Bediani ( ka, ბედიანი) is a town in

Kvemo Kartli Kvemo Kartli ( ka, ქვემო ქართლი, az, Aşağı Kartli) or "Lower Kartli", is a historic province and current administrative region ( mkhare) in southeastern Georgia. The city of Rustavi is the regional capital. Location K ...

region of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, in the south-East part of Tsalka Municipality, on the right bank of the

Khrami River , name_etymology = , image = Khrami River Kirach Muganlo.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = The Khrami near Kirach Muganlo, Georgia , map = KhramiRiver800px.svg , map_size = , map_ ...

, at approx. 850 m

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...

Location and natural conditions

Bediani Borough is situated in the narrow gorge of the river Khrami and stretches from Northwest to Southeast. The climate of Bediani has quite cold winters (temperatures sometimes fall to -20 degrees Celsius in January) and relatively hot summers. Bediani and its surroundings are mostly covered with forests of oak, nut,

hornbeam Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Origin of names The common English name ''hornbeam ...

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...

and

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' cont ...

. There are a lot of different wild fruits; there is also an evergreen

in the high zone of the forest. There are also rich

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is '' flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. ...

in the area, including

roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species i ...

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The g ...

s, foxes,

hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introductio ...

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the No ...

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

, and

lynx A lynx is a type of wild cat. Lynx may also refer to: Astronomy * Lynx (constellation) * Lynx (Chinese astronomy) * Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory Places Canada * Lynx, ...

. It is too important the recreational potential of Bediani and its surroundings, which is created by the magnificent natural landscape and many historical monuments. Bediani is app. 30 km. far from municipality centre (Tsalka) and town

Tetritskaro Tetritskaro or Tetritsqaro ( ka, თეთრიწყარო, tr; , az, Ağbulaq) is a town in Kvemo Kartli in southern Georgia. It is the municipal center of Tetritsqaro Municipality. According to 2014 Georgian Census its population is 3,093 ...

History

The early occupation of Bediani was solely monastic, with a number of

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

in the area. However, the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

annexation of Georgia in 1922 meant that religious activities ceased. There was no settlement until the 1950s. The current settlement was founded in 1954 as part of the construction of the nearby Khramhesi Dam. The first inhabitants were the workers of this construction. In 1963 the Georgian Republic's psycho-neurological hospital opened, housing 800 patients. The creation of the borough caused the developing of social infrastructure; a medicine dispensary was opened that served the settlements combined in the borough community, and a school for 220 pupils was founded. There were two Young Pioneer camps on the territory of the borough community: one at Khramhes 2 (Chatakvi); and one on the territory of the village of Pantiani that received hundreds of visitors every year. The economical and political crises of the country at the end of the 1980s and in the beginning of the 1990s had a pronounced effect on Bediani life, and the number of inhabitants dropped dramatically.

Inhabitants

The majority (90%) of Bediani inhabitants were

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

s until the 1990s. At the end of September 1999, new settlers appeared in the borough who were the children and teachers of th
Children's Centre
near the St. George Mtatsmindeli

Convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Angl ...

. The new settlers completely changed the structure of the borough. Before they arrived, the Convent was re-established by the blessing of patriarch of Georgia

Ilia II Ilia may refer to: Science and medicine *''Apatura ilia'' or lesser purple emperor, a butterfly *Ilium (bone) (plural: "ilia"), pelvic bone People * Ilia (name), numerous ** Ilia II, the current Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Places * Ili ...

, where the

nuns A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

moved from

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...

Peristsvaleba Convent. The nuns had close relation with children and the first children were sheltered in this Convent. The children moved into Bediani and they were dispersed among the different houses which were bought for them by the help of foreign organizations. One teacher lives with children in a house that gives the ability to create the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

surroundings that contribute to the child’s normal development. Nowadays there are app. 200 inhabitants in the borough.

Resources

Charity and Education Centre - BedianiSummer camp in bediani, 2005 video

References

{{Reflist Cities and towns in Kvemo Kartli

Location and natural conditions

History

Inhabitants

See also

Resources

References