Svaneti, one of the timeless and lovely provinces of Georgia, is
situated at the mouth of the river Enguri among awe-inspiring
mountains.
It is the most populated highland region. The village,
Ushguli, is the highest populated place in Europe (at 2200 meters above
sea level).It is the most difficult to access as it is the most
isolated region of Georgia.
During the numerous raids of various invaders, the Georgia"s kings
hid sacred treasures and valuable manuscripts in Svaneti. Here in
Svaneti, embossed icons, relief crosses and the oldest Georgian
manuscripts of the Bible are preserved.
There are amazing, beautiful towers that once defended the region.
One could see an enemy approaching from them, and they were built quite
strong to protect people. They were also used to communicate, as fire
was built on them to send messages from tower to tower. One can peek
into the past"s ancient, patriarchal mode of life, as the traditions,
customs and habits continue in Svaneti even today. Christian holidays
have some pagan qualities to this day. The Svaneti mountaintops Ushba,
Tetnuldi, Shkhara, and Shkhelda are extremely challenging to climb. So
they attract many expert mountaineers and the majority of them are from
this region. Mikhail Khergiani, called the Rock Tiger, was born there.
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