Mtiuleti მთიულეთი | |
|---|---|
 Map highlighting the historical region of Mtiuleti in Georgia | |
| Country |  Georgia |
| Mkhare | Mtskheta-Mtianeti |
| Capital | Pasanauri |
| Area | |
• Total | 711 km2 (275 sq mi) |
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Mtiuleti (Georgian:მთიულეთი; literally, "the land of mountains") is a historical province ineastern Georgia, on the southern slopes of theGreater Caucasus Mountains. It primarily comprises the White Aragvi Valley, and is bordered byGudamakari on the east,Khando on the south,Tskhrazma on the west, andKhevi on the north. Mtiuleti occupies parts of modern-day districts ofDusheti andKazbegi,Mtskheta-Mtianeti region (mkhare). Atownlet (daba)Pasanauri, famous for itskhinkali, is a traditional center of the region.
In its original and narrower sense, Mtiuleti comprises a small historic mountainous community called Tskhavati. Since the 13th century, the neighboring valleys ofKhado andGudamakari have also been frequently viewed as parts of Mtiuleti.
According to a historic tradition,St. Nino, a female baptizer ofGeorgians, preachedChristianity here in the early 4th century. Next heard of Mtiuleti and its people were in connection with the Georgian campaign by theArab commanderBugha al-Kabir, whose army assaulted the mountains ofIberia/Kartli in the 850s, but failed to force the Mtiuletians into submission. In the subsequent centuries, the Mtiuletians remained loyal subjects to the Georgian crown and joined the expedition sent byQueen Tamar to subdue the rebellious mountainous clans in the early 13th century. Under Tamar, due its strategic location, Mtiuleti was placed under the administration of high-ranking Georgian officials such as Abulasan, a viceroy of Kartli, and Tchiaber, a chancellor ofGeorgia. Later, in the early 14th century, Mtiuleti was contested between two powerful feudal houses, theeristavis of theKsani and theAragvi. Initially supported by the kings of Georgia, the former prevailed, but for a short time. Eventual winners, the eristavs of Aragvi, ruled the area until being dispossessed by the king of Georgia in 1743. From May to September 1804, Mtiuleti was a scene ofan uneasy revolt againstImperial Russia, which had annexed eastern Georgia in 1801. The uprising quickly spread to the neighboring mountainous regions, but was eventually suppressed by the Russian commanderPavel Tsitsianov after heavy fighting.
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°21′07″N44°41′10″E / 42.35194°N 44.68611°E /42.35194; 44.68611