Şavşat'ın müslümanlığı kabulü ile ilgili 1905 yılında "Droeba" Gazetesinde Zekeria Çiçinadze'nin Şavşat yaşlıları ile röportajından bir bölüm aşağıda aktarıyorum. Gürcüce yazılmış metni latin harfleriyle aynen yolluyorum. Gürcüce bilenler anlayabilecektir. Henüz tercüme etmeye vaktim olmadı. Ama bu haliyle de ilginizi çekebilir:

SavSeTis gamahmadianeba

(naambobi berikacebisagan SavSeTSive)

Gvens bers kacebs moveswar da isini ambobdnen, rom TorTom xeobis gamahmadianebis Semdeg tao gamahmadianda da amis Semdeg zaruSeTio; zaruSeTis Semdeg SavSeTi da SavSeTs Semdeg imerxevi. yvelaze gvian aWara da maWaxeli gamahmadianebula. amaT asi weliwadi ubrZoliaT sjulisTvis, kinaRam mTlad gawyvetilan. mere erTs amaT Wkuians kacTagans uTqvams:

_ janum, raze vixocavT Tavebs da bedi avad vawydebiT aqa-iq? ager sxvebi gamahmadiandnen da Gvenc gavmahmadiandeTo.
Gven mogvbaZes maT, Gven Semdeg miratis xevi gamahmadianda da miratis xevis Semdeg aWarelni, magram zogi xeoba adre, zogi gvian. me vhkiTxe mas:

_ zaruSeTs, _ Tqven romel mxares uwodebT? _ Gvens qiTabSi (wignSi) zaruSeTi arsad moixseneba, GvenSi eruSeTs ityvian. saiT sZevs zaruSeTi?
_ SavSeTis gadaRma, aRmosavliT, ardahanis mxares, sadac TviT ardahani sZevs; ager, Sexede arsianis, SavSeTis da ardahanis titvlikana mTebs, ai im mTebs iqiTa mdebare adgilebs zaruSeTi hqvian.
me vkiTxe:

_ kargad, exla mivxvdi, rom Gvens wignebSi moxsenebuli eruSeTi Tqveneburi zaruSeTi unda iyos. es, me mgonia, mas Semdeg unda Secvliliyos, rac es qveyana osmalT daiWires.

_ albad, ase iqneba. osmalni SavSeTsac sxva saxels uwodeben.

ra saxels, vkiTxe me.

_ xan `nislaTas~, xan `nislians~. Gvens Zvelebs ase uTqvamT maTTvis da maTac es saxeli GauweriaT TavianT qiTabebSi (wignebSi).

_ es kargi; aba exla is miambeT, Tu SavSeTisa da imerxevis xalxi rogor gamahmadianda?

_ ai rogor gamahmadianda: pirveli RmerTis brZaneba iyo da mere Gveni muhamedisa. qristiani rom gamahmadiandeba, is ueWvelad samoTxeSi wavao, imas rac unda codvebi hqondes, sikvdilis Semdeg RmerTi apatiebso. es ambebi da RvTis brZaneba Gven male ver SevityeT. sanam SevityobdiT, manamdis osmalebs veGxubebodiT, ra zori gvqonda, magram ara gvesmoda ra da ubralod Tavebs vixocavdiT. ase, Gven roca es ambebi SevityeT, maSin Gven Gveni nebiT gavmahmadiandiT, visac ar undoda gamahmadianeba, isini Tqvensken gamoiqcnen. vinc aq darGa, yvelam Tayvani-sca mahmadianobas.

_ pirvelaT vinc gamahmadianda TqvenSi, is xom wminda, kargi kaci iyo?

_ oo, rasakvirvelia, ra fiqri unda, didi sufTa kaci yofila.

_ vin iyo is keTili da wminda kai kaci?

_ ager, Sexede, ai im mTas, im mTis xeobaze sZevs sof. miqeleTi; im sof. miqeleTSi Zvelad erTi zengini (mdidari) kaci scxovrebda. eruSeTi rom gamahmadianda, _ maSin es kacic gamahmadianda, sxva amis naTesavebi ki Tqvensken gamoiqcnen, radganac maT gamahmadianeba ar indomes.

_ gvarad ras etyvian im Zvels kai kacs?

_ im memeleqeTis saxels, miqeleTs, miqel oRlis, miqelaZes, eseni zaT sul aqaurebi yofilan. amitom hqvian am sofels da xeobas miqeleTi. miqelaZeebi didi gvaris faSebic yofilan gurjistanis dros.

_ mere, ra hqmna im miqeleTelma didma kacma? vkiTxe me.

_ iman is hqna, rom gamahmadianebis Semdeg is daniSnes ardahanis ufrosad da begioba misces. radganac is Zalian cdilobda xalxis gamahmadianebas. im dros erTi Gveni ZvelebTagani ardahanSi Gasula da miqelaZes gamoscxadebia. miqelaZes ucvnia, kargad miuRia da amisTvis uTqvams: biWo, razed ixocavT Tavebsao, mahmadianoba wminda sjuli yofila; qristiani rom gamahmadiandeba, is pirdapir samoTxeSi wavao. raze iWirvebT Zmano, saqmes, gamahmadiandiT da moisveneT davidarabisaganao.

