What travel without photos? Khevsury in the photo

Passed Bear.

This happens - day and night, a little exhausting rain. It's boring when you're at home and looking out the window. But this is disgusting if you, along with your tourist group, move along the route through the Eastern Sayans. Well, if you have not reached the pass and you do not need to climb up, gliding on wet stones. However, even in the forest belt along the mountain river Ky-Zyr-Suk, walking along animal paths, squishing shoes with full water - during this period there is no pleasure. Clothing does not dry out from the bushes, when walking, new streams of water break off at you from time to time. There is only one salvation - to go as quickly as possible and act energetically in everything. Life is only in motion. Only in this way will you be saved from the common cold and not lose courage.
  In the parking lot, the first thing you do is firewood. Yes, not the ones lying around under your feet - these are soaking wet and will not burn anyway. Take only dead wood, which, even in the pouring rain, will glow. After this, put up tents, and let the attendants prepare food. Before going to bed, you need to change into dry clothes. Then climb into the tent and, warming up against each other, disconnect until the morning.
  One such evening, going to bed in a wet tent, I argued with Pasha for three liters of juice that in the morning we would see the sun. I argued out of despair and anger in order to drive away and move sneaking apathy towards all of us. And Pasha was guaranteed 100% success. He triumphed and swallowed saliva, although in order to get his win he had to go along the most difficult route along the Aradan and Ergaki mountain ranges, take several passes and get out into the civilized world to reach the nearest store.
  But in the morning - oh miracle! - the first thing we saw, looking out of the tent - this is the sun as simple as a baby smiling through the wet eyelashes of pine trees. Our mood changed, as did the weather, and even an unexpected loss did not upset Pasha.
  The weather cleared up, just in time. From the forest belt we went to the stone belt of mountain passes. They were located one after the other - Snowy, Bearish and the Banner of Youth.
We passed the Snowy pass without any special obstacles. In some places on its flat crest, justifying the name, despite the height of summer, several islands of snow turned blue. And it was all the more surprising that the height here above sea level hardly reached 2 thousand meters.
  We took this pass without incident, drawing attention in passing to the fact that traces of bear paws were clearly imprinted on hardened old snow. At this time, bears are not aggressive. We had to meet such "business cards" like this before. Still below, in the forest thicket, one could expect surprises. And here, where there was no vegetation, but only bare stones, we did not attach serious significance to this circumstance.
  The Bear Pass was quite nearby in the middle of mountain circuses. We walked over the stones quite a bit when it opened in front of us. Only a magnificent mountain lake separated us from it - through transparent and cold. In such lakes there is no vegetation, and nothing living is found. From one edge it was shallow and through it, directly to the pass, led a natural bridge of boulders. On the slope in front of the lake there was a small, dry and skinny shrub.
  - We break branches here, cross the lake, make a bonfire, have lunch and take the pass! - said the head of our group. It was already noon. It was worth recalling the food, as in the stomachs of everyone happily grunted.
  We quickly stacked two armfuls of dry and brittle twigs, and those on duty — Pashka and Ksyuha — crossed the stone bridge over the lake to the pass to light a fire and put boilers. While they were crossing, we broke down another shrubbery and moved after them.
  Suddenly, one of us, looking ahead, said in an ordinary voice: "Oh bear!"
  We followed his gaze and were astounded. Ksenia and Pashka had already crossed the lake (they were 200 meters away) and were rising with arms of brushwood and cauldrons to a small hill. On the other hand, towards the same hill towards them, invisible by them, but visible by us - a hefty brown bear walked leisurely. Until an unexpected meeting, 10-15 seconds remained.
  - back! - we yelled in chorus, not conspiring - and our wild cry echoed through the mountain peaks.
  Neither Ksenia, nor Pashka really understood anything. However, in the tone of our cry, they felt that something terrible was happening. Oksanka threw brushwood on the stones and rushed, not looking back at us. Pashka, following her, too, having thrown his armful and coppers, ran a few steps and suddenly turned back. Again he picked up one and the other and, already with a load, ran across to us.
The bear, obviously frightened by our terrible cry, without hesitation, rushed through the pass. For 30 minutes, measuring by the hour, we looked enviously at his energetic, reduced distance figure, which did not stop climbing for a minute (we should run at such a speed!). To repeat the same ascent after him, it took us about 4 hours.
  Crossing this pass, I broke my guitar. She was tightly fitted in my back over the backpack. I walked and peered anxiously at the spurs of stones - is not our recent friend hiding there? He stumbled and rode a dozen meters on his back.
  At the highest point of the pass, near a tour made of stones, where tourist groups leave notes (packed in waterproof containers, information about themselves), we put together the wreckage of our hiking musical instrument as a memory of this unexpected meeting.

