Tusheti

Die Vielfalt der kaukasischen Berge und Täler: Tuschetien 7 Tage Tour

2009-05-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

In Tsova-Tuschetien

Tuschetien ist eine der schönsten Regionen des georgischen Großen Kaukasus und besteht aus hohen Gebirgsketten die das Land in vier sehr unterschiedliche Täler teilen: Sachagmo, Pirikiti, Gometsari und Tsovata. Die Vielfalt und Verschiedenheit der tuschetischen Landschaft und seiner gastfreundlichen Menschen lernen Sie auf dieser abenteuerlichen Tour von 1 Woche kennen, und wir hoffen, dass Sie dieses Land in ihr Herz schließen.

Route: Tbilissi- Zemo Alvani- Omalo- Shenako- Agiurta- Diklo- Dartlo- Cesho- Parsma- Girevi – Dochu- Jvarboseli- Tsovata- Omalo- Tbilissi

Tag 1 Transfer ab Tbilissi nach Ostgeorgien. Ankunft in Zemo Alvani. Besichtigung der Alaverdi Kathedrale (11 Jh.) in der georgischen Weinregion Kachetien und der Akademie von Ikalto. Abendessen und Übernachtung bei einer tuschetischen Familie im Winterquartier der Tuschen im Dorf Zemo Alvani. Km 250

Tag 2 Fahrt mit russischen 4-WDs der Marke Niva in die wilde Schlucht des Storti-Flusses bei Liliskuri durch tiefe Wälder und steinige Serpentinen bis oberhalb der Baumgrenze. Überquerung und Rast am Abano-Pass von 2950m bit atemberaubender Aussicht gen Norden nach Tuschetien und gen Süden über Kachetien. Weiterfahrt nach Omalo. Besichtigung der Festung von Keselo, die Wehrturme des alten Omalo und Besichtigung des dort eingerichteten ethnographischen Museums. Weiterfahrt nach Sachagmo-Tuschetien. Erkundung des wunderschön gelegenen Dorfes Shenako und seiner für Tuschetien ungewöhnlichen Kirche. Abendessen und Übernachtung in Shenako. Km 125

Tag 3 2-stündige Wanderung zur Festung Agiurta und seinen verfallenen oberhalb des rauschenden Alazani. Fahrt ins unweit entfernte Dorf Diklo, Besichtigung der hübschen Bauernhäuser, danach Abfahrt nach Pirikiti-Tuschetien ins Tal des Pirikiti-Alazani bis zum berühmten Festungsdorf Dartlo. Erkundung des Dorfes und Weiterfahrt/ oder Wanderung bis nach Cesho, wo wir im Gasthaus des freundlichen Bakuri übernachten. Mit etwas Glück sehen wir große Lämmergeier über den Wehrtürmen und Schafherden im Gleitflug nach Nahrung Ausschau halten. Übernachtung in Cesho. Km 50

Tag 4 Wanderung in die berühmten Ortschaften Parsma und Girevi, wo wir die Käseherstellung bei tuschetischen Schäfern beobachten können. Am Nachmittag geht es wieder bei 4WD in das dritte Tal, nach Gometsari-Tuschetien in das beindruckende Dorf Dochu, das wie ein Adlernest an den Hängen über den in der Tiefe fließenden tuschetischen Alazani klebt. Die Gastfreundschaft der Einwohner Dochus wird Sie beeindrucken. Übernachtung in Dochu. Km 55

Tag 5 Kurze Fahrt bis nach Jvarboseli wo die vierte Region beginnt, das Land der Tsova-Tuschen, Tsovata. Nach einen Picknick Wanderung zu Fuß oder zu Pferd nach Indurta, zu den Schäfercamps der Tsova-Tuschen. Wir bleiben über Nacht im Camp der Hirten am Fuße der Wehrtürme und können Ihren harten Alltag und das enge Zusammenleben mit den Tieren hautnah erleben. Luxus können wir Ihnen keinen bieten, dafür Romantik pur. Km 10 per Fahrzeug, 10 zu Fuß oder zu Pferd

