Tabakhmela ( ka, ტაბახმელა) (Dry Lake - Tba-Lake, Khmeli-dry) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

in the

Kartli Kartli ( ka, ქართლი ) is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari (Kura), on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial rol ...

region, overlooking the city of

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...

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 is also home to several traditional religious festivals throughout a year, particularly Tamaroba (local celebration of St. King Tamaras day, May 14). In 1921, the area was the scene of heavy fighting during the Battle for Tbilisi as part of the Red Army invasion of Georgia. Tabakhmela 2007

In 2007, the Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi of

Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) ( ar, رَأْس ٱلْخَيْمَة, historically Julfar) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain ...

, a member of the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...

, visited Tabakhkmela for a groundbreaking ceremony after buying a huge plot of land there. The real estate developer Rakeen, owned by RAK Airways, RAK Properties, and Reyada Company (owned by the sheikh's family), pledged to develop the 200,000 square meter plateau into a luxury residential and commercial neighborhood, dubbed Tbilisi heights. Although glossy promotional material was prepared, nothing has ever been constructed. In 2010, Ras Al Khaimah decided to sell all foreign assets. At the time, the impact of the Dubai financial crisis of November 2009 had obliged Ras Al Khaimah to make serious efforts to reduce its 5 billion AED debts. The repatriation of capital held in Georgia was one of several measures by which Ras Al Khaimah tried to improve its credit rating. This was necessary in order to maintain control over spiraling borrowing costs, since the relatively poor emirate finances investments by raising funds on financial markets.

References

Populated places in Kvemo Kartli {{Georgia-geo-stub