In the morning, we were about to leave early, but it turned out that the shop which the khinkali had eaten before was closed. And in general, everything is closed. Koba went looking for something to eat - but here, for our happiness, this shop opened. We were fed with "spicy soup" - something like roast only a little broth. While they ate - they saw that the residents were going somewhere with brooms and rakes - Koba said that they clean the city on Saturdays.

We left in the direction of Khevsuretiya.

We drove along the eastern shore of the Zhinvali reservoir to the north, then further to the mountains, to the north-east.

The road was sometimes asphalt, sometimes country.

Koba said that a feast is taking place in the mountains these days in Khevsuretiya.
People climb high up the mountain to the sanctuary, where the priest recites a prayer, but not standard, but local, with the mention of local heroes (as Koba admitted, the higher the mountains, the more mixed with ancient pagan traditions), and then they go down to the village to drink and walk. During festivities, there are also many local rituals (like stealing someone’s things and hiding them). Brother Koba with all his 5 children went to this holiday, but we did not have time for it.

But, according to Koba, we can catch a feast in memory of the Georgian poet Your Pshavel in the village of Chargali. We stopped in Chargali, but there was no holiday - we were told that it will be tomorrow. We visited the house of your Pshavel museum - a small rural house with details of rural life of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

We arrived at the village of Korsha. All. Buses do not go any further. Next - only minibuses, and those are not regular - when a full car is typed and only in summer and early autumn.
In Korsh they looked at the Khevsur ethnographic museum - household items, Khevsur clothes.

Koba shows us the tunnels - in Soviet times they began to make railway tunnels to Chechnya, but did not have time. And so are the abandoned. According to Koba, there are many such completed and unfinished, but equally abandoned Soviet industrial facilities. Someday, I think, somebody will make a restaurant or a hotel there.

We begin to rise to the village of Roshka. Climbing a serpentine from a deep gorge, 7 km, takes an hour. The road is pits and stones.

On the road, we hardly circled a stuck minibus with Georgian students.

In Roshka, several cars and minibuses are near the beginning of the route - it is clear that the place is popular. Nearby are tents.
As Koba said, electric wires do not go to the village - they have their own small hydroelectric power station.
Most of the inhabitants of the village leave it in the winter, but several families remain - to monitor the economy.

We went on the path to the Abudelaur lakes. We immediately saw that the landscape is different from the Jute region - there are a lot of large stones. Handsomely. Clouds hang over the mountains.

The trail goes all the way up. Not very hard, but hard to maintain a high pace. Because of the pounded legs, Lena goes not in boots, but in sneakers.

On the way we talked with a Georgian family. It turned out that we were going to the same Chaukhi mountain, which we visited yesterday from Juta, but on the other hand. I didn’t know!
Moreover, there is a two-day route from Jute to Rosca through the pass. Those. we already go through most of it in two days.
If I knew about this in advance, and if somehow I solved the problems with logistics (where to get a tent for 1 day?), I would have to get from the Kazbegi region to Khevsuretiya just like that!

We reach the lakes. The first is small, we go further and see the following - a blue lake with fantastic reflections of mountains in it. Chaukhi, glacier, clouds.

Near the lake a lot of Georgian youth.

Soon, a large group of these young people is removed from their places and goes along the path further. To the pass?
As it turned out, there was another lake further - Beloye, but we did not know about it :(

We rest from a quick climb, have a bite, take pictures.

After half an hour, we move back. Lena manages to tuck her foot halfway and go back not fast.
In total, the round trip took 5 hours (if not for the leg, it would have been a little more than 4).

Already returning, we met on the trail those same students from a stuck minibus. Then, Koba told us that the rubber bands on which the engine hangs broke off the bus and the driver tied it with ropes. While students will run back and forth, they will fix it with other drivers.

We are going back to the track. On the way, we meet men on the first Lada ("penny").
They drove along this road for some kind of holiday. Previously, they were not here and did not know what kind of road. They got stuck hopelessly - their gums, on which the engine hung, also broke. Generally by car (1975!) Tied with ropes or glued with electrical tape at all. We help them pull the car out of the way so as not to interfere with driving.
Guys complain to me about the economic situation in Georgia.
We tell that we are from Israel. They say they are aware that we are fighting now. In parting, they wish us peace and, in gratitude for the help, everyone KISS me and Koba.

We are going further. This is the lower Khevsuretiya, before the pass. We rise to the pass, we drive slowly - 20 kilometers per hour. Gradually, the forest on the hills gives way to stunning green hills. And all this against the background of an incredible sunset.
I am trying to take pictures, but it is obviously impossible to convey this beauty.

I think that this ascent to the Bear Cross Pass was one of the most amazing moments for the whole trip. It was incredibly beautiful.

We stop at the pass (height 2800m). On one side of the pass there are green hills and sunset, on the other there is dense fog.
Lena did not get out of the car (she was cold), but I stood as spellbound.

