Shatili

Georgia is full of history and ancient sites, most of which are hidden in places that are difficult to reach. We finally made it to another one of those places that has been attempted a few times before but never came through for us. This past weekend we traveled about 100 miles north of Tbilisi in 6 hours…yes, really! We actually don’t know the exact time due to various stops, but this is our best guess at approximating the travel time without all the stops. Our destination was Shatili which is just a few miles from the border with Russia (see the little towers at the top and center of the map). We camped by the river underneath this fortress and visited a couple other nearby sites too.

The main historical sites we visited were:

• Shatili - Shatili is about 4,600 feet above sea level. It is a popular site in the high mountain region of Khevsureti. The village consists of about 60 towers built all together as a fortress. It dates from the 14th-15th century.
 
• Anatori (slightly north of Shatili but not on map) - Nearly every person from the village of Anatori died during the time of the Black Death in Europre (mid-1300’s). According to old tradition, other people later went to this place when they found out they were ill and waited there until they died.

• Mutso (just south of Shatili) - Mutso is another medieval village that was quite powerful in the middle ages. It was conquered and demolished by Russian soldiers in 1813.

Our trip was combined with the visit of friends from abroad. One couple, Katy and Paul, is from Great Britain. Katy lived in Georgia when Megan first came in 2006. She and her husband intend to move back in the next year or so. Their visit included connecting with old friends and making plans for the future. Robyn is another friend from America. She also lived in Georgia for a few months in 2008. Her time in 2008 and current visit are related to political research. We joined up with these friends and a few Georgian friends for yet another beautiful excursion!