How did Ivane Javakhishvili shape the borders of Georgia?

Author: Dali Nikolaishvili
Keywords: Borders of Georgia, Ivane Javakhishvili, Maps
Annotation:

One of the most important period in the history of Georgia was the beginning of XX century.The I World War, gaining one’s independence and Sovietization - all these made the question of identifying the borders and historical territory of the country as one of the major challenges. This is why it was so important to create the real picture of the Georgian history with scientifically proved arguments and facts. Ivane Javakhishvili created the monography „The Georgian borders historically and in present days“. It’s based on a number of historical sources and special literary sources, including more than one cartographic sources. It clearly shows the process of transformation of the territory and borders of our country in different historical periods and gives us a real retrospective picture of the past. He made several maps: The Map of Republic of Georgia [1922], Historical Maps of Georgia [1913; 1923], The botanical-agronomic areas of Georgia [1930], The borders of Georgia [1919, 3 maps, in Georgian and French]. Ivane Javakhishvili considered Georgian borders in different contexts, on the basis of which the boundaries of the country must be drawn, in particular, in a historical context, where he inquired about the shape the country had in the past centuries on the one hand, and in a contemporary context (in the context of the international law), where he inquired about the shape of the contemporary state borders. Iv. Javakhishvili’s version of the claimed border at the Peace Conference is based on the compliance with the restoration of the historical justice for Georgia and the international standards. At Paris Peace Conference, many documents were presented by the states in the attempt to show the history, areas and claimed borders of their countries.