Svaneti, Georgia

The highest inhabited point in Europe, surrounded by 4 of Europe's 10 highest peaks of the Caucasus, Svaneti, Georgia is a land of stunning alpine beauty, eerily set apart from Tblisi and the modern world in its mountain setting.

The Upper Svaneti Region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is dotted by medieval villages featuring dozens of evocative stone tower-houses, mostly built in the 9th to 12th centuries. The tower-houses served as both dwellings and defensive structures, against occasional invaders and the much more commonplace blood feuds that would occur between clans in the isolated mountain villages. The village of Chazhashi still has more than 200 of these structures.

The Svans are ethnically related to Georgians but speak a tongue that split off from Georgian millenia ago and now has become all but unintelligible to the rest of the population.

Svan cuisine is similar to Georgian cuisine, but milder in spices used. Arak, a powerful home-brewed alcoholic beverage distilled from apples and pears, is often served with meals.

The Svans have been, by tradition, fiercely independent, and managed to maintain a virtual autonomy even under the Soviet Union.

Because of its geographical isolation, Svaneti did not fall to the Mongols, and many of the icons and holy relics of Georgia were moved here for safekeeping, including one of the oldest copies of the bible, housed at the Mestia Museum.

A common Svan joke is that a visitor walks up to a villager and asks him "how has life changed since the collapse of the Soviet Union?" To which the Svan replies: "What Collapse?" Baffled, the visitor tries to explain: "The end of the Soviet UNION." The villager shakes his head, confused. "What Soviet Union?"

The capitol of Svaneti is Mestia (pop 3000). Ushguli, which contains some of the oldest tower-houses, is the highest continually-inhabited place in Europe.

The region was formerly renowned for its banditry, but a serious push by Georgian Police has rendered the area much safer than it once was.

Of the high, ice-clad mountain peaks surrounding Svaneti, the double-peaked Ushba, jutting like a pair of fangs from the surrounding mountains, (4,700m) is the most culturally important to the Svans. It was formerly believed to be inhabited by evil spirits, and there are many legends associated with the mountain and Dali, the goddess of hunting, who could transform into mountain animals and lead those who displeased her to their death.

As night falls in the Svaneti villages, and the shadows of the towers lengthen, it is easy to begin to share in the Svan superstitions, and the almost medieval villages begin to appear haunted by any number of things unseen.

An excellent base for exploring Svaneti is the Nino Ratiani Guesthouse (country code 995) (899) 183-555 in Mestia. We stayed for $10 a night, including meals, and Nino arranged transportation from Zugdidi with her cousin, in a battered but serviceable Soviet-era jeep that handled the rutted road into the mountains well. The beds were comfortable, the shower was hot, the food was excellent, and the crosses pencilled over the doorways presumably protected us from marauding spirits. Nino speaks some English and Russian, and her husband is an excellent guide, both to the surrounding mountains and to the hospitality in the villages themselves.

Beware of Svaneti hospitality on holidays: we were waylaid several times by Svans when we attempted to go hiking on St. George's day (a holiday the Georgians like so much, they celebrate it twice a year). By the time our little party got out of the town, there were a few of us who had had too much arak to walk the paths straight.

Travel in Svaneti is reasonalby safe, but one should carefully follow the advice of trustworty locals, such as Nino Ratiani and her cousin Dato, and avoid traveling in the region alone.

Tower in Svaneti, Georgia

Caucasus Mountains

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