributed among the Erzurum and Kars vilayets, had been seized by Ottoman power earlier than the Pashalik of Akhaltsikhe. The remaining territories of Samtskhe-Saatabago were incorporated into the Pashalik of Akhaltsikhe, known in the Ottoman administrative system as the Childir Vilayet. The Trabzon Vilayet consisted of two sanjaks—Trabzon and Batumi. It appears that during this period, Batumi was a distinct administrative unit governed by a beylerbey. Ottoman narrative sources indicate that the Ottoman sultan routinely employed the beylerbey of Batumi for military campaigns against Georgia and the countries of the South Caucasus.

Literature: შენგელია ნ., XV–XIX საუკუნეების საქართველოს ისტორიის ოსმალური წყაროები, თბ., 1974.

N. Shengelia