| Khevsureti Region ხევსურეთის მხარე Khevsuretis Mkhare |
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| Map highlighting the modern political subdivision | |
| Governor | Vasil Maghlaperidze |
| Area | 1050 km² |
| Population | 3,200 |
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| Map highlighting the historical region of Khevsureti in Georgia | |
Khevsureti is a historic province in eastern Georgia, located along both the northern and southern slopes of the Great Caucasus Mountains. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between This article is about the terrestrial Eurasian mountain range The name means a land of valleys in Georgian and first appears in the fifteenth century.
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Geography
Comprising the small river valleys of the Ardoti, Shatili, Arkhoti and the Aragvi, the province borders with Chechnya and is included in the present day Dusheti district, Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, Georgia. The Aragvi River and its basin is located in Georgia on the southern slope of the Caucasus Mountains. The Chechen Republic (ˈʧɛʧɨn rɪˈpʌblɨk Чече́нская Респу́блика Chechenskaya Respublika; Нохчийн Республика Noxçiyn Respublika Dusheti (დუშეთი is a town in Georgia, situated in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, 54 km northeast of the nation’s capital of Tbilisi The province covers 405. 3 square miles (1050 km²), with a winter population of approximately 3,200 people. The largest villages are Barisakho and Shatili. Shatili valleyjpg|thumb|250px|The Shatili valley]] Shatili (შატილი is a historic highland village in Georgia, near the border with Chechnya.
Ethnography
The territory of Khevsureti, together with the neighboring area of Pshavi was known to medieval writers under the joint designation Pkhovi. Pshavi (ფშავი is a small historic-geographic area in Georgia, included in today’s Mtskheta-Mtianeti region and laying chiefly on the southern Pkhovi (ფხოვი also known as Pkhoet'i (ფხოეთი is a medieval term for the mountainous district in northeast Georgia comprising the Despite the sporadic invasions by the royal troops, medieval Georgia was never able to establish a typical feudal system and the civil code of the community remained based on the ancient traditions and values. Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval Europe Political system composed The region adopted Christianity as an official religion several centuries after St. Nino and historically, the highlander communities of Khevsureti and the neighbouring areas enjoyed a degree of autonomy from the royal authorities. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Saint Nino (წმინდა ნინო Αγία Νίνω (sometimes St They were free of typical feudal relations and submitted directly to the monarch. Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval Europe Political system composed They defended the borders and provided troops for the royal guards.
There has long existed a hypothesis, coming from descriptions by Russian serviceman and ethnographer Arnold Zisserman who spent 25 years (1842-67) in the Caucasus, that these Georgian highlanders were descendants of the last Crusaders because their folk culture – the material, social, and religious practices – greatly resembled those of the Crusaders. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Georgians (ქართველები kartvelebi) are a Nation and Ethnic group originating in the Caucasus, the oldest group of the The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents [1] American traveler Richard Halliburton (1900-1939) saw and recorded the customs of the Khevsur tribe in 1935[2]
Even into the twentieth century, the Khevsur men, dressed in chain mail and armed with broadswords, wore garments decorated with crosses. Richard Halliburton ( 9 January 1900 – presumed dead after 24 March 1939) was an American Traveler, Adventurer The twentieth century of the Common Era began on They had a strict system of physical training in martial arts preserved as a warrior dance Khevsuruli. They worshiped flags adorned with crosses and considered themselves permanent members of the army of the sacred flags and guards of Georgian kings.
Their religion is a unique mixture of Georgian Orthodox Christianity and pre-Christian cults. Christianity in ancient and feudal Georgia According to tradition when the Apostles were sent out to preach the Gospel to the nations of the world the Apostle They worship sacred places locally known as jvari (“cross’), khati (“icon”) or salotsavi (“sanctuary”). Aside from their religious character, these were the sites where the locals discussed and decided common matters such as raids against enemies, peace-making, appeals of various characters, etc. Even in a Soviet period of harsh restrictions against any religious activities, each year the Georgian highlanders, together with the group of self-appointed priests organized and performed peaceful crusade-pilgrimages. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Some disobedience offered by the Khevsurs to the Soviet ideology was a reason for obligatory migration to the plain initiated by the government in the 1950s. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive As a result, many high-mountainous villages were deserted. Economic hardship of the last two decades also increased a tendency towards migration.
Traditions
As other mountainous areas of Georgia, Khevsureti is characterized by a great diversity of traditions and customs. They speak a local dialect of the Georgian language that resembles the literary Georgian of the Middle Ages and retain many of their ancient traditions including element of folk rituals. Georgian (ka ქართული ენა kartuli ena) is the Official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus. Law of blood revenge was still alive in the twentieth century.