Tag 6 Am Morgen können wir einen Ausritt in die umliegenden Berge unternehmen, wer Angeln möchte, kann sein Glück mit den scheuen tuschetischen Forellen versuchen. Je nach Zeitlage wandern wir am Nachmittag zurück nach Jvarboseli oder werden vom Wagen abgeholt. Übernachtung in Jvarboseli. Km 20

Tag 7 Erneutes Offroaderlebnis mit der Rückreise über Omalo und den Abanopass nach Alvani. Mittagsrast in Alvani. Transfer nach Tbilissi km 300

Leistungen:

- Transfers ab/an Tbilissi
- Transfers in Tuschetien mit erfahrenen einheimischen Fahrern in russ. Niva 4-WD
- Deutschsprachige Reisebeleitung
- Reiseprogramm wie oben, geringe Änderungen nach Absprache möglich.
- Vollpension, in der Regel Frühstück, Imbiss/Picknick/reichhaltiges Abendessen
- 6 Übernachtung in ortsüblichen einfachen Privatquartieren
- Museumseintritt Festung Keselo

Reisepreis: 780,00 EUR pro Person bei 2 Personen

Weitere Touren gern auf Anfrage, bitte an info@kaukasus-reisen.de Betreff: Tuschetien

The great journey of Chris Wills in Tusheti

2009-05-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

Chris with his Family in Tusheti. Photo: Chris Wills

Chris Wills and his family from London decided to discover the wild mountains of the Georgian Tusheti Region in the North East of Georgia on horseback.

"With the Carpathians and Balkans under our belt and ever increasing confidence in our ability, I managed to con my family into the idea of riding in the Caucuses in Georgia."

Do not expect a fast read, no, expect a wild journey with Chris' blog in one of most fascinating mountain cultures in the World:

Travels in Tusheti by Chris Wills

http://travelsintusheti.blogspot.com/

On the Road to Tusheti

2009-01-31T06:46:00.001-08:00

On the Road to Tusheti, originally uploaded by grijsz.

cattle-drive-tusheti

2008-03-15T06:21:00.001-07:00

cattle-drive-tusheti, originally uploaded by grijsz.

near Abano Pass, from2005

Impressions Cattle Drive Tusheti 2007 by Jan Mongard

2007-11-30T06:14:00.000-08:00

Cattle Drive Tusheti 2007, originally uploaded by grijsz.

Sheep descending from the Summer pastures

Cattle Drive Tusheti 2007, originally uploaded by grijsz.

View from the Abanao-Pass

Cattle Drive Tusheti 2007, originally uploaded by grijsz.

Camp site

Cattle Drive Tusheti 2007, originally uploaded by grijsz.

Tushetian Horses

Cattle Drive Tusheti 2007, originally uploaded by grijsz.

A shepherder

Cattle Drive Tusheti 2007, originally uploaded by grijsz.

A puppy

Cattle Drive Tusheti 2007, originally uploaded by grijsz.

Hot tea

Cattle Drive Tusheti 2007, originally uploaded by grijsz.

Delicious Tushetian cheese made by the shepherders

Many Thanks to Jan ! All images by Jan Mongard, who took part in our Cattle Drive 2007. More information on our next Cattle Drive in Tusheti Georgia September 2008 here

http://www.kaukasus-reisen.de/english_version/e_tusheti-cattle-drive2008.html

View from Indurta, Tusheti

2007-09-21T10:35:00.001-07:00

indurta-view, originally uploaded by grijsz.

View from our camp in Indurta, Tusheti, Georgia Caucasus, seen from Irakli Papashvili's Camp site

Mountain network B&B

2007-06-18T13:26:00.001-07:00

mountain-network900-2, originally uploaded by grijsz.

