Three villages from the ancient Aragvi principality

For the past few years, a summer picnic in the Aragvi River area has become a tradition for my family. Every summer we head from Tbilisi to Pasanauri . The central road is on the right bank of the Aragvi. If you pass Ananuri , you will often see the river from the road and all that remains is to choose a place for a picnic. The beautiful nature around the Aragvi and the noise of the river fill a person with special emotions. However, it is also worth noting that this area is also distinguished by its historical and cultural significance, and there are many historical monuments along the way . Recently, I became interested not only in the beauty of nature, but also in the history of these areas. In this article, I will focus on several villages in this area.

Bodorna

When we set off on the military road to Pasanauri, we should know that after passing the village of Misaktsiye, we are in the historical Aragvi Saeristavo, which was a military-administrative unit in feudal Georgia. The Aragvi Saeristavo was one of the most powerful and its eristavi were actively involved in the political life of Georgia at that time. The first eristavi of Aragvi were the Shaburisdzes. It is likely that their residence was located in the Dusheti-Bazaleti-Sashaburo territory. Their ancestral monastery and crypt were in Bodorna. Today, in Bodorna, we can see the Church of the Virgin Mary, about which the inscription on the facade provides information. The church was built on an old hill in the 15th century by the son of the Aragvi eristavi, Mitrophanes. The church is cross-domed. Near the temple, 150-200 meters away, there is a natural rock pillar with a cave carved into its lower part. It is likely that such caves served as shelters.

It is likely that already in the 16th century the Shaburisdze House underwent dynastic changes as a result of conquests from other Georgian political entities, although it is not known for certain which specific family merged with or replaced this old house of the Aragvi Eristavi. However, this did not affect the political importance and strength of the Saeristavi itself, as the Aragvi Saeristavi was quite strong in the 16th-17th centuries and even fought for complete independence from the king's authority.

Ananuri

Of course, the most famous village in this area is Ananuri, where you will constantly meet tourists. The castle located in Ananuri dates back to the late feudal period and must have been the main fortress of the Aragvi Saeristavo. Ananuri was a kind of key point in the Aragvi Saeristavo, since several main roads converged here, both from the north and Dusheti , as well as from Kartli. There are different views on whether Ananuri was the place from which the Aragvi Saeristavo was governed in the 16th-17th centuries, that is, the permanent residence of the Eristavi, although it is likely that the Eristavi periodically used Ananuri as a residence, depending on the need. Ananuri Fortress has witnessed many conflicts and bloodshed, including the conflict and revenge between the Aragvi and Ksani Eristavi, when in 1739, the Ksani Eristavi, Shanshe, took revenge on the Aragvi Eristavi for the brutal insult to his family and, together with the Leki mercenary army, took Ananuri Fortress, burning down the “ Invincible ” Tower and killing those who were there. The tower is located in the western wall of the fortress wall, between two cylindrical towers. It is the tallest tower. There are gun emplacements on each floor. “Invincible” was an important defensive structure.

The Ananuri complex is still well preserved and attracts many visitors. It should also be noted that the village of Ananuri is located near the Zhinvali Reservoir . During my last visit, many people were resting on the edge of the reservoir below the Ananuri Fortress and using the reservoir's shore as a recreational space.

Chartali

If we continue the road further, we will reach the village of Chartali . According to the Life of Kartli, the people of Chartali are also mentioned among the population listed by Saint Nino during the Christianization of the mountain people. As we learn from the Life of Kartli, Saint Nino preached Christianity to the people of Chartali, Pkho, Tsilkan and Gudamakre. They did not accept the new faith, which resulted in an attempt by the king's eristavi, sent with Nino, to forcefully convert them to the new law.

Chartali will be interesting for those who are interested in internal migration of the population or the history of clans. Chartali was almost empty of local population in the 15th-16th centuries. This is probably related to Tamerlane's campaign in the Aragvi River Gorge, which had serious consequences. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Eristavi of Aragvi, Zurab, attempted to subjugate Khevsureti, about which there are many legends. Zurab made several campaigns against Khevsureti, but he did not achieve final success. Nevertheless, it seems that his campaigns still led to the resettlement of the Khevsurians. It is likely that this was the reason for the resettlement of the Khevsuri Gigauris to Chartali , who later became one of the dominant clans here. Several more clans were later separated from it in Chartali. The main shrine of the Gigauris of the Chartali community was in the village of Zenubani in the Chartali community and was called "Mother of the Mother of God". It should also be noted that the Zenubani Trinity Monastery Complex, a monument of the 8th-9th centuries, is associated with the village of Zenubani in the Chartli community. Today, only the ruins of the complex have survived. It is located 3 kilometers from the village of Zenubani, on the top of a mountain, overlooking the valley.

Even this short stretch of road to Pasanauri is full of historical significance. When we look at the same places we have seen many times, we often simply stop thinking about the significance of these places. Summer is a great time to revisit even the places we have seen many times and get to know them from a different perspective.