We stood for about 10 minutes and began to descend.
They went down below the clouds and the same green hills opened, down below, there was a forest, rocks, a mountain river.

We drove from Roshka for about 5 hours, probably despite the fact that it is 50 km.

On the way, Koba decided to fish. We stopped under a watch tower near the river and he threw a net - a special net with weights below - it is somehow very difficult to drop.

We arrived in Shatili already in the dark.

We settled in a guesthouse (50 GEL per person, including breakfast and dinner, shower and toilet are not in the room), bathed and had dinner.
For dinner, the hozayka prepared (right with us) khinkali, chizhi-byzhi, a standard salad (tomatoes, parsley, onions), and something else, and took half a liter of chachi from her (liter - 10 lari).

Lena soon went to bed, and Kobo and I drank chacha and talked about business prospects.
According to him, wild interest on loans in Georgia (15-20 %%) is in Georgia, so you can open a guesthouse or restaurant or something else only with your own money, which is not enough for it.
I advised him to hire drivers - those who, unlike Koba, do not know how to look for foreign clients.

Now, analyzing the photographs and recalling the trip, I think that it was the best day in Georgia.
And the Bear Cross pass I remember much more than other, even more impressive places.

In the north of Eastern Georgia, high in the gorges of the Caucasus Mountains, is one of the most beautiful and pristine regions - Khevsuretiya (or Khevsureti). It is as if this region "saddled" the Great Caucasus Range, located both on its northern slope and along the southern one. Due to the geographical location, Khevsuretiya is divided into Inner (southern slopes - Piraketi) and Outer (northern slopes - Pirikiti). These two regions are connected by Arkhotsky and Bearish passes.

Heavy - translated from Georgian, means “ravine”, “gorge”. From this word the name of the region went, in which there are many gorges and mountains.

Unfortunately, now, the region of brave Khevsurs, "thanks to" the policy of the Soviet Union, has practically become empty. Residents were forcibly relocated to the valleys. A couple of hundred families remained in the entire region, the remaining mountaineers went down to the cities and villages of lowland Georgia. Maybe that's why nature has preserved a virgin look, and this greatly attracts tourists, especially from Europe.

At present, Khevsuretiya is the smallest and practically undeveloped region. This should be taken into account by tourists who stroll, already in fairly large numbers, along the slopes of this region.

Khevsury

The first mention of a harsh region with formidable and fearless mountaineers dates back to the 15th century, but this does not mean at all that Khevsuretiya was settled in the late Middle Ages. Inaccessible gorges were inhabited earlier; pre-Christian traditions and customs still played an important role in the life of this people.

Only during the Golden Age, during the reign of Tsar George III and his daughter Tsarina Tamara, did the Georgian rulers think about protecting their borders from their northern neighbors. So they began to use Khevsurs as border guards. And the reward for the performance of such a debt was the exemption from payment of any taxes to the treasury.

Proud, obeying a special code of honor, formidable and fearless Khevsurs, who became famous for their warlike and courage at all times fought with their neighbors. If at least somehow one could understand their hostility towards the northern Muslim peoples-neighbors of the Ingush and Chechens (although ethnically, these peoples are close), then aggression against co-religionists: Pshavs and Tushins was completely incomprehensible. What about Pshavs and Tushins? Khevsurs repeatedly went on a war against each other piracy against Pirikit. And the people cultivated the Caucasian vendetta (blood feud), which did not allow the conflict to subside, even if it flared up because of a trifle.

The origin of the Khevsurs

Having familiarized themselves with the national costume of the Khevsurs, their life, the Russian ethnographer Arnold Zisserman hypothesized that the Khevsurs are heavily Georgianized descendants of the European crusaders. Such a hypothesis has more serious grounds than it seems.

There are many surviving documents testifying to the contacts of Georgians with the crusaders, the Khevsurs, up to the twentieth century wore chain mail, which is not characteristic of the Caucasian peoples. Khevsursky direct sword also reminds the European. The highlanders themselves always obeyed only the Georgian tsar, did not recognize any feudal lords, lived tribal communities. Khevsur warriors represented the "elite" detachments of Georgian kings. Moreover, anthropologically Khevsurs differ from Georgians and are close to Europeans.

When imperial power in Georgia weakened, the Argve princes wished to annex this region to their principality. However, this accession was purely formal.

In the 19th century, the region underwent terrible trials.

Firstly, the campaign of Simanovich in 1813. The army of General Simanovich with heavy fighting with fire and sword captured Khevsuretiya.

Secondly, in 1843 the troops of Imam Shamil went to war on the Khevsurs, who demanded from the Highlanders recognition of his power and renunciation of Russian rule. But the Shatilians refused, having lost 2 people in the battle, they killed more than a hundred imam soldiers.

Thirdly, the plague of 1850, which mowed almost the entire population. The entire village of Anatori, except for one person, “moved” to the burial grounds, which are now one of the tourist sites of Khevsuretiya.

