Sokhumi is the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, an integral part of Georgia, and one of the oldest cities on the Black Sea coast: in antiquity the Greek colony of Dioscurias stood here. For generations people loved it for its palm-lined seafront, its botanical garden and its mild subtropical climate.
Since the war of 1992-1993, Sokhumi has been occupied by the Russian Federation. The city fell on 27 September 1993, and between 200,000 and 250,000 people, mostly ethnic Georgians, were forced to leave their homes in Abkhazia. Today the territory is controlled by the unrecognized authorities of the so-called Abkhazia, backed by Russian troops, while Georgia and almost all countries of the world recognize Abkhazia as part of Georgia.
Under Georgia's Law on Occupied Territories, any real estate deal made there in violation of Georgian law is void from the start, and foreign citizens may enter Abkhazia only from the direction of Zugdidi. Property in Sokhumi cannot be safely bought or sold today. We keep this page for the city's history and for the day its displaced residents can return home.