Javakhk (Armenian: Ջավախք) was a historical region of Kingdom of Armenia and a canton (gavar) of Gugark province (ashkharh). It is currently located in the territory of modern Georgia roughly corresponding to the Javakheti region.
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In the sources the region was recorded as Zabakha in 785 BC by the king Argishti I of Urartu.
From 6th to 4th centuries BC the region was part of the Armenian Kingdom.
According to Georgian historians, Javakheti was one of the major places of Kingdom of Kartli from ancient times and was in between of both East Georgian and West Georgian cultural and historical elements (Javakheti, as the whole south-western typonomic of Georgia has elements of Zani Language).
Historical Javakheti was divided as Upper Javakheti (Akhalkalaki plateau) and Lowland Javakheti (with canyon on left side of Mtkvari River).
In the 3rd century BC, the region became part of the Kingdom of Kartli, but again became part of the Artaxiad Armenia under Artaxias I (189-160 BC) as part of Gugark province.
From 11th century center of upper Javakheti became Akhalkalaki. From 10th century the center of lowland Javakheti was Tmogvi. In the centuries of rise of Georgian kingdom (11th-13th centuries) Javakheti was also in the uprising period - bridges, churches, monasteries, royal residences, (Lgivi, Ghrtila, Bozhano, Vardzia) were built. From 12th century domain was ruled by representatives of feudal family of Toreli.
From 13th century, in administrative borders of region was combining in addition Palakatsio (modern Turkey) and part of Samtskhe. In 15th century, Javakheti was part of Samtskhe-Saabatago feudal head. In 16th century region, as other territories of southern Georgia was occupied by Ottoman Empire. Georgian population of Javakheti was displaced to inner regions of Georgia - part to the Imereti and another to the Kartli. Who stood on the place became Muslims.
In the first third of the 19th century, Russia conquered the Southern Caucasus, and the whole of Georgia, along with the rest of the Caucasus, was incorporated within the Russian Empire. In 1828, because of luck of Russian army in battle with Turks made the decision real to move people to Samtskhe-Javakheti. Trialeti and Javakheti was filled with Christian Armenians and Greeks.[1] In the early 20th century, a large number of Armenian refugees from the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire, and Doukhobor sect members of Russian Empire, settled the region;
December 3, 1829, general Ivan Paskevich created special committee for relocation with chairmanship of governor Piotr Zaveleisky (Russian: П. Д. Завелейский).[2] Committee created act for relocation. Аccording to preliminary calculations, committee planned to displace 8000 families from Kars, Erzurum and Doğubeyazıt, but after short time start was grown up to 14000.
Political target of Tsarist Russia was to get ethnical colours in Georgia, while king-loving Georgian people was not very happy with Russian rule, because of this was refused to move Meskhetians from Imereti back to their homes in freed places of Javakheti and other southern regions.
After offensive on Akhaltsikhe, sons of Mesketian families of 16th-17th centuries - Tsitsishvili, Avalishvili, Muskhelishvili and others get to Ivan Paskevich and requested the return of legitimate lands on according to conservated sigheles issued Georgian kings. Paskevich refused their request with some regrets.
Currently Armenians form the ethnic majority in the region.[3]
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