Dshuta (Juta) call in advance 00995 99 533239 or ask in the village for Jago Arabuli

Shatili call in advance 00995 77 729362 or ask in the village for Vasha Chincharauli

Korsha (behind Barissakho) ask for Shota Arabuli

Roshka ask for Ivane Tsiklauri

Ardoti ask for Murgvar Ardoteli

Cesho ask for Murtazi

Cesho ask for Bakuri

Zemo Alvani and Dartlo call in advance 00995 99 964839 or ask for Manana Idoidze

Shenako ask for Kako

Indurta ask for Irakli Papashvili

Ninigori (3km before Lagodekhi) call in advance 00995 93 344615 or ask for Simoni Nareshelashvili

Prices may change, ask in advance

How to reanimate a Tushetian race horse or not

2007-05-31T14:16:00.000-07:00

Alex describes witnessing the traditional horse race at Zezvaoba-Dalaoba here:
http://transcaucasian.blogspot.com/2007/05/zezwaoba-dalaoba.html

If I had seen the mountains again

2007-05-20T08:24:00.001-07:00

If I had seen the mountains again.
If I had saddled my horse again,
And placed colourful saddlebags on him again,
To go into the mountains.

If I could pass through Tbatana again,
For the children to hand me apples.
If I had once again seen the Bats horses on the Mountain of the Kists.
If I could return to the source of the Alazani.

If I had milked the nanny goats one last time,
And oncemore carried the wooden pail full of milk.
If only I could return to Tsovata again,
And return from there and die here.

Alexander Bainbridge does a wonderful research on the language and culture of the Bats People from Tsovata Tusheti on Transcaucasus here and here

Alexander Bainbridge on research of Bats culture

2007-05-20T08:22:00.000-07:00

Alexander Bainbridge is saving important particles of what is left of Bats language, history, personal photos, culture, identity. Go on discovery with him on:
http://transcaucasian.blogspot.com/2007/04/step-4-meet-bats-people.html

Map Tusheti 07

2007-03-06T08:57:00.001-08:00

map-tusheti-07new80, originally uploaded by grijsz.

Selfmade ;-)

Cattle drive romantic journey September 2007 Tusheti

2007-03-01T03:46:00.000-08:00

treck-abano-pass, originally uploaded by grijsz.

Sheep, cattle, horses, dogs, campfires, mountains, meadows, sun and rain, hail and snow:

See the marvellous beauty of pure life on the road over the mountains with Tushetian shepherders in Autumn 2007

Travel date:

24.09. to 08.10. 2007

Number of participants: 4-6

Travel programme in short

24.09. Transfer from Tbilisi to Zemo Alvani in Kakheti
25.09. Travel with 4WD over the Caucasus Range and the Abano-pass to Tusheti
26.09.-29.09. Excursions into the villages Chesho, Parsma, Girevi/preparations for the Cattle drive
30.09. - 04.10. Cattle drive through Tusheti over the Abanopass 2870 m to Zemo Alvani in the Kakhetian Wine region
05.10. - 06.10. Join the traditional Alaverdoba-feast in Zemo Alvani and Alaverdi
07.10. Return journey to Tbilissi
08.10. Departure, or extension of the stay in Georgia

All information on this Adventure journey here
http://www.kaukasus-reisen.de/tusheti-cattle-drive2007.htm

German/Deutsch
Viehtrieb Tuschetien Georgien 2007 Link

Tusheti, Road from Abano-Pass down to Kakheti

2006-09-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

tusheti-road-from-Abano-Pass, originally uploaded by grijsz.

Going this road is always an exitement

Silence

2006-09-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

natia-sheep, originally uploaded by grijsz.

The girl did know, what happens to sheep, but still had a sad time, Cesho, Tusheti, Georgia, Sakartvelo

Baking Tushetian bread

2006-08-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

tushetian-bread, originally uploaded by grijsz.

in a Shepherders camp in Indurta. The bread itselfs takes 10-15 minutes. Its very tasty.

Fresh trout

2006-08-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

fresh-trout3, originally uploaded by grijsz.

