, ka, ოტაფი , other_name = , settlement_type = Village and municipality , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_map = Otap.PNG , map_caption = Municipal location within Ochamchira District (shaded orange) , pushpin_map = Georgia Abkhazia#Georgia (country) , pushpin_label_position = right , pushpin_map_caption = Location of Otapi , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Partially recognized
independent country , subdivision_name1 = , subdivision_type2 =

District A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

, subdivision_name2 = Ochamchira , leader_title = District head (as of 2010) , leader_name = Murman Dzhopua , established_title = , established_date = , area_total_km2 = , population_as_of = 2010 , population_footnotes = , population_total = Approx. 150 , population_density_km2 = , timezone = MSK , utc_offset = +3 , timezone_DST = , utc_offset_DST = +4 , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = , elevation_ft = , website = , footnotes = Otapi ( ab, Уатаҧ, ka, ოტაფი) is a village and municipality in

Ochamchira District Ochamchira District is a district of the partially recognised Abkhazia. Its capital is Ochamchire, the town by the same name. The district is smaller than the Ochamchire district in the de jure subdivision of Georgia, as some of its former terri ...

Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...

, a partially-recognized state claimed by

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 ...

. The village lies on the

Otapi River Otapi ( ab, Уатаҧ, ka, ოტაფი) is a village and municipality in Ochamchira District, Abkhazia, a partially-recognized state claimed by Georgia (country), Georgia. The village lies on the Otapi River. Otapi is noted for its karst cav ...

. Otapi is noted for its

karst cave 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 ...

, Abrskil Cave, which is a tourist attraction in the area.

Etymology

Otapi is also known by several other names such as Atap-Tsarakhmul, Tskar-Khumul, Tskarkhumuli and Tskhar-Khumul.

Geography

Otapi is in the northwestern part of Georgia and in the central-eastern part of Abkhazia. Within Ochamchira district it is in the central-northern area, to the northwest of

Tkvarcheli Tkvarcheli ( ka, ტყვარჩელი ; ab, Тҟəарчал, ''Tqwarchal''; Ткуарчал (Tkuarchal) russian: Ткварчели, ''Tkvarcheli'') is a town in Abkhazia. It is situated on the river Ghalidzga (Aaldzga) and a railway c ...

and to the southeast of

Tsebelda The Apsilae were an ancient tribe inhabiting the territory of Apsilia, in modern Abkhazia. Location The tribal territory was located on the Black Sea coast of the northwest Caucasus, between present day town of New Athos and the village of Tsebeld ...

(

Lata Lata (Hindi: लता) is a Hindu/Sanskrit Indian female given name, which means "creeper" and "vine". Lata may refer to: Notable people named Lata *Lata Bhatt (born 1954), Indian singer. *Lata (born 1975), Musician. *Lata Mangeshkar (1929–20 ...

). Populated towns within distance from the Otapi are the Mramba (), the Akhyvaa (), the Aymara () and the Androu (). The town is situated in a very mountainous terrain in the

Greater Caucasus The Greater Caucasus ( az, Böyük Qafqaz, Бөјүк Гафгаз, بيوک قافقاز; ka, დიდი კავკასიონი, ''Didi K’avk’asioni''; russian: Большой Кавказ, ''Bolshoy Kavkaz'', sometimes translat ...

at an elevation of . It experiences snowfall for a considerable duration of the year. The climate is cold and harsh during the winter months. Mountains in this area of Abkhazia include Mount Achimedzmakh, Eisirkhu (), Atvazhukhu () and Beduk (). Gora Atvazhu-Khu and Gora Beduk are the nearest mountains, which surround the town, within distance. Ablaskira Cave lies at an altitude of . The Otapi River flows through the village and continues south. Mokva River is another river that flows through this part of Abkhazia. Approximately to north of the village is the greater

Kodori River The Kodori ( ka, კოდორი; ab, Кәыдры, Kwydry) is one of the two largest rivers of Abkhazia, along with the Bzyb. It is formed by the joining of the rivers Sakeni and Gvandra. The Kodori is first among Abkhazia's rivers with re ...

, which eventually flows into the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

. Two other small rivers which flow close to the town are the Ulys and the Dzhandzhali-Kvara Rivers.

Population

Before the 1992-1993 Georgian-Abkhaz war, up to 125 families lived in Otapi. The population of the village has declined considerably due to conflict in the region. As of 2010, Otapi contains about 50 houses and buildings.

Transportation

The nearest railroad is Stantsiya, Gupi, which is away from the town. The nearest airport is at Sukhumi dranda(SUI) and Georgia is away.

Abrskila Cave

There are two caves of note in the immediate region: Abrskila and Achkityzga. Abrskil Cave (or "Abrskila") is a notable landmark in the area and it is named after the hero of the Abkhazian national epos, Abrskil. According to Prof. Shalwa Inal-yipa, it is the biggest cave in Caucasia. Characteristics of the cave include interior walls that reach a height of 30–40 meters and this karstic cave reaches a length of about , although only are accessible to tourists. The Achwats stream flows out of the cave and into the Duab River. The part of the cave which is open to tourists consists of four halls with

stalactite A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via ''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble an ...

s and

stalagmite A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically ...

s. At the cave entrance, tourists can view a waterfall, as well as the Great Abkhazian Wall towers. On June 6, 2010, President

Sergey Bagapsh Sergei Uasyl-ipa Bagapsh, ka, სერგეი ბაგაფში, russian: Сергей Васильевич Багапш, translit=Sergey Vasilyevich Bagapsh (4 March 1949 – 29 May 2011) was an Abkhaz politician who served as th ...

visited the village of Otapi and the Abrskil Cave with MP Zaur Adleiba and the Ochamchira district governor Murman Dzhopua and pledged to provide the assistance needed to restore a tourist route to Abrskil cave. The villagers of Otapi rely heavily on tourists visiting this cave for their livelihoods and selling locally produced farm goods to them. The Abkhaz state-owned company,

Chernomorenergo Chernomorenergo is a state-owned power company of Abkhazia. It is responsible for the distribution of electricity in Abkhazia and operates the Inguri hydroelectric power station. It is currently headed by Aslan Basaria. It is only Russian plant ...

, has been responsible for providing the cave with electricity to light up the tunnels and attract more tourists to fuel the local economy. Peshchera Achkityzga Cave is situated on the side of a cliff within distance from the town of Otapi.

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Otap'i
Populated places in Ochamchira District