FROM THE HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE DALI VALLEY

BEZHAN KHORAVA; KETEVAN MARGIANI; RUSUDAN IOSELIANI; ROMAN MAISURADZE

BEZHAN KHORAVA PhD in History, The University of Georgia, Tamaz Beradze Institute of Georgian Studies Tbilisi, Georgia http://orcid.org/0000-0001-2345-6789
KETEVAN MARGIANI PhD in Philology, Associate Professor, Sokhumi State University Tbilisi, Georgia http://orcid.org/0009-0000-0229-5752
RUSUDAN IOSELIANI PhD in Philology, Visiting Professor, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia http://orcid.org/0009-0008-6895-6005
ROMAN MAISURADZE PhD in Geography, Visiting Professor, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9583-7142

Abstract

The study of the historical-ethnographic/historical-geographical parts of Georgia is a pressing issue for Georgian historical science. In modern Georgian historiography, it is well understood that in order to write a more or less complete history of the country, it is necessary to study every corner of it in detail. Academician Niko Berdzenishvili pointed out that the study of the history of Georgia should begin with local regions, where its full study should be carried out through systematic, thorough research, which would create the opportunity to clarify historical processes that have not yet been studied. This work is precisely this type of research.

Kodori is one of the largest rivers of Abkhazia, a historical and geographical province of Georgia. The historical region of Tsebeli was located in the middle part of the Kodori Gorge, and Dali in the upper part. The latter is also called the Dali Valley. The work examines the upper part of the Kodori Valley, the historical community of Dali, the historical-physical, historical-political and historical-economic geography of this region from a historical-geographical point of view. The work discusses nature, relief, hydrography, orography, historical geography of populated areas, geography of historical fortifications, church geography, historical ways, historical toponymy and other issues of the valley. The work establishes historical routes, the river network and the etymology of large rivers, the etymology of oikonyms, the peculiarities of agriculture, the causes of ethnopolitical changes, and other issues related to the history of the Dali region.

Key words: Georgia; Abkhazeti; riv. Kodori; Kodori Valley; Dali; Ajara; Lata.