Route 7
7. Duisi - Matani (duration: 2-3 hour)
We recommend to travel this rout by a car, but obviously it can also don on foot.
We go by a main road from Duisi, along Alazani river, in Achmeta direction (south), about 10 kilometers.
After leaving Duisi we, pass on the way Pshaw villages: Kwareldzchali (with a ruined Georgian church from VII c.), Sakobiano (also with several ruined old Georgianch churches), we pass a road turning to Baklowerchi on the right side and to recent the main Osetian village- Koreti. At present mainly Kists live in Koreti. About a dozen or so Ossetian families stayed. They began leaving in masses from Pankisi in time of conflict in South Ossetia and destabilization in Pankisi till 2003 r.
In far perspective from our road we can already see Achmeta and rising over it fortress Bachtrioni, built by Persians in XVI c. The fortress became famous from heroic retake of it by Kakhetians from Persians' hands in late XVI c.
Meanwhile we get to the largest Pshav village in the gorge- Matani.
In the village we notice a lot of houses built of stone, on a high foundation. Houses are surrounded by vineyards and orchards. White calcareous rocks stand out in few places on the local hills.
In Matani we can visit a Pshav cemetery, with antique tombstones from various periods of history, the most interesting are the ones in a shape of a lying figures, stone human figurines, in the rams' shape, the bulls’ shape. The cemetery does not function anymore.
After visiting the cemetery we are going to a fortress surrounding a palace in which Kajhroso (called also the Kakucą) Cholokashvili was born, famous national hero of Georgia.
Kakuca Cholokashvili came from a well-known aristocratic family, he fought in world war I where he joined the British army and entered Georgia together with them. He was a colonel of independent Georgia in 1918 – 1921.
After Bolsheviks entered in 1922 Kakuca led the anti-Bolshevik uprising raised by Khevsurs. The uprising was crushed and Kakuca emigrated to France where he died. In 2005. The government of Georgia broth in his ashes and placed them in pantheon of heroes of Georgia in Tbilisi.
At present his museum is in the palace in Matani. A small Georgian Jesus Christ's parents church from XVI stands by it. Near the church there is a Georgian female monastery. At present there are only two nuns remaining there.
In times of unstable history of Georgia, the church often served as shelter for neighboring population, mainly Pshavs and the Ossetians against the Persian shahs' invasions.
A winding road leads from fortress to nearby afforested mountains, where a Georgian church from the V century (that is from the beginnings of Christianity in Georgia) is situated. The Church is named Cchrakari what means Nine Gates in Georgian.
Matani is also well-known of Christian holidays joint with festivals and feasts organized in different seasons of the year. The holiday most known is named Didbatoneba and it falls on the day of St. George (23rd of November) and a holiday named Cihegoroba celebrated on Tuesday after Easter.
In Pankisi so as in whole Georgia, every village has its local St. George who patronizes a neighboring church and his holiday falls on once a year. That explains a Georgian saying, that in Georgia every day is St. George’s gay. Pshavs and Ossetians celebrate in Matani and recently also Kists joind them.
Alpine rout leads from Matani to Chelis Czala - hot mineral and healing springs.