, native_name_lang = , settlement_type =

Ghost Town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

Village , image_skyline = , image_caption = , imagesize = , image_map = , pushpin_mapsize = South Ossetia#Shida Kartli#Georgia (country) , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location of Kurta , subdivision_type =

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

, subdivision_name = ('' de facto'')
(''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...

'') , area_total_km2 = , area_land_km2 = , area_water_km2 = , population_as_of = , population_footnotes = , population_total = 0 , population_metro = , population_density_km2 = , timezone = Georgian Time , utc_offset = +4 , timezone_DST = , utc_offset_DST = , coordinates = , website = , footnotes = a. The town is still internationally recognized as a part of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. Kurta ( ka, ქურთა; ) is an abandoned village in the former

South Ossetia South Ossetia, officially the Republic of South Ossetia or the State of Alania, is a landlocked country in the South Caucasus with International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, partial diplomatic recognition. It has an offici ...

autonomous oblast An autonomous oblast is an autonomous entity within the state which is on the ''oblast'' (province) level of the overall administrative subdivision. There were autonomous oblasts of the Soviet Union and later some federal subjects of Russia w ...

. Populated largely by ethnic

Georgians Georgians, or Kartvelians (; ka, ქართველები, tr, ), are a nation and Peoples of the Caucasus, Caucasian ethnic group native to present-day Georgia (country), Georgia and surrounding areas historically associated with the Ge ...

, it was one of the towns that remained under the control of Georgia between the unilateral secession of South Ossetia after the 1991–1992 South Ossetia War and the 2008 South Ossetia War. Kurta is situated nine kilometers north-east of Tskhinvali, the secessionist-controlled capital of South Ossetia, on the right bank of the Greater Liakhvi River, and is strategically placed along the Trans-Caucasus Highway (TransCam) between Tskhinvali and

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

. After the Parliament of Georgia passed a resolution on the establishment of the Temporary Territorial Unit on April 11, 2007, Kurta became the headquarters of the Provisional Administration of South Ossetia headed by the ethnic Ossetian Dmitry Sanakoyev. The Georgian government also allocated 1,850,000 lari to rehabilitation of the village's infrastructure.Georgia’s South Ossetia Conflict: Make Haste Slowly

International Crisis Group The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a global non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, conducting research and analysis on global crises. ...

, ''Europe Report N°183'', 7 June 2007 Kurta and its environs are part of the Greater Liakhvi Valley Museum-Reserve. The village itself houses a late medieval Georgian Orthodox church of

St. George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

. სოფ. ქურთა. სამების წმ. გიორგის ეკლესია //შიდა ქართლი პატარა და დიდი ლიახვის ხეობების არქიტექტურული მემკვიდრეობა.-თბ.,2002.-გვ.199-200. On the eve of the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia, all the Georgian inhabitants were evacuated to un-occupied Georgian territory and most of their abandoned homes were destroyed later. The homes were not rebuilt and the population did not return, leaving the largely destroyed village a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kurta (Village) Ghost towns in Europe Populated places in Tskhinvali District