Gurjaani გურჯაანი | |
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Town | |
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  Gurjaani Location of Gurjaani Show map of Georgia Gurjaani Gurjaani (Kakheti) Show map of Kakheti | |
| Coordinates:41°44′40″N45°48′00″E / 41.74444°N 45.80000°E /41.74444; 45.80000 | |
| Country |  Georgia |
| Region | Kakheti |
| Municipality |  Gurjaani |
| Town | 1934 |
| Elevation | 415 m (1,362 ft) |
| Population (January 1, 2024)[1] | |
• Total | 7,261 |
| Time zone | UTC+4 (Georgian Time) |
| Website | gurjaani.ge |
Gurjaani (Georgian:გურჯაანი) is a town inKakheti, a region in easternGeorgia, and the seat of theGurjaani Municipality. It is located in theAlazani River Plain, at an elevation of 415 m above sea level.
Gurjaani is first recorded as a village in a historical document of the early 16th century. It acquired the status of a town inSoviet Georgia in 1934. As of the 2014 census, Gurjaani had the population of 8,024. The town is the center of the largest wine-making region of Georgia.
Gurjaani is situated in the fertile Alazani Plain, at 415 m above sea level, and 110 km east of Georgia's capital ofTbilisi. It is the center of an important region of viticulture and wine-making. Important landmarks of the town areAkhtala, a historic spa, locally known for itsmud bathes, and the early medievalGurjaani Kvelatsminda Church, the only example of a two-domed design in Georgia. There are also several museums, the largest of which is the Gurjaani Museum of Local Lore and History.
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The territory of Gurjaani has not been systematically studied archaeologically. Occasional and incidental finds, such as burials, pottery, and Byzantine coins, suggest it was a home to an established settlement in the early Middle Ages. Gurjaani is first documented as a village in a charter issued in the name of KingAlexander I of Kakheti (r. 1476–1511), granting the locale an exemption from taxation. In historical documents Gurjaani is frequently mentioned together with the toponym of Kakhtubani, which is now one of the town's neighborhoods and home to the Kvelatsminda Church. Gurjaani was in possession of theAndronikashvili noble family. As a result of a series ofmarauding inroads from the mountains of neighboringDagestan, Gurjaani had been virtually depopulated by the 1770s.[2]
Gurjaani rose to a larger settlement when a railway line was constructed in Kakheti in 1915. It became a center of the newly created homonymous district—a predecessor of the present-day municipality—in 1930 and became a town in 1934. During Soviet-era industrialization, Gurjaani had wine-making, canning, distilling, brick-making, and mechanical repair plants.
The post-Soviet political and economic crisis took its toll on Gurjaani in the 1990s. The population dwindled, industry declined, and violent crime was on the rise. An armed group with ties to theMkhedrioni paramilitary organization was implicated in several high-profile murders.[3] The Mkhedrioni itself was inde facto control of the Gurjaani district from 1992 to 1995.[4] Despite political and relative economic stability achieved in the 2000s, Gurjaani still lacks some elements of proper urban infrastructure and services.
The football club of the town isAlazani Gurjaani, that play inRegionuli Liga.The club's biggest achievement was made in the1992–93 season, when it took the 3rd place in theUmaglesi Liga. During that period the team was led byOtar Gabelia.[5] In 2014/15 Alazani finished 2nd in Group East of the third league, one point short of the group leader.[6] In 2020 the club participated inRegionuli Liga tournament.
David Kipiani Stadium named in honour ofDavid Kipiani is the stadium ofAlazani Gurjaani.[7]
As of the 2014 national census, Gurjaani had a population of 8,024, with an ethnic Georgian majority.[8]
| Population | 1989 census | 2002 census | 2014 census | 2023 census |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 12,594[9] | 10,029[9] | 8,024[8] | 7,426[10] |
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