A significant role in the devastation of the mountain region and its depopulation was played by Soviet power. Later, some highlanders returned, but settled no longer in the fortresses, but in ordinary houses, where there are more amenities. So the village of New Shatili appeared.

In 1942, when the Ingush and Chechen people were repatriated, the Khevsurs were forcibly resettled in their deserted villages. In order to avoid repatriation, some highlanders fled, they hid in the mountains, then a code of honor appeared, Khevsurs, who lived in the houses of Ingush and Chechens, fed the fugitives secretly from state bodies.

In the 50s of the twentieth century, when the returnees were returned to their lands, the Georgians voluntarily left their homes and returned back to Khevsuretiya.

Khevsury in the photo

Unfortunately, not many old photos have been preserved. And if ordinary national clothes can still be seen in almost every home or hotel in Khevsureti, combat outfits have become a rarity. Several photographs can be seen on billboards next to Shatili, Anatoria burial grounds and Mutso. The frames below are taken from there.

Ethnography and life of Khevsuretiya

As mentioned above, the highlanders lived tribal communities. At the same time, the people were divided into two castes:

Warriors who were engaged in raids and robbery, as well as the protection of their property;

Shepherds and farmers who raised cattle and raised a poor crop due to climatic conditions.

Since for half a year Khevsurs were in captivity, all life and infrastructure came from this. Their village was one big fortress, where towers and turrets were attached to each other and connected by both explicit and secret passages.

Fortresses became impregnable, their walls seemed a continuation of the rocks. Therefore, the Khevsurs practically did not know defeats from external enemies. Alpine fortified villages are brilliant, unique monuments of Georgian construction architecture. Each clan settled in its gorge, used it and protected it from the raids of its neighbors.

Although everyone lived in the fortress, each family had its own little turret.

Communication with relatives was maintained through the passages, both external and internal. On long winter evenings, women sewed, knitted and embroidered amazingly beautiful folk costumes. A cross was embroidered or knitted on almost every element of the national dress. Men kept weapons ready, guarded their fortress.

What to see in Khevsureti

Khevsuretiya is an ideal place for ethnographic travel and trekking (hiking), which is what tourists use. The region has several significant historical and cultural monuments, as well as fabulous natural landscapes, against which the photographs become masterpieces. And unlike everything known, there are no large masses of tourists here yet. What is a definite plus.

Unfortunately, tourism infrastructure is still at the initial level, but there is hope that everything is still ahead. Since the region has not yet had normal roads, it is recommended to go to Khevsuretiya on off-road vehicles. For lovers of trekking, colorful routes have been developed.

Classic popular - Shatili Mutso;

New, gaining momentum, Barisakho-Roshka - Chaukhi pass-the Jut climbers camp;

Jute Roshka.

Walking along these routes is highly likely to meet other travelers, especially on weekends, as these routes attract local youth.

Shatili

Shatili - is the most famous medieval fortified city in the region. A strategically important place was chosen for its construction. Located on the right bank of Argun, the fortress not only protects the gorge, but also controls the paths leading from Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan and Tusheti.

Now, near the fortress, a new village has been built, which is the main settlement of the region.

Tourists are interested in the old unique fortress, which is a tower complex that served as a residential quarter and a defensive and fortification structure. At the moment, the fortress is almost completely reconstructed and wandering around it is very interesting. With the exception of a few towers, the old Shatili is empty. Therefore, you can easily get inside many structures. You can climb the roof to admire the beautiful view and make memorable photos. Some towers have completely new wooden floors and stairs. And in some, ancient wooden floors and household items are still partially preserved.

Shatili is located on the northern slope of the region. Tourists can walk around the ruins of the fortress freely, there is no need to buy tickets for inspection.

Shatili suffered her first serious defeat from the army of Simanovich, who burned it together with neighboring fortresses in 1813.

Between the fortress and the new settlement there is a clearing for ritual services (a sanctuary), which is called Jvari. For centuries, women were banned from entering Jvari territory. However, due to numerous questions arising, the Khevsurs completely enclosed the sanctuary from tourists. Although almost any man can go in there, it’s better to ask permission. Above the sanctuary there is a small grove, which is a great place for a halt.

Shatili often became the "muse" of poets and artists. This fortress was sung in heroic ballads, described in literary works, and outstanding artists depicted on their canvases.

Anatorian burial grounds

The Anatorian burial grounds are monuments of a terrible plague, or maybe of smallpox, which “mowed” the Khevsurs in the middle of the 19th century. In the burial grounds there are still human bones in large numbers. They say that the sick themselves walked with their feet to where on the benches they were waiting in the wings. The burial ground is a small one-story building. You cannot get inside. Since there is no entry. A robust grille is inserted into small windows. For which they found the last refuge of plague patients. It is better for impressionable people to refuse to visit this place.

