By Shota Chartolani (Akademie der Wissenschaften Georgien)
Svaneti is a geographical and historical region, settled by ancient Georgian tribes, in the North-West of Georgia, on the Southern slope of the main Caucasus range, in the mountainous region of the Enguri and Tskhenistkali rivers. The region is strictly localized by natural frontiers which are difficult to cross: the main Caucasus range to the North, the Lechkhumi ridge in the East, the Egrisi and Kodori mountain ridges in the South-West as well as the Jvari (Libereshi) and Muri rocky passes. Accordingly, beyond the mountain range Svaneti boarders on Karachai Cherkezia and Kabardo Balkaria to the North, Racha in the East, Lechkhumi and Imereti to the South and Abkhazia and Samegrelo in the West.
Geographically and administratively Svaneti is divided into two parts by the Svaneti ridge, which extends to the Egrisi ridge from the central Caucasus. Historically the ravine of the Enguri river, which is located on the northern part of the ridge, is considered as upper Svaneti (Mestia region), and the southern part, the ravine of the Tskhenistkali river, as lower Svaneti.
According to historical and literary traditions, two balis are differentiated in upper Svaneti: lower bali-„Sadadeshkeliano Sabatono“ and upper bali-„Tavisupal Ubatono“ Svaneti. Historically, Svaneti was divided into village tribes. Upper Svaneti united 13 tribes: Pari, Etseri, Tskhumari, Becho, Latali, Lenjeri, Mestia, Mulakh-Muzhali, Ipari, Kala and Ushguli. Lower Svaneti consisted of three tribes: Lexuri (Lentekhi), Choluri and Lashkheti.
The physical, geographical and ecological conditions of the Svaneti are quite specific. Morphologically it is the part of maximal tectonic lifts of the Caucasus mountain system, a place of ancient magmic and metamorphic rock development. According to relief and geobotanical features, two vertical zonal subregions are differentiated: the lower, about 300-100 meters above sea level, and the upper, more than 1000 meters above sea level, with its climate, flora, fauna and other characteristics.
The natural environment and the flora and fauna of Svaneti are quite exotic. The Caucasus range includes Severe Ushba – „The king of the Caucasus,“ Tetnuldi – the symbol of female beauty – „The Queen of the Caucasus,“ Shkhara, Testola and other popular mountains. There are rivers and waterfalls as well as a broad line of fields of Alpine and Subalpine flowers, ecologically clean air, crystal springs and streams, drinking and curative mineral waters.
There are many varieties of flora and fauna. In the woodlands, which cover almost half of the whole territory, we encounter fir trees, apple trees, silver fir trees, oak trees, wild apple trees, poplar, chestnut trees, beechnut trees, ash trees, birch trees, plane trees, maple trees and hornbeam trees, a very rare type of zelcove (red tree).Also to be found are many types of edible wild fruit such as cherry, wild apples and pears, hawthorn, pit, blackberry, raspberry, hop, dogrose and others as well as a great variety of roots and medical grass: pepo, bluebell, sorrel, bilberry, etc.
There are a great many birds and animals in the mountains, woods and fields: aurochs, chamois, wolf, fox, rabbit, lynx, squirrel, marten, eagle, hawk, falcon, swallow, quail, sparrow, woodpecker and many others.
Svaneti is rich in mineral resources: colored and rare metals and polymetals (copper, gold, lead, arsenic, anthymon), building granitodes, pumice, limestones, etc.
From ancient times the natural and geographic conditions have supported the development of such fields as cattle breeding, agriculture, metallurgy and hunting, which remain of major economic importance today.
In the background of the enchanting mountain landscape of green slopes, one can see medieval settlements, villages, tower houses and churches. The terms Svani – „tower architecture and Svani house – „Lushnukor“, are established in scientific literature. The Svani house is one of the main components of a building complex for housing large families. The stone building has two stories: the first floor – „Machubi“ and the second – „Darbazi“. Machubi is for dwelling (average space – 200m2, four meters high). In long cold winters a „big family“ of about fifty people live there. There is also a curved interior and different furniture for everyday life, in the middle the hearth („Kerai“), candlestick („lamtvrali“) and „Sakurtskhvil“-the armchair of the family head „Makhvshi,“ along with a great variety of metal and wooden household goods, which can be named endlessly.
The most important architectural monuments are the Lentekhi and Ushguli castles and more than 200 towers (80 of which have already been destroyed). The absolute majority of them, according to the social structure of the region, are in the villages of „Ubatono Svaneti“. The towers have four or five stories and are about 20-30 meters high. The lower parts are about 5-6 meters high. In the cellar under the first floor, there are clay pitchers for drinking water and wine (vodka). The top floor, covered by a two-sloped roof, is surrounded by vertical merlons with apertures for quivers and embrasures. Some towers, which are located on the roads and hills of strategic importance, are designated as reconnaissance towers.
Svaneti is rich in worship monuments of the pre-Christian epoch, in pagan praying houses – „Vitin“, sacred hills, lakes, etc. There is a particularly great number of Christian churches and chapels, dating from the 10th to the 14th centuries. More than a hundred single-nave churches are built with pumice carved stones. The interior and front walls are painted with unique frescos depicting their epoch: Christological scenes and the faces of historical people.
In the outer, front painting, which is very rare in the history of world art, portraits of historical people and battle scenes of civic nature are presented, for example, the scenes of the mythical „Amiran-Darejaniani“ on the outer walls of Lagami church in Mestia and the Lashtkhveri archangel church in Lenjeri.
