Choloki

Choloki
Choloki
	Bridge over the Choloki blown up during the 2004 Adjara crisis.
Native name	ჩოლოქი (Georgian)
Location
Country	Georgia
	Adjara
Physical characteristics
Source	Caucasus Mountains
Mouth	Natanebi
• coordinates	41°54′38″N 41°46′12″E / 41.91056°N 41.77000°E
Length	29.5 km (18.3 mi)
Basin size	159 km2 (61 sq mi)
Basin features
Progression	Natanebi→ Black Sea
Tributaries
• left	Ochkhamuri

The Choloki^[1] (Georgian: ჩოლოქი, also Cholok) in Georgia forms the border between the autonomous province of Ajaria and the province of Guria. For a time in the 19th century it formed the border between Turkey and Imperial Russia.

History

During the Crimean War the Turks crossed it in 1853 and were driven back the following year during the Battle of Choloki.^[2]

Another military episode took place on April 16, 1918, when the Georgian National Guard under General-Lieutenant Giorgi Mazniashvili repelled a Turkish invasion force.

The bridge over Choloki river that was a main road link between Ajaria and the rest of Georgia was blown up on May 2, 2004, by the ousted leadership of the Autonomy. Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze called the decision to blow up the bridges in the Kobuleti border region "a preventive measure against the possible attempt of military action by the central Georgian authorities."