Dvaleti ( ka, დვალეთი; also ''Tvaleti — თვალეთი''; — ''Twalgom'') was a historical and ethnographic region in medieval

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. Territory in the central part of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, between Mamison Pass and

Darial Gorge The Darial Gorge; ; ; . is a river gorge on the border between Russia and Georgia. It is at the east base of Mount Kazbek, south of present-day Vladikavkaz. The gorge was carved by the river Terek, and is approximately long. The steep granite w ...

was associated with Dvaleti. According to Vakhusthi Bagrationi territory of Dvaleti included several gorges, namely: , Zramaga, , , , and . Some authors also mentioned and as being part of Dvaleti, while others disagree. Dvaleti was integral part of the Georgian Kingdoms from the 4th to 3rd century BC onward. After the Russian annexation of the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti, in 1859 Dvaleti was excluded from the

Tiflis Governorate Tiflis Governorate was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire with its administrative centre in Tiflis (present-day Tbilisi). In 1897, it constituted in area and had a population of 1,051,032 inhabitants. ...

and incorporated into the

Terek Oblast The Terek Oblast was a province (''oblast'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty (1801–1917), Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, roughly corresponding to the central part of Russia's North Caucasian Federal District. Тhe ''оblast'' was created ...

. On modern maps historical region Dvaleti can be found in the south of

North Ossetia–Alania North Ossetia–Alania (; ), officially the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. It borders the country of Georgia (country), Georgia to the south, a ...

Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

History

Christianity spread in Dvaleti from the middle of the 6th century. Later Dvaleti was included in the Episcopal Diocese of Nikozi. Roads from the Transcaucasia to the North Caucasus passed through Dvaleti. In the Middle Ages, the "Road to Dvaleti" was known. The fortification of the Dvaleti valleys from the north was of great importance for Georgia Kingdoms. After the Mongol invasions in 13th century Dvaleti was inhabited by Ossetian refugees from the north. The indigenous population of Dvaleti (Dvalebi), in turn, moved en masse to the south of the Caucasus. Even after the collapse of the unified Kingdom of Georgia in 15th century, Dvaleti was part of the

Kingdom of Kartli The Kingdom of Kartli ( ka, ქართლის სამეფო, tr) was a late medieval and early modern monarchy in eastern Georgia, centred on the province of Kartli, with its capital at Tbilisi. It emerged in the process of a tripar ...

. At the beginning of the 17th century Dvaleti was ruled by Giorgi Saakadze. Famous Dvali figures include 11th century clergymen: Michael Dvali, John Dvali and Svimon Dvali. In 1711, Vakhtang VI launched an armed expedition against the

Ossetians The Ossetians ( or ; ),Merriam-Webster (2021), s.v"Ossete" also known as Ossetes ( ), Ossets ( ), and Alans ( ), are an Iranian peoples, Iranian ethnic group who are indigenous to Ossetia, a region situated across the northern and southern side ...

in Dvaleti. He destroyed 80 towers and forced the Ossetians of Dvaleti to submit to

. According to

Johann Anton Güldenstädt Johann Anton Güldenstädt (26 April 1745 in Riga, Latvia – 23 March 1781 in St. Petersburg, Russia) was a Baltic German natural history, naturalist and explorer in Russian service. Güldenstädt lost both his parents early, and from 1763 on ...

In 18 century Dvaletia was an Ossetian province in the upper reaches of the Ardon River. Гюльденштедт. Путешествие в Грузию, Тбилиси, 1962 Historical monuments of Dvaleti that survived till modern times include forts built at the headwaters of the rivers Ardon and

Fiagdon Fiagdon (, , ''Fyjjagdon'') is a river in North Ossetia–Alania (Russia) west of Vladikavkaz. It flows north between the Ardon and the Gizeldon and joins the Ardon before that river joins the Terek. The river is long, with a drainage basin ...

— Kasris-karma and Khilka. The ruins of Christian temples in the valleys of and Mamison ()

References

{{Historical regions of Georgia Former provinces of Georgia (country) Historical regions of Georgia (country)

History

See also

References