__NOTOC__ Abari ( ka, აბარი) is a village in

Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti ( ka, რაჭა-ლეჩხუმი და ქვემო სვანეთი, ''Rach’a-Lechkhumi da Kvemo Svaneti'') is a region (Mkhare) in northwestern Georgia with a population of 28,500 (2021), mak ...

region,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. It is part of the Likheti commune,

Ambrolauri municipality The Ambrolauri Municipality ( ka, ამბროლაურის მუნიციპალიტეტი, ''Ambrolauris Munits'ipaliteti'') is a self-governing subdivision in western Georgia. Its governing bodies are based in the city of Am ...

, with the population of 122, mostly (99.2%) ethnic Georgians, as of the 2014 census. Abari is located on the right bank of the Lukhuni river, a right tributary of the

Rioni The Rioni ( ka, რიონი, ; , ) is the main river of western Georgia. It originates in the Caucasus Mountains, in the region of Racha and flows west to the Black Sea, entering it north of the city of Poti (near ancient Phasis). The city ...

, on the southern foothills of the Lechkhumi Range, 17 km. northeast of the town of

Ambrolauri Ambrolauri ( ka, ამბროლაური) is a city in Georgia, located in the northwestern part of the country, on both banks of the Rioni river, at an elevation of 550 m above sea level. The city serves as the seat of the Racha-Lechkhumi a ...

. The population of Abari is dominated by two surnames: Lobzhanidze and Japaridze. According to local tradition, the village was founded by a man surnamed Lobzhanidze from the

Ghebi Ghebī is a dialect of Hindko spoken in Punjab, Pakistan. In the early 20th century Grierson assigned it to his "North-Eastern Lahnda" group, whereas Shackle writing in 1980 placed it within Hindko "proper" alongside Chacchī and Avāṅkār� ...

in the northernmost part of

Racha Racha (also Račha, , ''Račʼa'') is a highland area in western Georgia, located in the upper Rioni river valley and hemmed in by the Greater Caucasus mountains. Under Georgia's current subdivision, Racha is included in the Racha-Lechkhumi and ...

in the 18th century. The Japaridze descend from a priest sent to Abari in the 19th century. Since the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

period, the families in Abari have used rural-urban migration to access the different resources provided by the village and the city.

References

Sources

* Populated places in Ambrolauri Municipality {{Georgia-geo-stub