Destroyed Georgian cities. Visit the settlements of Shatili and Mutso.

Shatili - the largest village and the center of the Khevsuret region is located in the outer part Khevsureti, at the mouth of the Argun and Shatiltskali rivers (Shatilura), on a rocky massif.

Khevsureti is a border region, to which Chechnya and Ingushetia adjoin from the north, from where Georgia has been subjected to enemy raids for many centuries. For centuries, the Khevsurs have reliably protected the borders from an external enemy. Constant combat readiness caused the unusual architectural appearance of Khevsuri villages: each of the settlements is a kind of complex of fortification structures that simultaneously performed the function of dwellings. The village of Shatili serves as a visual example of such a peculiar architecture.

On the rocky slopes, residential premises are located in a continuous row of terraces: fortress-houses with high verandas, dwellings with towers, "sapihvno" (a one-story building where the men of the village gathered to confer and solve various issues), buildings for women ("samrevlo"), a brewery. The buildings stand arcs to each other so tightly that the flat roofs of the buildings serve as a courtyard for the higher buildings. The houses are connected to each other by narrow staircases carved into the rock — a person entering the village can secretly bypass the entire village. Thus, the whole village is one solid fortress.

Most of the buildings consist of four floors, although there are three or five-storey buildings. Crushed stone, cobblestone and slate were used as construction materials. The walls are built in such a dense row that even a ray of the sun does not penetrate between them. The different shape and quality of the building material indicates that the village was built over several centuries. This is evidenced by the houses of the XVII-XVIII centuries with numerous loopholes.

The image of St. George in the Broliskalo clearing was considered by the residents of Mutso to be their protector and patron. He was their main object of worship. The villagers gathered at Broliskalo on New Year's Eve, as well as at the celebration of "Athenob" (a holiday in honor of the Greek Holy Martyr Athenogenes of Sebaste).

A unique defensive structure is the village of Mutso (1880 m above sea level), located 12-15 km north-east of Shatili. It is one of the oldest villages in Pirikita Khevsureti. About 40 residential and defensive structures and ruins dating back to the X-XVIII centuries have been preserved here.

Mutso is a fortified settlement. The village is protected from the north by Torgvai Castle, from the south by fortress houses, and from the east and west by cliffs with steep slopes. The village is located on three terraces, the buildings are built of slate, which are interconnected by narrow streets. The buildings are connected by bridges. On the upper terrace there is a small clearing, the so-called Broliskalo, a small chapel with an icon of St. George, a prayer house - "Sapihvno" and a fortress are erected on it. The council of the local community met here to resolve important issues. There is still a rock-carved chair-block, for the elder of the community ("Heavisbury"). There is a church and defensive towers in the fortress.

On the middle terrace there are adjacent living quarters. Most of the houses are 4- and 6-storey. As a rule, in such houses, on the first floor there was a winter house for cattle, on the second — a sheepfold, on the third and fourth - living quarters. The last floors were used as a closet and storage room for weapons and food.

There were two ways to get to Mutso village. A narrow descending road ran along a rocky slope. And on the side of the river, the village was fenced with a wall, in which there was a gate made of limestone stone. In the evening, the gates were locked and guarded. Belated travelers or hunters were forced to spend the night at the fence wall.

Tourists should thoroughly prepare before traveling through the mountains of Georgia. Steep cliffs, although very attractive, can be dangerous for an inexperienced traveler. Use our recommendations from experts that we post on the site madloba.info . We try to make informative reviews and cover the latest news for you.