Abstract
THE EASTERN BLACK SEA KIPTCHAKS
The eastern Black Sea Kiptchaks are one of the tribes leaving the deeepest impact in the history of the region. The Kiptchaks who moved to the region from Georgia at the end of the twelfth century are the strongest ones among the Christians living between Artvin and Trabzon in terms of military aspect. They actively took part in the fight to defend the region against the Muslims by collobarating with the Komnenos from the end of the thirteenth century on. In turn all the strategic spots leading to Trabzon from the south were given to them. The names that belong to Kiptchaks in the region explain these lines. It is understood from the Greek sources that they make up the majority of the Christians in the places where they settled down. They adopted the Islam when the Ottoman reign started. They have maimtened their existence in the same places upto now. They have left an important effect up on the anthrolopogical, cultural and philological structure of the eastern Black Sea region.<
Keywords
Kiptchaks, Georgia, Eastern Black Sea Region, Orthodoxy, Islam