Akhtala (Gurjaani)

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Akhtala
ახტალა
Spa
Akhtala mud bathes
Akhtala mud bathes
Akhtala is located in Georgia
Akhtala
Akhtala
Location of Akhtala
Coordinates: 41°44′44″N 45°47′40″E / 41.74556°N 45.79444°E / 41.74556; 45.79444Coordinates: 41°44′44″N 45°47′40″E / 41.74556°N 45.79444°E / 41.74556; 45.79444
Country Georgia
RegionKakheti
MunicipalityFlag of Gurjaani Municipality.svg Gurjaani
Elevation
412 m (1,352 ft)
Websiteakhtala.ge

Akhtala (Georgian: ახტალა) is a spa in the town of Gurjaani, in Georgia's easternmost region of Kakheti, known for its mud bathes of volcanic origin.

History[]

According to the Georgian scholar Prince Vakhushti's geography of Georgia, finalized in 1745, Akhtala "is said to be a former village and buried by wrath; tar is discharged, steaming, and brings on the surface spoons, jars, and peasants' commodities".[1] By the time the British diplomat Oliver Wardrop visited Georgia in 1887, Akhtala had already been used as a spa, "a muddy hollow in which are slime baths, resorted to by persons suffering from rheumatism, scrofula, and many other diseases; the baths are simply round holes full of mud, in the middle of which an evil-smelling gas slowly bubbles up; the largest bath of all is reserved for cattle".[2]

Beginning in the 1920s, Akhtala's potential for balneotherapy was studied and exploited by the Georgian Institute of Resorts and Physiotherapy. In the 1990s, the Akhtala spa became a joint stock company. In 2006, descendants of the noble family of Andronikashvili attempted to claim the resort, fruitlessly, as their patrimonial estate lost to the Soviet state in 1924.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ Gamkrelidze, Gela; Mindorashvili, Davit; Bragvadze, Zurab; Kvatsadze, Marine, eds. (2013). "ახტალა [Akhtala]". ქართლის ცხოვრების ტოპოარქეოლოგიური ლექსიკონი [Topoarchaeological dictionary of Kartlis tskhovreba (The history of Georgia)] (PDF) (in Georgian) (1st ed.). Tbilisi: Georgian National Museum. p. 82. ISBN 978-9941-15-896-4.
  2. ^ Wardrop, Oliver (2010). The Kingdom of Georgia: Travel in a Land of Women, Wine, and Song. London and New York: Routledge. pp. 101–102. ISBN 978-1136211652.
  3. ^ "Selling "Akhtala" is a Way Out". Humanrights.ge. 26 January 2006. Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
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