| Aragvi | |
|---|---|
 View upstream Aragvi River and along Tbilisi–Senaki–Leselidze highway (taken from aroundJvari Monastery) | |
 | |
| Native name | არაგვი (Georgian) |
| Location | |
| Country | Georgia |
| Region | Caucasus |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Caucasus |
| • location | Gudauri,Mtiuleti,Georgia |
| • coordinates | 42°20′41″N44°41′42″E / 42.34459°N 44.69502°E /42.34459; 44.69502 |
| • elevation | 1,045 m (3,428 ft)[1] |
| Mouth | flows into theMtkvari (Kura) |
• location | Mtskheta,Georgia |
• coordinates | 41°50′24″N44°43′34″E / 41.84003°N 44.72611°E /41.84003; 44.72611 |
• elevation | 445 m (1,460 ft)[2] |
| Length | 112 km (70 mi) |
| Basin size | 2,740 km2 (1,060 sq mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Kura→Caspian Sea |
TheAragvi (Georgian:არაგვი,romanized:aragvi[ˈäɾägvi]) and its basin are inGeorgia on the southern slopes of theCaucasus Mountains. The river is 112 km (70 mi) long, and its basin covers an area of 2,740 km2 (1,060 mi2).[3] The ground strata are mostlysandstone,slate, andlimestone. TheZhinvali Dam and its 130 MWhydro-electric power station generate much of Georgia's power, and its construction in 1986 formed the Zhinvali Reservoir, upon whose north-western shores risesAnanuri castle with its 17th-century Church of the Assumption.
Given its etymology (see below; the word simply means "river"), the exact course of the Aragvi River is the source of some confusion. The river has several important tributaries, all called "Aragvi":
TheTetri Aragvi ("White Aragvi")[4] flows fromGudauri down to the town ofPasanauri, where it is joined by theShavi Aragvi ("Black Aragvi"),[5] the main river ofGudamakari to the north-east. Together, these two rivers continue as, simply, "the Aragvi"; from Pasanauri, the Aragvi flows south-east to theZhinvali Reservoir, where it is joined by thePshav Aragvi[6] (itself fed by theKhevsur Aragvi)[7] before flowing south to merge with theMtkvari byMtskheta, Eastern Georgia's ancient capital just north ofTbilisi.
According toIranologistAnahit Perikhanian, the name of the river derives fromOld Iranian *Aragv(ī), from Proto-Iranian *Ragvī-, the feminine form of *ragu-'swift' (compare Sanskritraghvī́, feminine ofraghú'rapid', and Armenianarag/erag'rapid', an Iranian borrowing).[8]
The 102 m (335 ft) high dam byZhinvali is one of the largest in Georgia. Besides generating up to 130 MW of electricity, the waters of the Aragvi travel down a 36.7 km (22.8 mi) pipe to provide drinking water in Tbilisi and to irrigate fields.