Attention! The burial grounds are located on the edge of a high cliff. Be very careful and attentive when you examine them.

Mutso

Mutso is a fortress that protects the northern borders of the country. The fortress is located north of Shatili, they are separated by a 12-kilometer trail, which has become a popular trekking route. You can drive on it on an SUV. But despite the short distance, the road takes about an hour.

According to legend, Mutso was built by the Great Queen Tamara, especially for the protection of the northern borders.

Another legend says that the great Khevsur warrior Torgvay decided to erect a fortress. All Khevsurs came to his aid, they stood in a row from the village of Anatori and began to pass stones to each other, so they built the Mutso fortress in one day.

No one knows when the fortress was empty: either after the destructive campaign of Simanovich, or earlier, but by the middle of the XIX century it was already empty. With the development of the tourism business, the ruins of Mutso have been restored. According to the plan of work on the restoration of the fortress should be completed in 2018. In October, a couple of weeks before the closure of the pass, they still continued. Although most were completed.

5 kilometers from Mutso there is a “village” of Adroti, more precisely, it was. Now there is only one family living there. This is the last village in the region.

Bear Cross Pass

The Bear Cross pass (2677 m above sea level) is located on one of the peaks of the Caucasus Range and divides Khevsuretiya into two parts. Traditionally, travelers stop at the pass to eat and drink three glasses of wine:

For the dead;

For the successful completion of the journey.

The road through the pass is the longest and slowest part of the path, but the views that open from it will be remembered by you for life. Be sure to stop at the highest point of the pass. Even if you don’t want a drink. Not a single photo will convey the beauty and volume of the space stretched out in front of you. At the peak, it is usually cool and a piercing wind blows.

Abudelaur Lakes

Abudelaur lakes - a landmark of South Khevsuretiya, located near the village of Roshka. These are three small ponds, they are called by the color of the water in them: White, Blue and Green. They are scattered at an altitude of 2600 to 2800 meters above sea level. Streams flowing from these lakes, forming the river Abudelauri, which flows through the valley of the same name. Traveling around the lakes can take all day.

The first travelers who leave Roshka come across the Green Lake, it is small and of little interest. It is called so because the grass of the surrounding meadow is reflected in the water. You can pitch a tent by the lake if you decide to climb the Chaukhi pass.

Next on the way is Lake Blue. It is especially picturesque during the flood period, at the same time there is a lush flowering of rhododendrons. The Blue Lake is surrounded not by meadows, but by stones that remained after an ancient volcanic eruption. Many tourists prefer to stop on this lake and set up camp. Especially on weekends there are a lot of visitors at this lake.

White Lake is located 200 meters above the Blue. But it seems to the traveler that it is in a completely different climatic and geographical zone. White Lake has no rhododendrons, almost no grass. Around the water, the color of highly diluted milk, there is almost nothing alive, only lifeless placers of stones. The lake is located at an altitude of 2815 meters, which makes it the highest mountain lake to which a simple traveler can climb. Only Lake Kelitsad is located higher, but only climbers with professional equipment can reach it.

The two lower lakes lie on the trekking route to Jute. White - remains a little off to the side.

Help for tourists

Khevsuretiya always attracted lovers and professionals of ethnographers, because almost until the twentieth century, the region lived its own life, apart, observing centuries-old traditions. Unpretentious, even ascetic living conditions, as well as annually spent months in snow captivity, formed the harsh morals of the warlike people. To send an army to the Khevsurs, it was believed - to doom the army to certain death.

The Essays on Khevsuretii by A. Zisserman, who was interested in this region in 1851, are very instructive and interesting.

The mountainous region was also studied and described by the Georgian scientist Vahushti Bagrationi.

Interest in the Khevsur people at the beginning of the twentieth century was shown by the famous proletarian traveler Zinaida Richter. She reached Shatili and described the fortress.

Since the region is underdeveloped and not yet ennobled, there is practically no Internet, the telephone is the only means of communication with hotel owners. Mobile Internet in Shatili is working, but very bad. Best catches magdti or geocell. For Shatili, there is practically no connection or Internet.

The season in Khevsureti is from late May to mid October. Later, bad weather and snow make it impossible to get there by car. The pass is closed. Once a week, a helicopter flies for border guards and the few residents remaining to winter.

Regarding security, the Khevsurs, despite the reputation of the militant people, are very hospitable. A guest for Khevsur at all times was considered an inviolable person, so from the people in Khevsuretiya you can only see smiles and hospitality, a willingness to help and suggest.

However, in this region there is some degree of danger that may come from wild predators, if any, and ... dogs. Dogs in Khevsuretiya graze herds, and shepherds are not always with them, so no matter how great the temptation, it is better not to approach the lambs. If there is a shepherd during the herd, he himself will approach you. In principle, dogs themselves do not show aggression, but "take care - God saves."

