Abstract
When we talk about Meskhetian/Ahiskaian Turks, it is perceived that the Turkish community with a population of approximately 200 thousand existed in the Meskhetian/Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia, who was exiled from their ancestral lands to the Central Asian countries in 1944 by the Soviet government. Due to its settled position, Ahiskaian Turkishness has been a gateway between Anatolia and the Caucasus, in other words, between the regions and civilizations, as well as the unifying bridge of Anatolian and Azerbaijani Turks. After the exile, this position expanded further, and it also assumed the role of the cultural carrier of Central Asia, Anatolia, and Azerbaijan. Today about 150 thousand Meskhetian Turks live in Kazakhstan, 100 thousand in Turkey, 100 thousand in Azerbaijan, 100 thousand in the Russian Federation, 50 thousand in Kyrgyzstan, 15 thousand in Uzbekistan, 10 thousand in the United States, 10 thousand live in Ukraine and 1,500 in Georgia. As they live in different countries, Meskhetian Turks are defined as a trans-national community. It is known that Meskhetian Turks have a rich cultural heritage. The modern type of schooling process of this community has an important historical background. In the presented article, the schools that operated before the Turks' 1944 evacuation from the historical Meskhet-Javakheti region in south-west Georgia are investigated. At the end of the 19th century, the new type of credit schools gave education in the Turkish language and opened in the villages of the Turks inhabited by the Turks in the Akhaltsikhe District in the province of Tiflis in Tsarist Russia, is being studied. In this context, the activity history of the primary schools established in the villages of Atsquri and Okam in 1881, Khertvisi in 1885, Adigeni in 1895, Oshora, Tsnisi, and Varkhani in 1897, the content of education in these schools, the contributions of reformist teachers who lit the light of enlightenment in the Akhaltsikhe cultural region, information specific to students is presented. The study's subjective sources and materials are mainly related materials in the Central Historical Archives of the National Archive of Georgia in Tbilisi.
Highlights
First of all, the schooling process of Meskhetian Turks, the characteristics of education in Akhaltsikhe Turkish schools, the activities of preparing Turkish teachers in Akhaltsikhe, information about the Turkish teachers and students in Akhaltsikhe draw attention
The first modern educational schools of Meskhetian Turks are Atsquri, Okami primary schools, which were founded in 1881. They were followed by Khertvisi village primary school in 1885 and by Adigeni, Varkhani, Oshora and Tsnisi primary schools towards the end of the century
There was no distinction between Ahiskaian and Borchalian, and the graduates of the seminary from the Borchaly region played an active role in the first steps of education in the vicinity of Meskhetian
Summary
The schooling process of Meskhetian Turks, the characteristics of education in Akhaltsikhe Turkish schools, the activities of preparing Turkish teachers in Akhaltsikhe, information about the Turkish teachers and students in Akhaltsikhe draw attention. In 1874, it was divided into two districts in Tiflis province, namely Akhaltsikhe and Akhalkalaki. While raions-districts were established in 1830, Akhaltsikhe, Adigeni, Aspindza, Akhalkalaki, and Ninotsminda districts were established in this region. Today, these lands are defined as Samtskhe-Javakheti province, with which the city ies.ccsenet.org. Based on the statistical population data of 1885, it is seen that a total of 31,012 people in 150 villages in the district of Akhaltsikhe and a total of 4,163 people in approximately 30 villages in the district of Akhalkalaki were inhabited collectively In the statistical records of 1917, it was determined that 15.040 Turks lived in the Akhaltsikhe district and 3.619 Turks in the Akhalkalaki district In the statistical records of 1917, it was determined that 15.040 Turks lived in the Akhaltsikhe district and 3.619 Turks in the Akhalkalaki district (Statistical data of Georgia, 1921, p. 23)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