Drawing of the Tsovata Valley

2006-08-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

tsowata-draw, originally uploaded by grijsz.

View from Indurta in the shepherders camp of Irakli Papashvili.

Tushs in Tsovata

2006-08-01T09:54:00.000-07:00

tuschen, originally uploaded by grijsz.

We had a wonderful time in Tsovata, thanks to Besso, Valeri, Claude, Tamasi, Irakli and Petre.
Indurta 2006

Thanks to Irakli Papashvili I had the chance to learn some of the Bats Language, some examples here:

Bread- Mekg
Water- Khi
Bridge- Tiv
Horse- Don
Cow- Jed
Dog- Pluh
Village- Pekh
Mountain- Gornak
Wolf- Börts
Bear- Tsha
Shep- Cherle
Fish- Tshar
Eagle- Artsiv
Bird- Hadsuk

Alaia found back in Girevi

2006-08-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

alaia-girevi, originally uploaded by grijsz.

I was not sure at all but thanks to Pore and Anton I found my dog Alaia back in the outpost of Girevi in a very good mood and health. I decided to leave her there, in a marvellous place and shepherders paradise and will visit Alaia once in a while.

Photos from Tusheti

2006-08-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

pridon-tushet, originally uploaded by grijsz.

Photos by various photographers, collected by Pridon Beroshvili
http://www.akhmeta.ge/gal/Tusheti/fototush.htm

Indurta

2006-07-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

tusheti-idurta, originally uploaded by grijsz.

Tusheti

2006-06-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

Tusheti. Hans Heiner Buhr 2005, Litho

Treck. Hans Heiner Buhr 2005

In search for Alaia

2006-06-23T12:27:00.000-07:00

Alaia on the right

Last October while crossing the Abano pass with local shepherders I lost at nighttime my female dog Alaia, probably she got frightend by strange shepherd dogs of a nearby camp we had to pass. As I sat on horseback she could not find my trace by nose either and she went back to Cesho some 30 km away. I hoped she would find us the same night or the next morning, but not. In the winter local villagers from Cesho told me, that she returned to Cesho on her own, and then maybe joined a camp of border guards near Girevi. This year the passes to Tusheti opened 12 days ago. I hope to be in Tusheti around 18th of July. If she survived the winter, then she probably gave birth to a bunch of puppies. If you, dear reader, find my dog by accident, drop me a comment on where did you spot her.

Alaia is originally from village Arkhoty, Akhieli in Khevsureti, where Dshardshi gave her to me in July 2004 for present. As a puppy she crossed with me Roshka-Pass and Datvis Jvari-Pass to Shatili. I really hope to find her this summer alive in Tusheti. She is now 2 years old, and a very kind dog.

Alaia as a puppy of 2 month

Join our Journey to Tusheti in July 2006

2006-06-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

It's not your last chance, because you can still join us on the very last moment of departure to Tusheti around 18th of July.

We start from Tbilisi, the capitol of Georgia. Two other Guys from Switzerland will arrive on July,16th in Tbilisi. We spare a day for the town and start the Journey on July, 18th, with a trip through the wineyard of Georgia, Kakheti to the Winter settlement of the Tushetians, Alvani.

We will have a good typical Georgian dinner there with some good wines. On 19th we start the difficult road via the Abano-Pass of 2900 m to Tusheti, with a short stop in the biggest village Omalo. This road takes us 8 to 10 hours, depending on the weather conditions, but the scenery of the wild mountains will indeed impress you.

We follow the Tusheti Alazani River to Dartlo, where we stay at the Guesthouse of Manana. Next day we make a short walk to the next village Cesho, and further on to the villages Parsma and Girevi with its impressing ancient Defendstowers.

Here we saddle our horses and cross the mountain range to Tsova Tusheti, a beautiful wide valley with sheep and dogs and rough herdsmen. We camp with the herdsmen and try to catch some Brown trouts in the evening. If you do not like horse riding, you of course may hiking. We take your luggage on the horseback.

