Route 1
1. Duisi - Dumasturi - Kvemo Khalacani, Shua Khalacani and Zemo Khalacani - Omalo, (duration about 3 hours)
We begin this rout with a walk in a part Duisi, lying directly by Alazani river. The river loudly humming, flows in a wide, stony trough on the height and the whole length of the village. This is a favorite place of the villagers for swimming during sweltering days of summer, boys are often playing soccer on the meadows over the river and once a week men arrive here to a horse's market.
Closer to Duisi one can see numerous water channels bringing water from the river in first order to a mill. Unfortunately the building is a small metal barrack and there is no charm of an old mill in it, however beside it there is the oldest cemetery in Duisi, where one can find many old tombstones and graves of the first Kistinian settlers in Pankisi. After flowing through wheels of the mill water runs further to local house gardens. We pass the mill and we direct our step towards a dam and a bridge (to the south), to a road leading to the opposite bank of the Alazani river, we turn left leaving the dam behind, again north facing tall peaks of Caucasus, to Omalo.
Right after turning left, on the right side of the mountain we will see the deep green ravine and on its slopes, ruins of the Georgian Christian temple which Kists call the Khomi.
Probably it can be dated back to times of queen's Tamara rule (XII - XIII in.) The temple is overgrown by old trees, mainly oaks. It is yet possible to distinguish a place where the altar used to be. Sometimes Georgian highlanders and Kists visit the temple, often during one day of the year specially dedicated to it, to light a candle or to sacrifice a lamb.
It is at present Kists’ favorite picnic place. Beautiful view from the temple spreads on whole ravine - particularly Pshavi - Osetian part. Leaving Khomi we are going down and back to the road to Omalo. After 200 -300 meters we are approaching a hill on the right (on which we can climb gentle serpentine road), where the next Georgian Christian temple stands - Khorbalo , also from XII - XIII c. Today in ruin, but overgrown with old trees, it creates a picturesque view against beautiful river and mountains. It is well visible from opposite bank, from Duisi.
Standing near the Khorbalo temple we can admire an wide-ranging view on Pankisi gorge. There is a clear view over minarets of two mosques in Duisi - old and new, and in the right hour one can hear muezzin’s voice calling to pray, speeding along the whole valley multiplied with mountain echo.
Despite that Kists in majority are Moslems, they hold in the highest regard and respect Christian temples as well as their ruins. Sometimes on holiday they visit those temples to ask its patrons (mostly St. George) for help of to thank for it. Currently they do not pray in them, as they used to on the beginning of the 1990’s. Kists won’t let anybody to devastate these places, cut trees or to even pick flowers. They say that people who dishonored holiness of these places were punished ruthlessly.
Some lost their mind for cutting down oaks growing round temple. Others who shot the walls of a temple were killed few months later on war in Chechen.
After going down from Khorbalo we are walking by a road and past half an hour reaching the first village on this river bank - Dumasturi, mainly inhabited by Kists, but also by few Osetian families still living there, what is easily recognized by home pigs grazing by homesteads.
In Dumasturi road turns to Shua Khalacani, where main road, after going though Zemo, leads to fortifications of Torgva Pankeli fortress. [see rout to Torgva Pankeli]
We take the main road to Omalo, and from Dumasturi to Kvemo Khalacani - to Kistynian-Ososetian village. In Khalacani on gentle green hill, after the same side where telephone pole is, we see old trees' groves. Three are this such places, laid in line of straight line. As we approach them we come on an open mountain pasture, from which whole Khalacani is seen. By now there are only small ruins of fortresses fortifications in each of these groves. Kists say, that snakes and vipers often crawl out from these ruins, but non - poisonous. We didn’t see any there, however one should surely keep caution. A pleasure of hiking in such open space and admiring picturesque view over Duisi, Dumasturi, and all three villages Khalacani and even Omalo is worth walking this hill. This is olsow a very good place for paragliding.
After we walk down to the Khalacani village we can visit osetian cemetery, with tombstones in the human figures' shape, or with the grave slabs decorated with paintings of the dead picturing them in different moments their lives. Such plates are characteristic for whole Georgia.
From Khalacani in the end we are reaching the last Pankisi village, situated on the right Alazani river bank - Omalo.
Near the entry to the village we pass two cemeteries. One of them Christian, second Moslem cemetery.
Moslem cemetery is still used for burials. Near by there is an old mosque, which at present function as the woman’s house of prayer. The female members of an Sufi Islamic fraternities pray in it. Woman in Kisinian tradition cannot accompany deceased on a road to cemetery, but they can conduct a Sufi prayer. Female fraternities are a rarity in Moslem world, but not among Kists. [link to History and Men]
Men pray in the new mosque, standing in the centre of the village, it was build in 2001 r. Not so long ago (15-10 years) half of Omalo residents professed Islam and the other half belonged to Georgian orthodox church. Aside from that majority celebrated both Moslem and Christian holidays. Several Christian families are still living in Omalo at present (np. family Bekauri) as well as “mixed” families, their members profess both religions. They come to pray in mosque and they worship Christian saints.
There used to be three such temples in Omalo, which stud on holy places in pre-Christian times. Two of them were blown up by so cold wahhabists, on the beginning 2000’s, in times of past crisis related to refugees the and Chechen fighters.
The temple that was saved, named Cminda Georgi Ckwitori (Św Jerzy Ckwitori) is in Omalo, nearby we can admire a magnificent belfry. The main holiday of this church falls on 4th of April (St. George). Then Christian Pshavs arrive from Matani and Sakobiano. Several Kists comes from Omalo also. They light candles, tie ribbons, put coins in churches’ walls and pray. After the prayer they organize a picnic with food and wine.
The road comes to an end of Omalo village, where over Alazanis’ tributary, we can find an umbrella roof and a place suitable for refreshing bath and rest.
From this place we can still climb on a nearby hill, also with a telephone pole paced there. After walking through a lush forest, by a visible path, after 20 minutes we will find a tiny chapel - another holy place. Road further in the mountains leads to next holy place named Kupala. Women come to this place to ask for birth of a son.
