The 7-13 September volume of the newspaper “Asaval-Dasavali” published an interview with the chairperson of the organization “For Our Rights”, Tamaz Bakuridze, who claimed that “too many” streets are named after different sheikhs in Batumi.
Tamaz Bakuridze: Turks having a serious influence in Adjara today is a fact. There are more Turkish boarding schools than our schools. Many streets in the capital of Adjara are named after various sheikhs while we throw the monuments of glorious ancestors in the trash.”
Information disseminated by Bakuridze is false. There are no streets named after Sheikhs in Batumi. Only one, part of the so-called Dancing Fountains square is named after the former education minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan
In Batumi, a recently developed street was named after the former Education Minister Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan in 2010, whereas the alley was officially opened in 2012. As a member of Batumi City Council from the United National Movement Giorgi Kirtadze told the “Myth Detector”, per the council’s decision street was renamed in 2013 and now only the part of the surrounding square is named after Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan.
On the official web-page of Batumi City Hall, we found Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan alley in the list of parks and squares. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan alley is called Alley of Heroes today and April 9 memorial is located here as well.
So-called Dancing Fountains Square
Alley of Heroes and April 9 memorial
“Myth Detector” contacted Tamaz Bakuridze as well. We asked him to list the streets in Batumi that are named after Arab Sheikhs as he claims. Bakuridze responded that he couldn’t remember the exact streets neither with „Asaval-Dasavali” nor with us He only responded that the Sheikh street should be near the hotel Euphoria in Batumi.
“Myth Detector” explored streets near the hotel on Google Maps, but couldn’t find the Sheikh street. Hotel “Euphoria” is located on the Lech and Maria Kaczynski Street. The street is named after the former Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his spouse, Maria. Lech and Maria Kaczynski died in a plane crash near Smolensk, Russia in 2010.
The distance from Hotel Euphoria to Sheikh Square is up to 3 kilometers.
Lech and Maria Kaczynski Street connects to Sherif Khimshiashvili Street. Sheikh Square is located near Sherif Khimshiashvili Street. Sherif Khimshiashvili was the last noble of Upper Adjara, fought in a war against the Ottoman Empire, and greatly contributed to the return of Adjara.
Regional Network of Media Literacy Lab