It is also notable, that three of the churches, the archangel church St. Kvirike, the St. Ivlite church in the village of Kala and the St. George church in Nakipari were painted by the court painter of King David Agmashenebeli. He occupies a distinguished place in Georgian history of art monuments. One of the examples of 12th- century Georgian monumental art is the painting on the Matskharishi church of Latali, done by Micarl Maglakeli. Most of the church paintings are done by local Svani artists.
Archeological monuments are the important part of the historical and cultural heritage of Svaneti. At present, more than 300 monuments have been discovered and more or less studied: former dwelling sites, defense and worship buildings, burial grounds, roads and paths, caves, mining pits, etc. The materials, discovered as the result of an archeological dig, reflect the long process of social development from the 6th-century B.C. up to the Middle Ages. These finds have proved that Svaneti was a powerful hearth of the „Bronze Colchis Culture“.
Monuments and materials of the ancient period provide us with information about the types of settlements, building techniques, material forms of worship ascription, farming and crafts. Bronze, glass and clay art products reflect the religious and mythic beliefs. Imports and numismatic material give us information about the trade and economic relationships of the ancient Colchis with ancient Greece and Asia Minor.
The discovery of cult and architectural monuments confirm the existence of Christianity in Svaneti since the 5th century.
Archeological material is exhibited in the Svaneti regional base-depository in Mestia (A small part of it is exhibited in the Mining and Metallurgy Museum of Bokhumi).
The Svani Language is a distinguished part of the Georgian historical and cultural heritage. It is a dialect, developed from the pre-Georgian Language phonological system and retaining the morphological structures and lexical isoglotic lines. The Svani Language serves as a strong basis for diachronic study and for reconstructing the structural modules of the Georgian language.
The ethnological specification of Svaneti was formed synchronically to the material cultural heritage, to the everyday lifestyle and norms of labor and morality, characteristic to the Georgians. The customs and methods of farming activity, land cultivation, harvesting and cattle breeding as well as everyday life, marriage and mourning traditions remain unchanged up to present. So too have the forms of social relationships and legal procedures along with their being performed as rituals for spectators. Relicts of animistic beliefs and their material attributes, which have been maintained in Svaneti, are quite specific and impressive.
Svaneti is rich in musical folklore. Historical events are rendered impressively in songs and dances, celebrating honorable people and feats of heroism. There are also humorous songs („Rostom Chabigv“, „Tamar Dedopal“, „Kansav Kapiane“, „Shgari and Lashgari“, „Diash Darjul“ etc.), odes to nature and gods („Lile“, „Riho“, „Lagusheda“, etc.), which enchant listeners and spectators.
It can be said that Svaneti is the only region in Georgia that has maintained the rare, harmonious blend of the primeval beauty of nature and the historical-cultural heritage up to present. For this reason this region is justly called „the treasure of Georgian national culture“, „the living scientific laboratory“, „thousand of towers and glaciers“, „a second Switzerland“ and other honorable names.
It is also noteworthy that the interest of scientists from other countries in Svaneti and in the Svani lifestyle was confirmed back in ancient times (Strabor, Plinius, Apiane, Ariakhe). In the following epochs Byzantian writers (Prikifi Kesarieli, Menandre, Protictor, Agathi Scolasticos, Christeforo Decasteli, Evstati and others) have provided unique written sources. There is a great quantity of information in Georgian sources, too. Nineteenth and 20th-century Svaneti is a subject of active study for Georgian scientists. Photographers such as the Italian Vittorio Sella, Ermakov and others have exhibited pictures of exotic nature, art monuments and types of people.
For the purpose of developing modern tourism, a complex system of roads has been built in Svaneti. An extensive network of roads and paths for gorges, passes and footpaths have been in development for contact with the plain since ancient times.
Modern main lines of arterial roads in the Mestia region enter the city of Zugdidi and in the Lentechi region Kutaisi, joining on the Svaneti ridge at Zagari pass. This horseshoe-like highway has multiple branches leading into different gorges and enters into different, low-lying villages, where traveling is possible on foot or by horse, which is not difficult to get in Svaneti.
Svaneti is one of the oldest homes of mountain sports and tourism development. This is confirmed by the discovery of bronze axes for ice-cutting near glaciers in the passes and by the discovery of world’s ancient ice-axe („alpenstock“) in the Chuberi burial ground.
Svaneti, like Georgia on the whole, is proud of its world-famous mountaineers: Michael Khergiani, called the „rock tiger“, Muratbi Kiboliani, Ghio Niguriani, Gabriel and Beknu Khergiani, Iliya Gabliani, Chichiko chartolani, Maxime Gvarliani, Goji Zurebiani, Ermile Kakhiani, Jokia Gugava and Api Ghigani, who has claimed mount Everest and others.
Together with competitions and qualification climbing, mass mountaineering competitions are held regularly on Tetnuldi, Bangurani, Gulba and other mountains near the center of the region.
Skiing is a traditional sport in Svaneti, which offers summer and winter skiing routes for this purpose. Annually in August a competition in slalom for the „Mikheil Kherghiani Prize“ is held.
Traditional folk sports are still maintained in Svaneti: archery, wrestling, stone lifting, horseracing „Pulishi“ and others, which together with physical training have a celebration-spectacular function.
The natural beauty, rich material and spiritual culture of Svaneti provides the best opportunities for developing different profiles of modern tourism, namely for cognitive, cultural, educational, creative, sports and health tourism. For this purpose there is a large qualified staff of guides, instructors, rescue teams, historians and foreign language specialists. But this field is in need of additional qualified staff. In addition, workshops for local activities must be held in the regional center, dealing with the specifications of modern international tourism.
Work on the development of programs concerning the type, variety, service and infrastructure of tourism must be started immediately.
Tourism must become one of the main bases for the social, economic and cultural development of Svaneti.