Megrelians, estimated to be around 400,000 in number with the vast majority living and
having lived in Abkhazia and Samegrelo in the western part of the country, are rarely heard
of outside of Georgia, Historically, they are descendants of the people of the ancient Colchis
in Western Georgia, whereas the roots of Eastern Georgia go back to the old kingdom of
Iberia. The Megrelian language is widely used in Western Georgia, where Megrelians
constitute a cohesive, dominant population. However, the number of speakers of Megrelian …