Suchum Kaleh.

Title

Suchum Kaleh.

Description

View of the town of Sukhum Kaleh (Sochumi), the capital of Abkhazia. Illustrated by Kate Greenaway (1846–1901).

c. 1877

Artist

Illustrirte Zeitung / Weber Johann Jakob (1843-1944)

The Illustrirte Zeitung was first published in Leipzig on July 1, 1843, and continued in publication until September 1944. It was the first illustrated magazine in Germany, modeled on the successful Illustrated London News and the French L’Illustration. The editor and publisher was Johann Jacob Weber (1803–1880).

Historical Description

Sukhum-Kaleh—today known as Sukhumi—is a historic city on the Black Sea coast in present-day Abkhazia. The settlement dates back to the ancient Greek colony of Dioscurias. During the Middle Ages, the region was part of the Kingdom of Georgia. From the 16th century onward, the city came under Ottoman influence and became known as Sukhum-Kaleh, meaning roughly “Sukhum Fortress.” In the 19th century, it came under the rule of the Russian Empire and later developed into an important port and administrative center of the region.