Tsandryphsh or Tsandripsh , is an urban-type settlement

Urban-type settlement

Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union...

 located in the Gagra district of Abkhazia

Abkhazia

Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...

, a disputed region on the Black sea

Black Sea

The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...

 coast, 5 km from the Russian border.

History

Tsandrypsh is said to be the historical capital of the principality of Saniga before the 6th century AD. It later became the capital of Sadzen

Sadzen

Sadzen was an ill-defined region on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, which used to be settled by the Sadz people, hence the name. In the mid-19th century, it came to be known in Russian and Western literature as Lesser Abkhazia....

.

Name

Tsandrypsh derives its current name from the princely family Tsanba. In historical times, it was known as Sauchi . Then, until 1944 as Yermolov, after the Russian general Aleksey Petrovich Yermolov

Aleksey Petrovich Yermolov

Aleksey Petrovich Yermolov , or Ermolov , was a Russian Imperial general of the 19th century who commanded Russian troops in the Caucasus War.-Early life:...

. From 1944 until 1991, Tsandrypsh was known as Gantiadi , from the Georgian word for Dawn. This latter name is still used informally.