Shatili ( ka, შატილი, ''Šat’ili'' ) is a historic highland village in

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 ...

, near the border with

Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...

. It is located on the northern slope of the

Greater Caucasus The Greater Caucasus, ''Didi K’avk’asioni''; is the major mountain range of the Caucasus Mountains. It stretches for about from west-northwest to east-southeast, from the Taman Peninsula of the Black Sea to the Absheron Peninsula of t ...

mountains, in the historical Georgian province of Upper Khevsureti, which is now part of the modern-day region (''

mkhare A ''mkhare'' ( ka, მხარე, ''mxare'') is a type of administrative division in the country of Georgia (country), Georgia. It is usually translated into English as "region". According to presidential decrees issued in 1994 and 1996, Geo ...

'') of Mtskheta-Mtianeti. As of 2014 census, population of the village was 22.

Geography

Located in the deep Arghuni gorge at approximate 1,400 meters, the village is actually a unique complex of medieval-to-early modern fortresses and fortified dwellings of

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

and mortar which functioned both as a residential area and a fortress guarding the northeastern outskirts of the country. The fortress consists of the terraced structures dominated by flat-roofed dwellings and some 60 towers which cluster together to create a single chain of fortifications. Unique architectural methods and thought are realised in Shatili: selection of location, development of the land with complicated relief, rational land tenure, multifunctionalism, vertical zoning of construction, optimal orientation. Both single monuments and the overall urban structure with their characteristic components (towers, residential complexes, sowing, chapels) are of special importance.

History and current status

Shatili was once part of the Kingdom of Kakheti. The population of Shatili and most of the Khevsureti region, were resettled to the plains in the early 1950s, under pressure from the Soviet authorities. In the 1960s, the exotic landscape of the empty village was used as a setting for a series of Georgian films about the past life of the highlanders.Bruce Grant & Lale Yalçın-Heckmann (ed., 2008), ''Caucasus Paradigms: Anthropologies, Histories, and the Making of a World Area'', pp. 23-24. Volume 13 of Halle studies in the anthropology of Eurasia. Lit, Shatili is still inhabited by a dozen or so families, but is inaccessible by road during the wintertime. The village is a favourite destination for tourists and mountain trekkers.

Statements of authenticity and/or integrity

The authenticity of Shatili is completely preserved in its architectural forms, materials, location and other necessary attributes. The physical condition of the buildings can be characterised as good.

Comparison with other similar properties

At a national level, Shatili might be compared with the Upper

Svaneti Svaneti (Svan language, Svan: შუ̂ან, ლემშუ̂ანიერა; ''shwan, lemshwaniera'', and Suania in ancient sources; ka, სვანეთი ) is a historic province in the northwestern part of Georgia (country), Georg ...

World Heritage site. Both properties are unique in the region, due to their isolation. The only direct comparisons at a wider extent that might be made would be with isolated communities in the Himalayan massif, but these stem from a completely different cultural tradition.

Geography

History and current status

Statements of authenticity and/or integrity

Comparison with other similar properties

See also

References

Bibliography

Russian sources

Further reading