Kharistvala ( ka, ხარისთვალა) is a so called daba (

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlementrussian: посёлок городско́го ти́па, translit=posyolok gorodskogo tipa, abbreviated: russian: п.г.т., translit=p.g.t.; ua, селище міського типу, translit=selyshche mis'koho typu, ab ...

) in

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 ...

’s northern

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 ...

(

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 In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

), at an elevation of above sea level on the western shore of Shaori Reservoir. It is located about south of the municipal center

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 ...

, and north of the high Nakerala Pass. Remarkably, the settlement has no permanent population (2021), while still registered as a daba. Kharistvala is administratively part of the Nikortsminda community (თემი, temi) which also consists of villages Kachaeti and Nikortsminda, known for the

Nikortsminda Cathedral Nikortsminda Cathedral ( ka, ნიკორწმინდის ტაძარი) is a Georgian Orthodox Church, located in Nikortsminda, Racha region of Georgia. Nikortsminda was built in 1010–1014 during the reign of Bagrat III of Georgia ...

. It acquired the daba status in 1956.

Geology

The settlement is located in a

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

plateau that is part of the

Racha Range Racha Range ( ka, რაჭის ქედი) is a longitudinal mountain range in Georgia (country), Georgia, a southern part of the Caucasus mountains. Administratively, the Racha Range is located in Ambrolauri Municipality, Ambrolauri, Oni Muni ...

. It contains the Shaori Reservoir at an altitude of about , which is the largest lake in

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 ...

. The reservoir was created by the placement of an earthen dam in the northwestern corner of the local depression in the plateau and is mainly fed by groundwater. The depression originally contained a few smaller lakes: Kharistvala and Dzrokhistvala. The Shaori reservoir has an area of over 9 km² with a maximum depth of 14 meters and is the upper part of the Shaori-Tkibuli hydroelectric power chain. South from the reservoir is the Nakerala Range, a limestone range that is part of the Racha Range with sharp cliffs. The southern face of the Nakerala Range has a cliff height of . At Kharistvala, the national route Sh17 (

Tkibuli Tkibuli or Tqibuli ( ka, ტყიბული) is a town in west-central Georgia (country), Georgia of 8,620 residents (2022). located in the Imereti region at the foot of the Racha Range and the Nakerala limestone cliff, which marks the boundary ...

Kutaisi Kutaisi (, ka, ქუთაისი ) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the third-most populous city in Georgia, traditionally, second in importance, after the capital city of Tbilisi. Situated west of Tbilis ...

) passes through the high Nakerala Pass.

History

The settlement hosted workers and geologists in the 1950s that were involved in the construction of the Shaori-

hydroelectric power chain. The Tkibuli reservoir is located 13 kilometers to the southwest and lower in the

Imereti Imereti ( Georgian: იმერეთი) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 munic ...

region. The hydroelectric power station opened in 1955. During this period, the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

government recognized the health nature of the Shaori area and designated it as a resort destination and giving Kharistvala the status of '' daba''. With the project finished, and in lack of deploying resort activities, the settlement has depopulated. Big development plans have frequently been announced after the 2003

Rose Revolution The Rose Revolution or Revolution of Roses ( ka, ვარდების რევოლუცია, tr) was a nonviolent change of power that occurred in Georgia in November 2003. The event was brought about by widespread protests over the ...

, but as of 2022 nothing came of that except for the construction of one hotel.

Demographics

Kharistvala has no permanent population according to the 2021 statistics.

References

{{Reflist Populated places in Ambrolauri Municipality