Ushguli ( Georgian : უშგული ) is a community of five medieval villages located at the head of the Enguri gorge in Svaneti , Georgia . Ushguli is one of the highest continuously inhabited settlements in Europe . Compared to somewhat more developed towns like Mestia , Ushguli is not in an accessible location, which has preserved many of the villages' medieval characteristics, including unique defensive tower houses called Svan towers . Because of their preservation and traditional architecture, Ushguli, Mestia, and the surrounding area was recognized as the Upper Svaneti UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
6-592: Ushguli is located at an altitude of 2,100 metres (6,900 ft) near the foot of Shkhara , one of the highest summits of the Greater Caucasus mountains. About 70 families (about 200 people) live in the area, enough to support a small school. The area is snow-covered for 6 months of the year, and often the road to Mestia is impassable. The Lamaria church (named for the goddess Lamaria in Svaneti mythology) in Zhibiani
12-496: Is located on a hilltop dominating the village. The chapel dates back to the 12th century and contains Georgian Golden Age -era frescoes. The most notable feature of the villages in Ushguli are the defensive tower houses found throughout the community. These houses are between 3-5 stories tall were built primarily between the 9th and 12th centuries. Although many of the towers in the lower towns such as Mestia have fallen into disrepair,
18-562: Is the highest point in the country of Georgia . It is located near the Russian-Georgian border, in Russia's Kabardino-Balkaria region on the northern side, and the Svaneti region of Georgia in the south. Shkhara lies 88 kilometres (55 mi) north of the city of Kutaisi , Georgia's second-largest city, and closer to the townlet of Mestia in Svaneti . The summit lies in the central part of
24-625: The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range , to the south-east of Mount Elbrus , Europe 's highest mountain. Shkhara is the third-highest peak in the Caucasus, just behind Dykh-Tau . Shkhara is the high point and the eastern anchor of a massif known as the Bezengi Wall , a 11–12-kilometre-long (6.8–7.5 mi) ridge. It is a large, steep peak in a heavily glaciated region, and presents serious challenges to mountaineers. Its north face (on
30-523: The Russian side) is 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) high and contains several classic difficult routes. The significant sub-summit Shkhara West, at 5,068 m (16,627 ft), is a climbing objective in its own right, and a traverse of the entire Bezingi Wall is considered "Europe's longest, most arduous, and most committing expedition". The peak was first climbed in 1888 via the North East Ridge route, by
36-655: The isolation of Ushguli has preserved the towers. Chazhashi , one of the villages within the community, contains over 200 of these towers and has been preserved as a Museum-Reserve. The Mikhail Kalatozov silent film documentary Salt for Svanetia was filmed in Ushguli. Zhibiani ( Georgian : ჟიბიანი ) some 2,100 metres (6,900 ft) above sea level; Chvibiani or Chubiani ( Georgian : ჩვიბიანი ); Chazhashi or Chajashi ( Georgian : ჩაჟაში ); Murqmeli ( Georgian : მურყმელი ); Lamjurishi ( Georgian : ლამჯურიში ). Shkhara Shkhara ( Georgian : შხარა )
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