MTSKHETA-MTIANETI

Kazbegi District is located on the northern slope of the Caucasus across its main ridge. It completely embraced Khevi - the ancient region of Georgia. Within this Khevi region there was a road so called Dariali road that connected Asia with Europe for centuries. Today it is called “The Military Highway of Georgia”. Between 16th and 18th centuries after the Aragvi Estate was dissolved and partitioned into a separate principality, eventually Khevi and its adjacent territory (Trusso valley, Mtiuleti and Gudamakari) came under the control of King Erekle’s sons.

Kazbegi District embraces the source of the Tetri Aragvi river as well as Trusso, Tergi and Sno Valleys. Trusso Valley represents a portion of the historical Dvaleti region that was populated by the Dvalis, an early tribe related to the Georgians. At the end of the feudal period, the ethnic Ossets began to settle in this area mingling gradually with the Dvalis.

Archeological excavations in 1877 revealed 200 or so artifacts known as the “Kazbegi Treasure,” providing evidence that Khevi and its adjacent territory were previously inhabited. These artifacts are believed to date back to the 6th -5th centuries B.C. Among the discovered items were samples of Achaemenid Art such as: a silver bowl, bronze dishes, fibulas, small deer statues etc. The majority of the treasure is kept in the Moscow State Historical Museum while some of the materials are stored in Janashia State Museum of Georgia. According to the above-mentioned archeological digs and historical sources, Khevi might have been a part of the Kingdom of Iberia in ancient period.

It is noteworthy that King Tamara’s historian is the first to refer to the residents of Khevi as“Mokheveebi” (residents of Khevi in translation), as according to earlier sources they were simply called “Mtielebi” (mountain people).

From Stepantsminda area, a glacier as well as the Kuro and Shino mountains, cause the river Tergi to become narrower forming well-known Dariali Gorge.

The Dariali road (the Aragvi valley) played a significant part in the history of Georgia. The tribes of the Southern and Northern Caucasus had established strong economic and cultural relations in the Neolithic and early Bronze Age. The geography of the Tergi-Aragvi valleys significantly facilitated the development of these relations. In the 6th century B.C., nomadic Scythes came to the Southern Caucasus and Asia Minor through Dariali and the Aragvi Valley.

When the Romans invaded Georgia for the first time, they observed that a wall obstacle, which impeded the access of any unwelcome foe, protected Dariali, a part of the Kingdom of Iberia. The Roman writer Plinius, (AD 23 – 79) provides insight into the purpose of the wall. According to him, “The gate of the Caucasus represents a vast natural “creature”, the result of a sudden rupture of the mountains. The passage is secured with logs of wood reinforced with iron. The fortress of Kumania was built across the river in order to block the numerous tribes.”

According to Vakhushti Bagrationi “The third King Mirvan made a gate for Dariala and reinforced it so Khazars and Ossets could not dare to pass through” (XI century). Based on the sources provided by the chronicler Juansher (11th century) Vakhtang Gorgasali subjugated the Khivchags and Ossets and made a gate that we call Dariali and built high forts over it, and appointed the mountain people as sentries.” Not a single Khivchag or Osset can pass through it without the order of the King of the Georgians”.

After the Tamerlane invasions, the Dariali-Aragvi road became less important. At the end of the 16th century, the mountainous part of this road deteriorated into an insignificant trail...

From the second half of 18th century, the Dariali road regained its significance. From 1801 when Georgia was forcibly annexed by Russia, the Dariali-Aragvi road became strategically important. It became known as “The Military Highway of Georgia” representing one of the main arteries connecting the Caucasus with Russia.

In 1804 Governor P.Tsitsianov demanded that an army from the mountain people be raised and given the task of invading Yerevan. The mountain people gave flat refusal threatening even to attack the Russians. The Russian regional governor made the decision to punish them for their disobedience.

The mountaineers rebelled against him and in the process demolished the part of military highway from Ananuri to Kaishauri in order to restrict the movements of the Russian troops. The first fight between the Russians and the mountaineers took place in Kashiauri. The mountaineers defeated the Russians and called on the residents of Khevi to rise in rebellion, which they did. The rebellion then spread throughout the southern portion of the military highway.

This rebellion was followed by another small engagement at Lomisa where the rebels fought several Russian units under the command of a Major Mella, forcing them to retreat. The victory at Lomisa encouraged the continued spread of the rebellion throughout the region. Shortly after that, Vakhtang Batonishvili, successor to the Georgian throne, arrived in Stepantsminda further fomenting rebellion in the Ksani Valley. With the support of Alexander Batonishvili (an exile in Persia), the rebels managed to convince Dudaruko Akhmed, the owner of the village of Chma ruling the whole Tergi valley from Vladikavkaz to Dariali, into joining the rebellion. Thus, the Russian forces were denied access to the mountains of Georgia.

The beginning of the end of the rebellion took place with the decisive battle at the Sioni Fort. This was the stronghold of Parnaoz Batonishvili and the rebels.

Russian troops defeated the rebels and captured Sioni Fort after a bloody siege. Parnaoz Batonishvili fled and found a shelter in countryside of Pshav-Khevsureti. After the capture of Sioni Fort the Russians eventually stormed and occupied the rest of the rebel forts. In October 1804, the rebellion was over; the mountaineers surrendered and were forced into submission to the Czar of Russia.

Until 1917, the present-day territory of Kazbegi District belonged to Dusheti Mazra (administrative-territorial entity) of Tbilisi Province. Since 1930, it has been an independent district. Kazbegi District now belongs to Mtskheta-Mtianeti Region.