Where to stay in Khevsureti

Guesthouses are available only in some villages - these are:

Shatili, where the largest number of home hotels there, most of them belong to representatives of the Chincharauli clan there are about 12. Roshka (at Shota Tsiklauri tel. + 995 599 39-97-89);

Gudani (one guest at Dzila Chincharauli tel +995 593 30-11-70);

Korsha (at Mamuka Arabuli, tel. + 995 599 741 199 and Lamara Arabuli, tel. +995 595-54-62-36; +995 599-607-647) in the same village there is a store where you can not only buy supplies but also refuel.

There is a large and beautiful hotel in the village of Juta, the owners of Nanuk and Gigla Arabuli (tel. +995 555 355 366).

The most popular and convenient for spending the night is Shatili. I chose a fairly new Twins guesthouse to stop. It was the very end of the season when there were almost no tourists in these parts and I did not begin to book the hotel through booking. Just called and arranged. But upon arrival it turned out that someone managed to book my room via the Internet, and they gave me another one. A little smaller. In the summer, at the height of the season, you can even stay without a roof over your head without booking. Therefore, my advice - do not take risks and book accommodation in advance through booking.

Please note that these are simple rural guesthouses. As I understand it from communicating with the locals, there is not a single hotel where there would be individual bathrooms. They are shared by the whole house or one per floor. Keep this in mind and check in advance. Since in some hotels it is indicated that there are individual ones, but they turned out to be common.

Also pay attention to such a factor as nutrition. Some guest houses have a price significantly higher than the neighboring ones, but at the same time they have included two meals a day in the price. Although the booking only shows breakfast.

List of hotels in Shatili available for online booking at a booking:

Shatili Guesthouse-Mziani   - very good reviews and a high rating of -9.3.

Shatili guest house    - 8.4 overall rating and 9.4 per staff.

Shatili Guesthouse Twins   - new guesthouse. It has been working since August 2017. I chose it for my first trip to this region. The location of the hotel is excellent. A hundred meters from the fortress. The houses are brand new. The hostesses of the hotel are two pleasant elderly women. Sociable and responsive. Where you can go, what to see in the district - they all told.

I took accommodation with breakfast and dinner, as there are no cafes in the settlement. Dinner was rich and delicious. Both breakfast and dinner will be prepared as much as you wish. In general, I liked everything and the next time I will stay with them.

Jurkha’s shatili tower   - here the rooms are in a real ancient tower!

Doctor’s House    - Another novelty in booking and so far without reviews.

Shatili mzias guesthouse   - just like the previous three guesthouses, they just recently started working with booking.

There are practically no shops in the region, and no cafes, so it is better to take food and water on a hiking trip with you. One of the few guesthouses where there are drinks for sale, including alcohol - Shatili Guesthouse Twins

How to get to Shatili (Khevsureti)

Khevsuretiya on the map of Georgia

If you look at the map of Georgia, then Khevsureti is at the top, on the border with Russia. It is easy to find if you draw a line from Tbilisi vertically upwards.

On maps it is best to navigate by Shatili. Since this is the main and most important region. To look at its location relative to Tbilisi or the whole country, just zoom out on the map.

Road Tbilisi - Shatili

It should be noted that it is advisable to go to Khevsuretiya only on an SUV. On cars and SUVs it is better not to risk it. From to Shatili there is an excellent highway to, it is about 50 km and the car passes them quickly. From Zhinvali hydroelectric station to Shatili, the road is far from ideal. This is a common primer. As of October 2018, a new road was paved in this region. About a quarter of the distance was covered with good new asphalt. It is possible that next year the road will be laid to the pass. But in any case, the worst part of the journey begins precisely from the pass, and therefore, there is no way without an SUV.

First, the path runs through the Pshavian region, along the gorge of the Aragvi River. It is easy to determine where Pshavia ends and Khevsuretiya begins, on the conditional border there is a monument to the eagle. The eagle is a symbol of freedom and pride, the highlanders often compare themselves with this bird.

The trip takes a lot of time, not only because the road is bad, but also because at every step there is a desire to stop and take pictures.

In the village of Korsha you can visit the Ethnographic Museum, which is located in a building stylized as a Khevsur traditional tower.

In the village of Hahmati you can buy delicious natural branded honey. After Hahmati begins the Bear Cross Pass.

Behind the Bear Cross pass, along the way you can see a small but very colorful waterfall.

Khevsuretiya Photos

Here is a photo from the last trip to this region in October 2018. When I was in this region, I always had the feeling that I had again arrived in Nepal. Only the mountains are a little lower and around the fortress tower. The beauty is unbelievable! And besides, there are almost no tourists! However, the photos will tell you more convincingly about this. On my instagram @vic_tor_georgia   You can find videos shot from a drone in Khevsuretiya.