We follow the tiny pathes to Jvarboseli and the Eagle-nest-like small village of Dochu on the rock with a magnificent view down the river. We cross the range again to Cesho and change horses to a 4WD to go to the Northern villages of Shenako and Diklo close to the Dagestanian border.

We have to be back in Tbilisi on August, 1st.

Join the freedom of Tushetis mountain world with us.

Further details on this Journey via http://www.kaukasus-reisen.de

Price: USD 1380.00 from/to Tbilisi, including full board, accomodations, all transports, guides, horses etc.

Best regards, Hans

Join the Cattle Drive Tusheti Georgia 2006

2005-11-04T04:22:00.000-08:00

Descending to Kakheti from Tusheti

In September 2006 we again go on the Cattle drive with Tushetian herders and their sheep, horses and dogs over the Greater Caucasus Range in Georgia. Join this outstanding adventure journey with Kaukasus-Reisen, further details here

Some facts on Tusheti

2005-10-22T15:24:00.000-07:00

Some information on the location, the flora and fauna of Tusheti can be found at a site of the Georgian Parliament here.

On 2900 m in Tusheti

Tushetian Faces

2005-10-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

Murtazi and his wife, Tchesho

4 Tushs and 1 German

Father and son, Hegho

Giorgi

Dog

Natia

Kamaz-Driver

Boy with his donkey, Girevi

Sasa

Dog

Grandmother, Zemo Alvani

Gogita

Maja with Reso

Kacha with horse near Omalo

Horse, Girevi

Boy, Girevi

Mother and son Dato, Zemo Alvani

Mother Nino and son

The Bats

2005-09-18T02:20:00.001-07:00

Until the middle of the 19th century, the Bats lived in Tushetia, the mountain region of Northwest Georgia. The Tsova Gorge in Tushetia was inhabited by four Bats communities: the Sagirta, Otelta, Mozarta and Indurta. Later they settled on the Kakhetia Plain, in the village of Zemo-Alvani, where they still live. Administratively they are part of the Akhmeta district of Georgia. There are some families of Bats in Tbilisi and other bigger towns in Georgia.
Bats belongs to the Nakh family of Caucasian languages. Most speakers of Bats live in the village of Zemo-Alvani, on the Kakhetia Plain, in the Akhmeta district of Georgia. There are some families of Bats in Tbilisi and other bigger towns in Georgia.

Bats, or Batsi, Batsbi, Batsb, Batsaw, is the language of the Bats people, a Caucasian minority group, and is part of the Nakh family of Caucasian languages. It had 2,500 to 3,000 speakers in 1975. There is only one dialect. It exists only as a spoken language, as the Bats people use Georgian as their written language. The language is not mutually intelligible with either Chechen or Ingush, the other two members of the Nakh family.

See the whole Article at Wikipedia here

Pridon Beroshvilis Images from Tusheti

2005-09-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

I am very proud to show some of Pridons impressive photographs from Tusheti, ununsual images from for me unknown Tushetian areas. Pridon lives in Tbilisi and is married to his wife from Tusheti. It seems, that we have some common friends from Gergeti and Tusheti. I am looking forward to a meeting with Pridon in Tbilisi in the following weeks.

Photo by Pridon Beroshvili, Tbilisi, Georgia

Photo by Pridon Beroshvili, Tbilisi, Georgia

Photo by Pridon Beroshvili, Tbilisi, Georgia

Photo by Pridon Beroshvili, Tbilisi, Georgia

Pridon, it would be very kind, if you could write a comment on those images.

Impressions from the Caucasus/ Tusheti

2005-09-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, we came back, after 5 days heavy wodka-drinking in the Tushetian Mountains. And the hospitality of our hosts Gogita and Sopho in Cesho was great. We come back in the End of September for the Cattle Drive back from the Mountains. Here are some images:

A road

A landscape

Me at the pass

Mountainview

A village in Tusheti- Dartlo

A fisher- Bidsina Tsadsikidze

2 Brown trouts for dinner

A Georgian Picknik

A cleaning bath

Way home...

