About Shatili

Shatili for centuries defended Georgia from the invasion of the northern tribes, as Chechens, Ingush and partly Dagestanis. Of all the fortified cities, it was one of the most well-organized and still preserved almost in its original form.

The village is located in the municipality of Dusheti of Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, in the historic edge of Khevsureti, at the mouth of the river Argun and Shatilura, at an altitude of 1400 meters and 160 km from Tbilisi.
This monument is considered to be of Middle Ages, although in close proximity there are former settlements of more than two thousand years BC.

The village was not built for a couple of centuries, as evidenced by stone buildings and structures at various levels. This is also confirmed by the local archaeological finds preserved in the ground.
To the west of Shatili, in three hundred meters, in the ancient settlement were found made of basalt stone some hundreds of hand mills of oval form. Mills of such shape considered by specialists as belongings of late Bronze Age.

With these mills one person per day could grind no more than a few kilograms of barley, wheat or rye. Round water mills were developed later and rooted in Georgia in mid-centuries BC. It is really amazing, they still preserved in Shatili.
As known, the union of Georgia began in the X century. During the rule of Tamar the country’s borders went as far to the south and north. Georgia has a great religious, linguistic or cultural impact on neighboring tribes. It was during this era when the population of Mutso-Shati border zone to get stronger.

Shatili is based in a such strategic location that from the Northeast of the country covers a narrow valley of the river Argun, monitoring approaches from the Chechen-Ingushetia, Tusheti and the part of Dagestan.
Initially in Shatili lived two families – Chincharauli and Anatoreli, the first of which were more ancient settlers, while the latter settled relatively late in the XVIII century.
Shatili is an only village in Khevsureti and possibly in the whole of Georgia, where to this day remained a common gathering place – Sapikheno. It was also a kind of educational institution for future generations, controlled by men.

For centuries, Shatili many times has witnessed numerous historical events and was heroic defender of its lands.

During the conflicts in the early 19th century near the village of Guro, Russians burned and destroyed Shatili. On the rocks of the village to this days seen a reddish-brown discoloration of the that fights.
In mid-June 1843 Imam Shamil with its 5000 army of horsemen suddenly attacked Shatili. At this time in the village the number of adult men do not exceed 70, half of which even were not armed.

Everyone participated the battle: children, women and the old men. As weapons were used whatevercame to hand. Three days theyheroicallydefendedtheir homes andland from the5000 solders ofShamil troops.

Just in a couple of centuries, the population of Shatili and all Khevsureti decreased significantly. At present, the community of Shatili consists of five villages with 524 inhabitants. In the village there are 38 families.
Traveling in Shatili you can hear many wonderful stories that did not happen anywhere else.