Akhaltsikhe

Akhaltsikhe ახალციხე
Akhaltsikhe Location of Akhaltsikhe in Georgia Akhaltsikhe Akhaltsikhe (Samtskhe-Javakheti) Show map of GeorgiaShow map of Samtskhe-JavakhetiShow all
Coordinates: 41°38′20″N 42°59′10″E / 41.63889°N 42.98611°E / 41.63889; 42.98611Coordinates: 41°38′20″N 42°59′10″E / 41.63889°N 42.98611°E / 41.63889; 42.98611
Country	Georgia
mkhare	Samtskhe-Javakheti
District	Akhaltsikhe
Founded	1200
Elevation	1,029 m (3,376 ft)
Population  (2020)
• Total	16,943
Time zone	UTC+4 (Georgian Time)
Postal code	0800
Website	akhaltsikhe.gov.ge/en

Akhaltsikhe (Georgian: ახალციხე [ɑxɑltsʰixɛ], literally "new castle"; formerly known as Lomsia Georgian: ლომსია) is a small city in Georgia's southwestern region (mkhare) of Samtskhe–Javakheti. It is situated on the both banks of a small river Potskhovi, which separates the city to the old city in the north and new in the south.

In the old part of the city we can see Akhaltsikhe (Rabati) Castle, built in the 9th century, recently globally reconstructed. One of the main attractions of the Samtskhe-Javakheti region, along with Vardzia, Vale, Okrostsikhe and Zarzma.

History[]

The city is first mentioned in the chronicles in the 12th century. In the 12th–13th centuries it was the seat of the House of Akhaltsikhe, dukes (atabegs) of Samtskhe Duchy (saatabago), whose two most illustrious representatives were Shalva and Ivane Akhaltsikheli. From the 13th up to the 17th century the city and Samtkhe were governed by the House of Jaqeli.

The city suffered numerous invasions by Mongols, Iranians and Turks. In 1576 the Ottomans took it and made it the residence of pasha. From 1628 the city became the centre of the Akhalzik Eyalet of the Ottoman Empire as "Ahıska".

In 1828, during the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829, Russian troops under the command of General Paskevich captured the city and, as a consequence of the 1829 Treaty of Adrianople (Edirne), it was ceded to the Russian Empire as part of first Kutais and then Tiflis Governorates.

In the late 1980s the city was host to the Soviet Army's 10th Guards Motor Rifle Division, which became a brigade of the Georgian land forces after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Population[]

Population and ethnic composition of Akhaltsikhe from the late 19th century^[1]

Year	Georgians		Armenians		Russians		Jews		Others		Total
1886	2,733	17%	10,417	64.6%	146	0.9%	2,545	15.8%	275	1.7%	16,116
1897[2][3]	3,578	23.3%	9,035	58.8%	1,172	7.3%	438	2.9%	1,134	3.4%	15,357
1926[4]	1,817	14.8%	6,516	52.9%	1.425	11.6%	94	0.8%		%	12,310
1959[5]	6,801	25.7%	14,341	54.1%	3,509	13.2%	368	1.4%		%	26,497
1979[6]	5,714	29.2%	10,278	52.5%	2,208	11.3%	337	1.7%	1,050	5.4%	19,587
1989											24,570
2014[7]	12,838	71.7%	4,781	26.7%	75	0.4%	11	0.06%	198	1.1%	17,903

Climate[]

Archaeology[]

The highland environment between Akhaltsikhe and Aspindza presents a varied and complex array of archaeological features in different locations, elevations and topographies. This includes the alluvial flood-plain of the Kura River, and all the way to the high grasslands.

Human occupation is attested already in the Early Bronze Age (4th millennium BC) and later.

The Roman and medieval periods artifacts are also strongly represented in the area.

Amiranis Gora[]

On the northeastern outskirts of Akhaltsikhe is an important archaeological site of Amiranis Gora.^[9] It was excavated by Chubinishvili.^[10] The earliest carbon date for Amiranis Gora is 3790-3373 cal BC. It was obtained from the charcoal of the metallurgical workshop which belonged to the earliest building horizon of Amiranis Gora^[11] This indicates a division of the metallurgical production in the extractive and processing branches.^[12]

Amiranis Gora is an important reference point for the study of the Early Bronze Age Kura-Araxes culture, also known as the Early Transcaucasian Culture. The many references include the architecture, burial practices, material culture and metallurgy.^[13]

Amiranis Gora is one of the best sites with fixed stratigraphy of the Kura-Araxes culture. The carbon date for the Kura-Araxes material at Amiranis Gora is 3630-3048 cal B.C., which is very early.^[14]

People associated with Akhaltsikhe[]

• Gregorio Pietro Agagianian (1895–1971), Armenian Catholic Cardinal, papabile
• David Baazov, rabbi in Akhaltsikhe (1918)
• Hovhannes Kajaznuni (1868–1938), first prime minister of the First Republic of Armenia
• Ahmed-Pasha Khimshiashvili (?-1836), Pasha of Ahiska
• Sergo Kobuladze (1909–1978), painter and illustrator
• Hakob Kojoyan (1883–1959), Soviet Armenian artist
• Shalva Maglakelidze, plenipotentiary for the Russian Provisional Government and then for the government of Georgia in Akhaltsikhe (1917–1918)
• Stepan Malkhasyants, Armenian academician
• Palavandishvili family
• Giorgi Mazniashvili, governor general of Akhaltsikhe (1919–1920)
• Natela Svanidze, Georgian composer
• Michel Tamarati (1858–1911), Georgian Catholic priest and historian
• Vakhtang Tchutchunashvili (?-1668), usurper of Imereti throne, fled to Ahiska after being deposed
• Vakhtang V, King of Kartli, fled to Ahiska after a coup failure
• Lusine Zakaryan (1937–1991), Soviet Armenian soprano singer

International relations[]

Twin towns and sister cities[]

Akhaltsikhe is twinned with:

• Artvin, Turkey
• Ardahan, Turkey
• Gyumri, Armenia

See also[]

• Battle of Akhaltsikhe
• Samtskhe-Javakheti

References[]

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