Gveleti ( ka, გველეთი; inh, Гелате, Gelatĕ), is a village ('' aul'') in the Kazbegi Municipality of Georgia. It is located in the Darial Gorge, on the right bank of the Devdaraki (a left tributary of the Terek river), 4 km from the border with Russia. Gelatĕ was founded by the

Ingush Ingush may refer to: * Ingush language * Ingush people The Ingush (, inh, ГIалгIай, translit=Ghalghaj, pronounced ) per Oxford dictionary "a member of a people living mainly in Ingushetia in the central Caucasus." Ingushetia is a federa ...

clan ('' teip'') Gelatkhoy ( inh, Гелатхой).

History

The first mention of Gveleti occurred in the document ''«Gergetis sulta matiane»'' dating to the 15th century. In Russian documents the village is first mentioned in 1589 in the Ambassadorial Orders under the name ''"Cherebashev kabak" (settlement)'', named after the

elder An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority. Elder or elders may refer to: Positions Administrative * Elder (administrative title), a position of authority Cultural * North American Indigenous elder, a person who has and tr ...

of the Ingush village — Cherbash ( inh, ЧӀербаж). During the passage of the Russian embassy led by S. Zvenigorodsky and T. Antonov through the territory of the

to Georgia in September 1589, the rains washed away the last bridge across the river on the border with Georgia, and the embassy was forced to ask for help from local residents. They were in need of wood to repair the bridge as was documented: ''“the ambassadors, Prince Semyon and Deacon Torkh, at the Cherebashov kabak, spend a day for the bridge”''. The ''Cherebashev'' settlement was located on the site of the Ingush village of Gvileti in the Darial Gorge. According to Ingush historical legends, the ancestors of the Cherbizhev's ''(Чербижевы)'' lived along the areas of the Georgian Military Road. In one of these legends, written down by B.K. Dalgat, it is said that Cherbizh ''(Чербыш)'' and the inhabitants of Gvileti managed to defeat the army of the Kabardian

knyaz , or ( Old Church Slavonic: Кнѧзь) is a historical Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times of history and different ancient Slavic lands. It is usually translated into English as prince or duke, dependi ...

, who was marching on Tiflis. In gratitude for this, the Georgian king George presented Cherbizh with land from Kazbeki to Gvileti. Historically Gveleti was part of the Metskhalin society, also known as the Kistin or Fyappiy society.

Geography

Gveleti is located 1560 meters above sea level, 9 kilometers from

Stepantsminda Stepantsminda ( ka, სტეფანწმინდა; formerly Kazbegi, ), is a townlet in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region of north-eastern Georgia. Historically and ethnographically, the town is part of the Khevi province. It is the center of t ...

. It is the first residential settlement after the Dariali Border Checkpoint. The Geveleti waterfalls can be found near the village; the water from the bigger one cascades from a small river called ''Gveletistskali''. The force of the stream has carved out a bowl-shaped depression in the rock, which makes the waterfall very beautiful. Not far from the Gveleti Big Waterfall there is a smaller waterfall and a lake; together these natural objects form a single complex. The Gveleti Small Waterfall is located closer to the village. The height of the Gveleti Big Waterfall reaches up to 25 meters. The width of the water flow reaches 4 meters, and the width of the top is 2 meters. Behind the Gveleti Bridge there is a deep but short gorge, at the end of which a mountain stream, originating between the Arch-kort and Sarcevis ridges, falls in two cascades from a height of just over 20 meters. The distance from the Gveleti Bridge to the waterfall is 0,75 km with a large climb.

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{cite web, url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ljBg1peNso, title=Хроника покорения горы Казбек. Бузуртановы из Гвилети., trans-title=''Chronicle of the conquest of Mount Kazbek. Buzurtanovs from Gvileti.'', language=ru, publisher=НТРК «Ингушетия»., series="Заманхо" №1 Villages in Mtskheta-Mtianeti