WHERE IS SVANETI?
Georgia is situated on the South slopes of the Greater Caucasus Range and Small (South) Caucasus Highland. The radially oriented Surami Range, dividing Georgia into two parts - East and West Georgia, connects these two mountain massifs. The highest and the roughest mountains of Caucasus are on Georgia's side of the range, stretched on the area of about 700 km. It's more than one third of the whole country's territory and its average elevation equals 3,520 meters.The mountainous massif of Caucasus is stretched over 1,300 km from Taman peninsula to Apsheron. There are hundreds of snowy and icy peaks and passes on its main range and side branches. The fifteen of the mentioned peaks are higher than the highest peak of Alps - Mont Blanc (4810 m) and six of them are more than five thousand meters in height: Elbrus (5642 m.), Shkhara (5068 m.), Distau (5200 m.), Jangha (5059 m.) Mkinvartsveri (5033 m.) and Koshtantau (5152 m.)
The central, 125 km part of the West Caucasus, starting from Kodori range and ending at the Pasi Mountain, is called Svanetian Caucasus. Svaneti, which is the highest region in Georgia settled by people, is located on its South slopes. Svaneti includes gorges of the rivers Inguri and Tskhenistsqali from their midstream to the headwaters. Zemo (or upper) Svaneti is presented by the district of Mestia, which is a small town and the administrative centre giving the name to the district; Kvemo (or lower) Svaneti is likewise presented by the administrative district of Lentekhi.
Svaneti harbours the major Caucasus peaks and the largest glaciers, the total area of which equals 300 sq. km. They hang over the Caucasus Mountains like an icy crown. The most important mountains are Tsurungala (4220 metres above the sea level), Ailama (4550 m.), Shkhara (5068 m.), Jangha (5060 m.), Gestola (4860 m.), Tikhtingen (4620 m.), Tetnuldi (4860 m.), Mazeri (4010 m.) and Chatini (4370 m.) that are neighboured by a well-known steep rock massif of twin-headed Ushba (4700 m.). Ushba is a paragon of a natural beauty and complexity among the Caucasus Mountains, similar to Matterhorn (4478 m.) in Alps.
The average absolute elevation of the Caucasus ridge is up to 4125 m. The maximum altitude is 5068 m. (Shkhara), and minimum altitude is 3168 m. (Donghuzoruni pass). There are some twenty passes of different complexity in this area of Caucasus that are directed towards the North side - the territory of Russian Federation. The height of the passes varies from 3160 meters to 3860 meters above the sea level. Some of the paths are good for pack animal hiking: horses or mules, but most of them could only be used on foot, yet, there are the paths that could be surmounted only by the mountaineers and alpinists.
The highest among the branches of the South Caucasus is the Svaneti range (with the highest peak of Lahili - 4010 m.) that is a watershed between the rivers Inguri and Tskhenistsqali. It is 120 km. long and approximately 2630 meters above sea level.
SVANS
The major indiginous inhabitants of Svaneti region are Svans, they speak their own original non-written language (dialect) - Svanuri that belongs to the group of Georgian languages (dialects). Svaneti is one of the charming pieces of the multy-ethnic and cultural mozaic of Georgia.Svans, as well as all Georgian highlanders are well acustomed to the mountain life-style. The increased risk factor, frequent avalanches, mudflows and torrents, landslides, rapidly changing climate conditions, severe winters and etc. require great endurance, shrewdness and skills from the local population. The skills and tools used by highlanders in their daily work are primitive but surprisingly rational. It's an impressive picture watching highlanders sliding huge logs or haystacks down through the curved steep slopes or accompanying a hunter up in the mountains. No wonder that Svaneti raised many high class mountaineers and alpine guides. The best proof for the abovementioned is Mikheil Khergiani!
Mikheil (Misha) Khergiani (1932-1969), a Georgian alpinist, Honoured Master of Sports of the Soviet Union (1963), USSR Master of Sports of International Class (1967), thrice USSR Champion in Alpinism and seven times USSR Champion in wall climbing, a perfect master of mountain and rock climbing. He was the most popular sportsman in the former Soviet Union and beyond its borders. Since 1976 the Khergiani memorial tournament in wall climbing has been established. In 1969 one of the nameless peaks in Turkestan Range was named after Mikheil Khergiani. In 1971 a special Khergiani prise for USSR wall climbing tournament was introduced. In 1978 a small planet N3234 discovered in the solar system was named in Mikheil Khergiani's honour.
Mikheil Khergiani's home-museum is opened in the town of Mestia, where the whole picture of his life is displayed.
Georgian highlanders have been using the Caucasus passes for traveling and transportation since ancient times. They communicated with domestic and neigbouring regions. The most remarkable example of massive movement through the Caucasus passes is the emmigration of the Georgian King Vakhtang VI and his suite, consisting of approximately 1200 nobles, to Russia (in 1724). Their route led from Notsaruli gorge through Gurdzi-Vtseki mountain pass (3400) and Pastagi glacier to the Digoria. The mentioned route still belongs to the most difficult itineraries of mountaineering tours.
It is also noteworthy, that 4100 meters above sea level on the slopes of Mkinvartsveri there is the cave of Bethlehem - the oldest monument of Christianity, the hermits abode.
Georgian folk legends and tales tell about the people who climbed up the mountains in ancient times. According to the legends in XVII century a priest Yoseb Mokheve had even climbed up Mkinvartsveri (5033 meters).
SVANETI CUISINE
Georgian cuisine is already well known and well accepted even out of its formal borders. People living outside Georgia admire Georgian dishes such as: chakhokhbili, tabaka, kharcho, khachapuri, khinkali etc.Georgian cuisine is rich of many dishes characteristic to Svaneti, among them famous sulguni - kind of cheese, kaarz - cheese with mint boiled in milk, khachapuri - baked cheese in wheat bread, Pishvdar - cheese baked in corn bread, or Tchkut - baked cheese in millet bread, kubdari - stewed beef baked in wheat bread, sham - corn flour porridge with slices of sulguni cheese, tashmijab - cream of potatoes and cheese mixed with corn flour, chadi - a cornbread etc. There is also a wide range of pasties cooked with different stewed herbs inside. Svans like barley soup seasoned with garlic and pepper (Lutspek) and barley flour boiled in nettle soup (Kharshil). These soups are also very healthy food, they say that if one eats them at least ten times, he won't get sick during the whole year.
Almost all dishes are dressed with Svan salt - a regular table salt mixture with bits of ground red hot pepper and variety of spices. The dishes dressed with Svan salt have a very characteristic flavour and taste.
Another reason for specialty of Svaneti cuisine is that all dishes are cooked with local, natural products giving a unique taste and aroma to them.
It is impossible to grow grapes in Svaneti highland, that is why Svans have to buy wine in the low-land regions or distil vodka from local fruits or honey. An important attribute of Svans feast is mineral water from natural sources, which can be found all over the region.
