Kharistvala ( ka, ხარისთვალა) is a so called daba (

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the So ...

) in

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 ...

’s northern

Ambrolauri Municipality The Ambrolauri Municipality ( ka, ამბროლაურის მუნიციპალიტეტი, tr) is a Municipalities of Georgia (country), self-governing subdivision in western Georgia (country), Georgia. Its governing bodies ar ...

(

Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti ( ka, რაჭა-ლეჩხუმი და ქვემო სვანეთი, ''Rach’a-Lechkhumi da Kvemo Svaneti'' ) is a region (mkhare) in northwestern Georgia (country), Georgia with a population o ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

), at an elevation of above sea level on the western shore of Shaori Reservoir. It is located about south of the municipal center

Ambrolauri Ambrolauri ( ka, ამბროლაური ) is a city in Georgia, located in the northwestern part of the country, on both banks of the Rioni river, at an elevation of 550 m above sea level. The city serves as the seat of the Racha-Lechkhumi ...

, and north of the high Nakerala Pass. Remarkably, the settlement has no permanent population (2021), while still registered as a daba. Kharistvala is administratively part of the Nikortsminda community (თემი, temi) which also consists of villages Kachaeti and Nikortsminda, known for the Nikortsminda Cathedral. It acquired the daba status in 1956.

Geology

The settlement is located in a

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

plateau that is part of the

Racha Range Racha Range ( ka, რაჭის ქედი) is a longitudinal mountain range in Georgia, a southern part of the Caucasus Mountains. Administratively, the Racha Range is located in Ambrolauri, Oni, Sachkhere and Tkibuli Municipalities. It ex ...

. It contains the Shaori Reservoir at an altitude of about , which is the largest lake in

Racha Racha (also Račha, , ''Račʼa'') is a highland area in western Georgia, located in the upper Rioni river valley and hemmed in by the Greater Caucasus mountains. Under Georgia's current subdivision, Racha is included in the Racha-Lechkhumi and ...

. The reservoir was created by the placement of an earthen dam in the northwestern corner of the local depression in the plateau and is mainly fed by groundwater. The depression originally contained a few smaller lakes: Kharistvala and Dzrokhistvala. The Shaori reservoir has an area of over 9 km² with a maximum depth of 14 meters and is the upper part of the Shaori-Tkibuli hydroelectric power chain. South from the reservoir is the Nakerala Range, a limestone range that is part of the Racha Range with sharp cliffs. The southern face of the Nakerala Range has a cliff height of . At Kharistvala, the national route Sh17 (

Tkibuli Tkibuli or Tqibuli ( ka, ტყიბული ) is a town in west-central Georgia (country), Georgia of 8,130 residents (January 2024). located in the Imereti region at the foot of the Racha Range and the Nakerala limestone cliff, which marks ...

Kutaisi Kutaisi ( ; ka, ქუთაისი ) is a city in the Imereti region of the Georgia (country), Republic of Georgia. One of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, it is the List o ...

) passes through the high Nakerala Pass.

History

The settlement hosted workers and geologists in the 1950s that were involved in the construction of the Shaori-

hydroelectric power chain. The Tkibuli reservoir is located 13 kilometers to the southwest and lower in the

Imereti Imereti ( Georgian: იმერეთი, ) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 mun ...

region. The hydroelectric power station opened in 1955. During this period, the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

government recognized the health nature of the Shaori area and designated it as a resort destination and giving Kharistvala the status of '' daba''. With the project finished, and in lack of deploying resort activities, the settlement has depopulated. Big development plans have frequently been announced after the 2003

Rose Revolution The Rose Revolution or Revolution of Roses ( ka, ვარდების რევოლუცია, tr) was a nonviolent change of power that occurred in Georgia in November 2003. The event was brought about by widespread protests over the ...

, but as of 2022 nothing came of that except for the construction of one hotel.

Demographics

Kharistvala has no permanent population according to the 2021 statistics.

References

{{Reflist Populated places in Ambrolauri Municipality