Shatili Photos

Khevsureti   (ხევსურეთი) is an area in the mountainous part of Georgia that borders Chechnya and Ingushetia in the north, with Pshavi in \u200b\u200bthe south and Tusheti in the east. It is part of the Dusheti municipality. Geographically divided into three parts of varying degrees of accessibility:

2) Argun and Ardot gorges. She is the Piraketian (External) Khevsuretiya. The most famous part of Khevsuretiya in Georgia. Here is the fortified city of Shatili, the dead city of Mutso, the abandoned village of Kistani and several Khevsur towers. In turn, it consists of the easily passable Argun gorge and the somewhat more difficult to pass Ardot gorge. From the latter you can leave for Tusheti.

However, this part of Khevsuretiya lies on the northern side of the Caucasus mountain range, and to get here, one must overcome the difficult pass of the Bear Cross.

3) Arkhoti. This is the most exotic part of Khevsureti. There are no roads here. There is no transport. Tourists are just a few self-propelled. You can get here from the side of Shatili with your feet through the pass, or from Gudani also with your feet through the pass. It is possible to come from Stefantsminda, but it is not short and difficult. If the border had not interfered, it would have been easy to get here from Ingushetia. Whether people live there now is a dark question.

Story

For a long time, the Khevsurs and Pshavs were considered a common people under the name "Phkhovites." During the Pkhov uprising of 1210, the army of Tsarina Tamara entered the mountains and passed Pshavia, but did not reach Khevsuretiya.

Khevsuretia became part of the Russian Empire only in 1813 as a result of the campaign of General Simanovich.

In 1850, a plague epidemic broke out in Khesuretiya, which affected the Ardot gorge and the village of Anatori on Argun. Killed about a thousand people. The sick were demolished in special burial grounds, where they died. These plague burial grounds are still visible in Mutso and near Anatori. This plague killed the entire population of the village of Anatori except one person.

Biso   (ბისო) is a tiny village in Lower Khevsuretiya between Hahmati and Gudani. There is a sign on the Shatilsky highway, but the village itself is almost nonexistent. Historically, the village was inhabited by the Ketelauri clan, and it is believed that the protagonist of the poem "Aluda Ketelauri" was from here.

Gudo   (გუდო) - a village in Far Khevsuretiya, a kilometer from the main road. 10 kilometers from Shatili, 8 kilometers from Lebaiskari. Perhaps already uninhabited. Near Gudo in 1813, a decisive battle took place between General Simanovich’s army and the Khevsurs, which ended in the defeat of the Khevsurs and, after the battle of Shatili, to burn Shatili.

  (გუდანი) - a village on the Tbilisi-Shatili highway, from the highway a little north and up. Apparently, he is mentioned by Aluda Ketelauri, the character of the poem of the same name by Vazha Pshavela, when he says: " Goodan Cross - my patron, He strengthened my right hand. Do not think that the battle is over, since you broke the powder-box ". And a little later:" Our lord Gudan Cross is great and strong over the village, all the slaves in his vicinity are strong with his good will. "The mentioned Gudan cross is the temple, the most important in Khevsuretiya. Do not I know if it exists now, but it’s definitely not in Gudani. There is nothing at all in Gudani, and the village itself is very small. About Gudani there is this info:

"... he sent there with his son a handful of wheat in a small purse for sowing, and after that he collected a whole guda (animal leather suma). From this the place was named Gudani, and the settlers were Gudaneli. Two sons were born to Gudaneli here - Arab and Chinchari, from whom 320 houses of Arabuli and 210 Chincharauli descended, ( Chincharauli - a famous family in Shatili) they all comprise up to 25 villages and consider them the head of their village population. Gudani, on the banks of the Aragva, famous for its large temple of Gudanis-jvari (Gudan cross), is highly respected by them. Among the peoples who moved afterwards to Khevsuria, they also consider Kistins, Ossetians, Mtiuls and even Jews. They say that once the Queen of Tamara, visiting Khevsuria, brought with her a Jew; ill, he stayed here, and after he got married, and from him came the whole village of Biso. " (gas. “Caucasus” 1851, “Essays on Khevsuria” by A. Zisserman)

In Gudani there is a guesthouse of Dzila Tchintcharauli (tel. 593 301 170)

Kistani   (ქისტანი) - an uninhabited village in Far Khevsuretiya, between Lebaiskari and Shatili. There are entrance signs on the track, but the villages themselves are no longer there - only a farm.

Corsa   (კორშა) - a village in Inner Khevsureti, right on the highway. Quite large, there is a store, minibuses stop here, residents have several cars. It seems the only village with a store on the entire highway. In the village there is a guest house Shota Arabauli (tel. 599 472 205)

Lebaiskari (ლებაისკარი ) is the first village of Outer Outer Khevsureti if you enter it from the side of the Bear Cross pass. Now there is one tower. In 1923, near the tower was a small village in which Zinaida Richter spent the night. Now there are only foundations from the village. On late Soviet maps, the village is already drawn on the other side of the river. There are also ruins there now. I spent the night in Lebaiskari in August 2010, when only one old Tushino lived there. In 1813, Lebaiskari was the meeting place of the troops of General Simanovich, from here began a general attack on Shatil.