See more on the Caucasus at my Kaukasusblog

2005-09-05T13:51:00.000-07:00

View on the Pirikitis Alazani, the Village far in the background must be Dano

2005-09-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

Location of the Tushetian Highland in Georgia

2005-09-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

We in Tusheti in 1998

2005-09-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

Tushetian shepherders I met, but this was in 1998

2005-09-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

Kallta, A Tushetian dog, age 1 year, female

Tusheti- What is Tusheti ?

2005-08-30T04:39:00.000-07:00

Tusheti
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Tusheti (sometimes spelled as Tushetia in Russian and European resources) is a small historic geographic area in Eastern Georgia. Located on the Northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, it is bordered by the Russian republics of Chechnya and Dagestan to the north and east, respectively; and by the Georgian historic provinces Kakheti and Pshav-Khevsureti to the south and west, respectively. The population of the area is mainly ethnic Georgians called Tushs or Tushetians (Georgian: tushebi). Historically, Tusheti comprised 4 mountainous communities of the Alazani Valley. These are Tsova, Gometzari, Chaghma and the Piriq’iti Tusheti (formerly known as Pharsman's Tusheti). Included in the present day Akhmeta raioni, Kakheti region, Georgia, the area comprises ten villages with Omalo being the largest. The first who inhabited the province were the pagan Georgians from Pkhovi who took refuge in the uninhabited mountains during their rebellion against Christianization implemented by the Iberian king Mirian III in the 330s. Subsequently, they were forcibly converted to Christianity and subdued by the Georgian kings. After the collapse of the unified Georgian monarchy, Tusheti came under the rule of Kakhetian kings in the 15th century. In the 16th century, the North Caucasian Bats people (relatives of the Chechens and Ingushes) began settling in the Tsova Gorge of Tusheti. King Levan of Kakheti (1520-1574) granted them the lands in the Alvani Valley in exchange for their military service. Known to the local Georgians as the Tsova-Tushs, they have a high degree of assimilation and are typically bilingual using both Georgian and their own Bats languages. Nowadays, the latter is spoken only in a village Zemo Alvani. Traditionally, the Tushs are sheep herders. Tushetian Gouda cheese and high quality wool was famous and was exported to Europe and Russia. Even today sheep and cattle breeding is the leading branch of the economy of highland Tusheti. The local shepherds spend the summer months in the highland areas of Tusheti but live in the lowland villages of Zemo Alvani and Kvemo Alvani in wintertime. Their customs and traditions are similar to those of other eastern Georgian mountaineers (see Khevsureti). One of the most ecologically unspoiled regions in the Caucasus, Tusheti is a popular place of mountain trekking.

Tusheti

Die Vielfalt der kaukasischen Berge und Täler: Tuschetien 7 Tage Tour

The great journey of Chris Wills in Tusheti

On the Road to Tusheti

cattle-drive-tusheti

Impressions Cattle Drive Tusheti 2007 by Jan Mongard

View from Indurta, Tusheti

More historic Tushetian photos documented by Alex JTB

Mountain network B&B

How to reanimate a Tushetian race horse or not

If I had seen the mountains again

Alexander Bainbridge on research of Bats culture

Map Tusheti 07

Cattle drive romantic journey September 2007 Tusheti

Tusheti, Road from Abano-Pass down to Kakheti

Silence

Baking Tushetian bread

Fresh trout

Drawing of the Tsovata Valley

Tushs in Tsovata

Alaia found back in Girevi

Photos from Tusheti

Indurta

Tusheti

In search for Alaia

Join our Journey to Tusheti in July 2006

Join the Cattle Drive Tusheti Georgia 2006

Some facts on Tusheti

Tushetian Faces

The Bats

Pridon Beroshvilis Images from Tusheti

Impressions from the Caucasus/ Tusheti

Tusheti- What is Tusheti ?