Lake Paliastomi Georgia, Colchis National Park, Jumat Monastery named after Archangels Michael and Gabriel

The Colchis National Park was established in 1999 with the aim of protecting and protecting the unique ecosystem of the Colchis Lowland. The protected area includes two historical regions of Georgia - Samegrelo and Guria. The main object of the park is Lake Paliastomi, which is the third largest lake in Georgia (after Paravani and Kartsakhi).

A significant part of Paliastomi is located in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, although its western part is part of the Guri region (Lanchkhut municipality). The name of the lake goes back to the Greek words: "paleo" - old, "stoma" — mouth.

There is a legend about the origin of Lake Paliastomi. In ancient times, there was land on the site of the lake. There lived people who were called "pavlias tomi" - that is, the tribe of Paul. One day this place began to sink down, the earth opened up and water gushed out of the bowels, covering the entire settlement. So the settlement of the "Paul Tribe" became Lake Paliastomi. The legend of the construction of the Jumat temple is also connected with the appearance of Lake Paliastomi. According to this legend, when the water gushed out of the ground, only one deacon of the local temple managed to escape. He ascended the mountain with the icon of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. A church was built here for this icon.

The surface area of the lake is 18.2 km2, the basin area is 547 km2, the maximum depth is 3 m, the volume is 52 million m3. Small rivers flow into the lake: Pichori, Shavtskala, Thorina. The Kaparchina River flows out of the lake and flows into the Black Sea. Lake Paliastomi attracts tourists not only for its views and landscapes: there are places to observe migratory birds. Paliastomi, together with the nearby marshes, swampy forests and the Black Sea area, is one of the main camps and wintering grounds for birds flying from Europe to Asia and back.