Khevi ხევი | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Map highlighting the historical region of Khevi in Georgia | |
| Country |  Georgia |
| Mkhare | Mtskheta-Mtianeti |
| Capital | Stepantsminda |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,081 km2 (417 sq mi) |
Khevi (Georgian:ხევი) is a small historical-geographic area in northeasternGeorgia. It is included in the modern-dayKazbegi district,Mtskheta-Mtianeti region (mkhare). Located on the northern slopes of theGreater Caucasus mountains, it comprises three gorges of the rivers Truso, Tergi (Terek) and Snostsq’ali.
The landscape of Khevi is dominated byalpine meadows dotted withrhododendron, mountain passes andwaterfalls, and theMount Kazbek (locally known as Mkinvartsveri, i.e. “ice-capped”), a dormant 5047-meter highvolcano. The area is a popular tourist destination. It is a part of the projectedKhevi-Aragvi Biosphere Reserve. Among the important cultural sites of Khevi are theGergeti Trinity Church (fourteenth century), Garbani Church (ninth to tenth century), Sioni Basilica (ninth century) and castle, Betlemi Monastery Complex (ninth to tenth century), and Sno fortress.
The name of this province, literally meaning "a gorge", comes from the ancient and early medieval district ofTsanareti known to the Georgian annals as Tsanaretis Khevi, i.e. the Tsanar Gorge. People of Khevi were called Mokheves (Mokhevians). History, traditions and lifestyle of the Mokheves are very similar to those of other mountaineers of northeastern Georgia. Since ancient times, Khevi has been of great strategic and military importance due chiefly to its immediate neighborhood to theDarial Pass, which connects theNorth Caucasus with theSouth Caucasus. Free of typical feudal relations, locals lived in a patriarchal community governed by akhevisberi (i.e. "gorge elder") who functioned as a judge, priest and military leader.
The Khevian mountainous communities were regarded as direct vassals of the Georgian crown, except for the period ranging from the end of the seventeenth century to 1743, when the area was placed under the control of the semi-autonomousDuchy of Aragvi. The fierce resistance offered by the Mokheves to the attempts of the Aragvian lords has been greatly reflected in local folklore as well as in classical Georgian literature. The establishment ofRussian rule in Georgia (1801) was met with hostility by the mountaineers, who staged an uprising in 1804, which was promptly suppressed by theTsarist military. However, the people of Khevi retained their medieval traditions and a unique form of society until the harshSoviet rule changed their lifestyle through permanent repressions, forcibly relegating several families to the lowlands.[1][2]
Historical regions ofGeorgia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Abkhazia |  | |
| Adjara | ||
| Guria | ||
| Imereti | ||
| Kakheti | ||
| Kvemo Kartli | ||
| Mtskheta-Mtianeti | ||
| Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti | ||
| Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti | ||
| Shida Kartli | ||
| Tao-Klarjeti | ||
42°41′51″N44°31′08″E / 42.6975°N 44.519°E /42.6975; 44.519