Ushguli

Ushguli

Ushguli
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Upper Svaneti
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Type Cultural
Criteria iv, v
Reference 709
UNESCO region Europe
Inscription history
Inscription 1996 (20th Session)

Ushguli (Georgian: უშგული) is a community of four villages located at the head of the Enguri gorge in Svaneti, Georgia.[1] Recognized as the Upper Svaneti UNESCO World Heritage Site,[2] Ushguli is one of the highest continuously inhabited settlements in Europe.[3][4][5] Compared to somewhat more developed towns like Mestia, Ushguli has been "saved" by its particularly inaccessible location, which helped preserve the villages' timeless feel.[6]

Location and features

Ushguli is located at an altitude of 2,100 metres (6,900 ft) near the foot of Shkhara, one of the highest summits of the Greater Caucasus mountains. About 70 families (about 200 people) live in the area, enough to support a small school. The area is snow-covered for 6 months of the year, and often the road to Mestia is impassable.

Typical Svaneti defensive towers are found throughout the village. The Ushguli Chapel located on a hilltop near the village dates back to the 12th century.

The Mikhail Kalatozov silent film documentary Salt for Svanetia was filmed in Ushguli.

Constituent villages of Ushguli

 Zhibiani (Georgian: ჟიბიანი) some 2,100 metres (6,900 ft) above sea level;
 Chvibiani or Chubiani (Georgian: ჩვიბიანი);
 Chazhashi or Chajashi (Georgian: ჩაჟაში);
 Murqmeli (Georgian: მურყმელი).

See also

References

  1. ↑ Svaneti and Its Inhabitants, Roland Topchishvili
  2. ↑ World Heritage List - Upper Svaneti, 1993-10-28
  3. ↑ Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, 9 reasons to visit Georgia now, CNN, 17 May 2016
  4. ↑ Village Ushguli, Georgia, National Geographic, Retrieved: 7 March 2016
  5. ↑ Michael Spilling, Winnie Wong. Cultures of the World: Georgia. Marshall Cavendish: 2008, p. 10
  6. ↑ Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, 9 reasons to visit Georgia now, CNN, 17 May 2016
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Coordinates: 42°55′04″N 43°00′56″E / 42.917797°N 43.015672°E / 42.917797; 43.015672

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