FOR THE QUESTION OF THE ORIGIN OF THE TOPONYM “CIHA”

Abstract

In the Rize region of the Republic of Turkey, in the settlement of Pazar district, where the descendants of the Georgian Laz people live, there is a fortress called “Ciha”. According to medieval Ottoman sources, a fortress of the same name (“Ciqa”) is found ona the territory of Eastern Anatolia, named among the fortresses of Nijah, Ahcha Kala, Nikert and Kucuk Kala - near the border of “Gurjistan”. According to Turkish researcher I.M. Mimiroglu, the etymology of “Ciha” is not quite clear and this toponym can be explained on the basis of “Arabic, Lazi or Persian”. The etymology of this toponym, in our opinion, is related to the Georgian language and means “Tsihe” (Castle). Toponyms based on “Ciha” are still found in thentime Georgia (Jikhandjiri, Jikha, Jikhaishi...). Besides, in the Middle Ages along the northeastern coast of the Black Sea there were locations with similar names (Gelendjiki, Alba-Zekha, Maura-Zekha), which were within the historical borders of the Georgian Kingdom. Thus, the names with “Ciha” in their base are confirmed on the territory of the entire eastern Black Sea area, where the autochthonous
population was represented by Kartvelian tribes (Kolhis and Lazis, Kolis, Tibareni, Meskhetians, Abasgians, Macron-Makhorons, Korakhs, Mossynoeci, Chanis, Chalybes...).
The Georgian origin of the word “Ciha” is evident from the archaeological specimens found in this fortress, namely, an equal-armed cross and ornamentation in the form of birds (peacocks) engraved on one of the stone slabs. Bas-reliefs with similar ornaments are found in abundance on Anatolian churches and monasteries, which are called Byzantine temples in Turkish scientific literature and dated to the “early Byzantine period”. These reliefs were equally characteristic of both Eastern Christian countries and Western European states. It should be emphasized that images of the equal-armed cross and peacock were widespread in Georgian churches and temples as early as in the V-VI centuries. Taking into account that the toponym “Ciha” is located in the “Lazistan” of Turkey, and the fortress church was decorated with symbols characteristic of Georgian religious art (“Bolnisi Cross”, peacock...), we believe that this fact should testify to the validity of our opinion.