Mutso (მუცო) - an abandoned village in the valley of the Ardoti River. Already in 1931 no one lived in it, and at that time Mutso was referred to as the "dead city". It can be assumed that it was burned by General Simanovich in 1813. Located about 11 kilometers from Shatili on a relatively good road.

Roshka   (როშკა) - a very small village in Near Khevsuretiya at an altitude of 2000 meters from sea level. Through it passes the trekking route to Jute. Now they go through Roshka along the Abudelaur Valley to the Abudelaur Lakes.

  (ხახმატი) - a village on the Tbilisi-Shatili highway, famous for its honey. The "Hakhmat Cross" is mentioned by Vazha Pshavela in the poem "Gogotur and Apshina". Now the village has fallen into disrepair and only a few houses are visible from the highway. Just beyond Hahmati, the road goes up to the Bear Cross Pass.

Hahmati in 2010	Hahmati in 2016

One author wrote in the summer of 1897: " ... Climbing upstream of the Khevsur Aragva, whose broad channel is filled with a mass of large cobblestone, we soon reached the village of Khakhmat. It is famous for its sanctuaries, which stand in the shadow of tall ash trees, and next to them is the Orthodox church. At the iron-acid mine we stopped for a few minutes to enjoy this delicious water. "

Shatili (შატილი ) - the famous village in the far north of Khevsureti, almost on the border with the Russian Federation, 160 kilometers from Tbilisi, 100 kilometers from Zhinvali.

Tbilisi-Shatili Road

50 kilometers to Zhinvali passes on a normal highway on anything. But before Zhinvali there will be a turn to the right, with pointers to Tianeti and Shatili. There are another 100 kilometers to Shatili, but the car passes them in 3-4 hours. This site (Zhinvali-Shatili) is a creation of the Soviet period. Construction began around 1930. Prior to this, there were only mountain trails.

Behind the bend there will immediately be a village, within which there is a fork - left to Shatili, right to Tianeti. In the village there is a kiosk with food - one of two for the whole route. Here Pshavia begins, although it is not expressed in anything. The route will go past the reservoir, then along the Aragwa Gorge, and there will be no villages on the highway. You need to drive 40 kilometers along Pshavi. Khevsuretiya will begin without warning and signage. After 5 kilometers, the large village of Borisakho will be on the left, followed by Korsha. There is no more asphalt here, but the track is quite flat. After 3 kilometers, the highway will turn right along the gorge and there will be Gudani on the top left. After another 5 kilometers, several houses will be visible on the right - the village of Hakhmati. Here the pass begins, the road crawls up with a serpentine, climbs up the Bear Cross pass and also crawls down with serpentines. When the descent ends, the Lebaiskari tower will be visible on the left, another 15 kilometers to Shatili. A beautiful forest will begin.

Minibus Shatili-Tbilisi exists, but runs 2 times a week. And places in it may not be. In summer, they often go to Shatili for the weekend, so there is a powerful transport service there later on Saturday and BACK on Sunday. On weekdays, breaking into Shatili is problematic.

The peculiarity of the route: a lot of water, a lot of firewood, there are absolutely no people and venal food.

Safety

The main nuisance of the region is wolves, bears and dogs. In one article about Khevsuretiya of the 70s there was such a passage:

Meetings with the herd are always accompanied by an unpleasant procedure. Seeing us, guard dogs rush towards us. Huge dogs similar to polar bears. They have wide collars on them so that the wolf could not grab by the throat. Dogs bark furiously, barking turns into screeching, moaning, wheezing. They are exhausted from the desire to tear us to shreds. We know that we must calmly sit on the ground, then the dogs will not be touched. But the thought always torments whether all dogs are familiar with these rules. So we sit until a shepherd in a huge burka approaches. Then the dogs lose all interest in us..

Everything is just like that. If there is a herd on your way, there will certainly be dogs, but there may not be people. Dogs are really furious and unpredictable. So it’s good to have a stick and not get close to the herds.

I can also cite the 1931 instruction, which in a sense has relevance to modernity:

The next major inconvenience is the small population of mountainous areas and the almost complete uninhabited roads, as a result of which sometimes at a distance of 25-30 kilometers of the most difficult route, which takes 10-15 hours, you can not come across a hint of human habitation. Thus, you have to reckon with the possibility of spending the night in the open. If you take into account that even summer nights at significant heights are cold and can also wet the rain, you should have a small tent with you, and in any case, a warm dress and, in addition, a cloak or cloak are absolutely necessary.

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