Gvens Zvels sityva miucia. miqeloRlis amisTvis erTi kargi cxeni uGuqebia da es ise gamoustumrebia imerxevSi. Gveni Zvelebi aznaurebi yofilan, mTeli xeoba maT sWeriaT, sof. wyalsimerSi mdgaran. amaT SeuyriaT imerxevis begiebi da aRebi: TurmaniZe, saRirasZe, lominaZe da mravalic sxvani da uTqvams maTTvis mahmadianuri sjulis siwmindave, samoTxeSi wasvla, codvebis patieba da ardahanis begisagan dapirebuli wyalobis miReba. eseni wasulan male ardahanSi, unaxavT miqelaZe, imas kargad miuRia, yvelaferi sjulis saqmeebi Seutyobinebia, Tan fadiSaxis mowyalebas dahpirebia da bolos gamoustumrebia eseni Gvensken. eseni mosulan Sin, male am xeobis soflis xalxi SeuyriaT erTad da TavianTi survili ganucxadebiaT. xalxs maTi azri kargad miuRia, amaT gaxarebiaT kidec da uTqvamT:

_ didis sixaruliT viwamebT muhameds da namdvili mahmadianebi gavxdebiT.

aq male mouyvaniaT xoja-molebi da xalxs Tavis nebiT dauwyia gamahmadianeba. ramdenime xnis Semdeg SavSeTisa da imerxevis xalxi mTlad gamahmadianebula. am dros sof. wyalsimers, Sua sofelSi ekklesia yofila, es ekklesia dauqceviaT da ekklesiis masaliT imave alagas dRevandeli jame daudgavT. am alagas axla axali jame sdgas. aseve kidev am sxva soflebSi gaakeTes, ekklesiebi daaqcies da ekklesiis masaliT imave adgilas jameebi daakeTes.

_ ratom tbeTis ekklesia ki ar daaqcies? vkiTxe me.

_ tbeTis ekklesia imitom ar daaqcies, radganac SavSeTi da imerxevi erTob advilad gamahmadianda. aWarlebsaviT da maWaxlelebsaviT amaT didi sisxli ar dauRvriaT: rogorc uTxovniaT Tu ara, eseni maSinaTve gamahmadianebulan RmerTis brZanebiT. tbeTs raRazed daaqcevdnen, magaze ukeTess ras gaakeTebdnen, rom daeqciaT? imav TaviTve eg jamed gadaukeTebiaT. mitom darGa eg qlesia aqamdis, Torem es rom jamed ar yofiliyo gakeTebuli, iqneba aqamdis arc ki moeRwia.

_ Senis fiqriT, es ramdeni Taoba unda iyos mas Semdeg gadasuli, rac aq mahmadianoba Semovida? vkiTxe me.

_ meeqvse Taoba, radganac Gemi mamis mama ityoda, rom Gemi baba, (mama), qristiani yofila da patara gaumahmadianebiaTo. mas Semdeg 300 weliwadi unda iyos gasuli. mahmadianebi aseTi kacebi arian, rom tbeTi ar daaqcies, jameT gadaakeTes da xalxs misces salocavad, da Tqven ki Gveni axalcixis jame qlesiad (ekklesia) gadaakeTeT, zanginebi GamohkideT da araxunebT.

sxva Zveli kacebi am ricxvs uars yofen da amboben, rom am adgilebis gamahmadianebidgan 200 weliwadze meti ar unda iyos gasulio, Gven ase gagvigiao.

amis Sesaxeb saubari davuwye da avuxseni saqmis viTareba da isic, rom Zvelad es jame qarTvelebis salocavad iyo-meTqi, magram man ar daijera da es ki miTxra:

_ Gven qlesiebsac pativs vscemT, radganac Gven gurjebi vyofilvarT, mxolod gamGeni RmerTis nebiT Gveni Zvelebi gadabrunebulan. amitom Gven Gveni Zvelebis salocavebi ar gvejavreba. qlesiebs mitom aqcevdnen, rom danaqcevis masaliT james akeTebdneno. tbeTs garda ramdeni kidev sxva ekklesiebi aris darGenili da jameebaT gadakeTebulio. xaxulis ekklesia, TorTomisken arTvinidgan 5 dRis savalze, iSxanas da parxals, eseni dRes sul jameebaT aris dakeTebuli. amaTze ityvian Semdegs: `xaxulis ekklesiis silamaze, iSxnis siWrele da parxlis dajdoma da dasvenebao~. es ekklesiebi Tamar mefes gaukeTebia. amis gakeTebisTvis mas fuli daklebia. amitom mas Tavis nawnavi Tmebi mouWria, is gauyidnia da imiT anaRebi fuliT SeuTavebia xsenebuli monastrebi. qvabliani da focxovis xalxic maSin gamahmadianebulan, Gvens ZvelebTan erTad. zarzmac mitom ar daaqcies. rac didi ekklesiebi aris darGenili, yvela jameebaT iyo gadakeTebuli. exla ki isev gurjebs uTmoben am qlesiebs, tbeTSi mitom movSaleT jame da calke davdgiT.