Musical traditions also resemble music of the Middle Ages. Khevsureti is famous for its Medieval ballads and folk music. A ballad is a Poem usually set to Music; thus it often is a story told in a Song. Khevsureti Chokha is different from the classic Georgian, because it has more cross decorations and more powerful color balance and is generally short, shaped like a trapezoid. A chokha (ჩოხა çuxa черкеска) is part of the traditional male dress of the Peoples of the Caucasus. A trapezoid (in North America or a trapezium (in Britain and elsewhere is a Quadrilateral (a closed plane shape with four linear sides that has at least one
The architcture of Khevsureti is mostly characterized as fortress style and numbers of towers are located in the mountains as a sign of constant watchfulness of their enemies. Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for Khevsures are known by their warfare with the peoples of the Northern Caucasus including Chechens, Kists, and people of Dagestan. Chechens ( Chechen: Hохчи / Noxçi) constitute the largest native Ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region The Kists (ქისტები are a Nakh -speaking Ethnic group in Georgia related to the Chechen and Ingush peoples The Republic of Dagestan dæɡɪˈstɑːn (IntEng ˈdeɪɡəstæn (AmEng (Респу́блика Дагеста́н Дагъистанлъул ДжумхIурият Daɣistanłul Due to the complexity and the lack of industrialization of the Greater Caucasus, the Northern caucasian tribes used to attack and rob mountain-dwelling Georgians. Well-known Georgian poet Vazha Pshavela described the warfare of the Khevsurs in his poems. Vazha-Pshavela (ვაჟა-ფშაველა ( July 26, 1861 - July 10, 1915) is the Pen-name of the Georgian poet One of his most famous poems is Aluda Ketelauri, a young Khevsur, famous of his warrior skills and bravery. One day, after the Khevsur village was invaded by the Kists (Chechens), Aluda followed the invaders and killed both of the robbers. The Kists (ქისტები are a Nakh -speaking Ethnic group in Georgia related to the Chechen and Ingush peoples Chechens ( Chechen: Hохчи / Noxçi) constitute the largest native Ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region After killing the Chechen called Mussah, Aluda starting crying for the warrior after realizing the bravery of the Chechen and his dedication to his religion. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos When Aluda returned back to Shatili, he told to the village how much he admired the Chechen hero, but the community was shocked by his admiration of the pagan and the village ended up condemning Aluda and expelling him from the community. Shatili valleyjpg|thumb|250px|The Shatili valley]] Shatili (შატილი is a historic highland village in Georgia, near the border with Chechnya.
The Encyclopædia Britannica reported in 1911 that many curious customs still prevailed among the Khevsurs, as for instance the imprisonment of the woman during childbirth in a lonely hut, round which the husband parades, firing off his musket at intervals. The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year After delivery, food was surreptitiously brought to the mother, who was kept in her prison a month, after which the hut was burnt. One of the more striking features of the traditional cultures of Khevsureti was the premarital relationship known as sc’orproba (or c'ac'loba as it is known in Pshavi). A young couple could lie together during the night with a sword placed between them. Sexual intercourse between the pair was strictly forbidden. Sexual intercourse, in its biological sense is the act in which the male reproductive organ (in humans and other higher animals enters the female reproductive tract Any man who breached this rule was condemned to death.
Dozens of fortifications, sanctuaries and churches are scattered across the province. Chief of these are the Khakhmati fortress, Akhieli fortress, Lebaiskari fortress, Mutso fortress, Shatili fortifications, Gudani Cross, and the Anatori Cross. Mutso (მუცო is a small village in Georgia. One of the former strongholds of the historic Georgian province of Khevsureti (now part of Mtskheta-Mtianeti Shatili valleyjpg|thumb|250px|The Shatili valley]] Shatili (შატილი is a historic highland village in Georgia, near the border with Chechnya.
See also
References
- ^ The photos by Vakhtang Chikovani
- ^ Sword and Buckler Fighting among the Lost Crusaders. The Georgians (ქართველები kartvelebi) are a Nation and Ethnic group originating in the Caucasus, the oldest group of the The history of Georgia began with the rise of the early Georgian states of Colchis and Iberia, which in c The culture of Georgia has evolved over the country's long history providing it with a unique national culture and a strong literary tradition based on the Georgian Excerpts of Halliburton's observations.
External links
- Legends of Khevsureti
- Central Caucasian religious systems and social ideology... by Kevin Tuite and Paata Bukhrashvili
- Mountain regions of Georgia
- The country of Black Shields
- Expedition to Khevsureti (in Georgian)
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