, , other_name = , settlement_type = Village and municipality , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Otap.PNG , map_caption = Municipal location within Ochamchira District (shaded orange) , pushpin_map = Georgia#Georgia Abkhazia , pushpin_label_position = right , pushpin_map_caption = Location of Otapi , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Partially recognized
independent country , subdivision_name1 = , subdivision_type2 =

District A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

, subdivision_name2 = Ochamchira , leader_title = District head (as of 2010) , leader_name =

Murman Dzhopua Murman may refer to: Places * Murman Coast, a coastal area in Murmansk Oblast, Russia * Murman, the same as the Kola Peninsula, Russia * Murman Sea, former name of the Barents Sea Ships * ''Saint Andrew'' (ship), renamed ''Murman'' in 1910 * ...

, established_title = , established_date = , area_total_km2 = , population_as_of = 2010 , population_footnotes = , population_total = Approx. 150 , population_density_km2 = , timezone = MSK , utc_offset = +3 , timezone_DST = , utc_offset_DST = +4 , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = , website = , footnotes = Otapi ( ka, ოტაფი; ) is a village and municipality in

Ochamchira District Ochamchira District is a district of the partially recognized Abkhazia. Its capital is Ochamchire, the town by the same name. The district is smaller than the Ochamchire Municipality, Ochamchire district in the de jure Administrative divisions of ...

Abkhazia Abkhazia, officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a List of states with limited recognition, partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia. It cover ...

, a partially-recognized state claimed by

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 ...

. The village lies on the

Otapi River Otapi ( ka, ოტაფი; ) is a village and municipality in Ochamchira District, Abkhazia, a partially-recognized state claimed by Georgia (country), Georgia. The village lies on the Otapi River. Otapi is noted for its karst cave, Abrskil Cave, ...

. Otapi is noted for its

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

Abrskil Cave Abrskil Cave or Abrskila ( ka, აბრსკილის მღვიმე) is a stalactite cave near Otapi, Otapi village in Abkhazia, Georgia (country), Georgia. It is named after the national hero of Abrskil — a parallel folk hero of ...

, which is a tourist attraction in the area.

Etymology

Otapi is also known by several other names such as Atap-Tsarakhmul, Tskar-Khumul, Tskarkhumuli and Tskhar-Khumul.

Geography

Otapi is in the northwestern part of Georgia and in the central-eastern part of Abkhazia. Within Ochamchira district it is in the central-northern area, to the northwest of

Tkvarcheli Tkvarcheli ( ka, ტყვარჩელი ; , ''Tqwarchal''; Ткуарчал (Tkuarchal) , ''Tkvarcheli'') is a town in Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia. It is situated on the river Ghalidzga and a railway connects it with Ochamchir ...

and to the southeast of Tsebelda (

Lata Latha (Hindi: लता, Kannada: ಲತಾ) is a Hindu Indian female given name, which means "creeper" and "Durga". Latha may refer to: Notable people named Lata *Lata Mangeshkar (1929–2022), Indian singer. *Lata Bhatt (born 1954), Indian sin ...

). Populated towns within distance from the Otapi are the Mramba (), the Akhyvaa (), the Aymara () and the Androu (). The town is situated in a very mountainous terrain in the

Greater Caucasus The Greater Caucasus, ''Didi K’avk’asioni''; is the major mountain range of the Caucasus Mountains. It stretches for about from west-northwest to east-southeast, from the Taman Peninsula of the Black Sea to the Absheron Peninsula of t ...

at an elevation of . It experiences snowfall for a considerable duration of the year. The climate is cold and harsh during the winter months. Mountains in this area of Abkhazia include Mount Achimedzmakh, Eisirkhu (), Atvazhukhu () and

Beduk The ''bedug'' is one of the drums used in the gamelan. It is also played in mosques in Indonesia and Malaysia to signal prayer times. The hitting of the instrument is particularly done according to a rhythm that goes in an increasingly rapid (or ...

(). Gora Atvazhu-Khu and Gora Beduk are the nearest mountains, which surround the town, within distance. Ablaskira Cave lies at an altitude of . The Otapi River flows through the village and continues south.

Mokvi River Mokvi ( ka, მოქვი; ) is a river in the Ochamchire Municipality of Abkhazia, Georgia. The river's length is about 47 km and watershed — 336 km2. It forms on southern slopes of Kodori Range, at 2560 meters above sea level. The riv ...

is another river that flows through this part of Abkhazia. Approximately to north of the village is the greater

Kodori River The Kodori ( ka, კოდორი; ) is one of the two longest rivers of Abkhazia, along with the Bzyb. It is formed by the joining of the rivers Sakeni and Gvandra. The Kodori is first among Abkhazia's rivers with respect to average annual ...

, which eventually flows into the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

. Two other small rivers which flow close to the town are the Ulys and the Dzhandzhali-Kvara Rivers.

Population

Before the 1992–1993 Georgian-Abkhaz war, up to 125 families lived in Otapi. The population of the village has declined considerably due to conflict in the region. As of 2010, Otapi contains about 50 houses and buildings.

Transportation

The nearest railroad is Stantsiya, Gupi, which is away from the town. The nearest airport is at Sukhumi dranda (SUI) and Georgia is away.

Abrskila Cave

There are two caves of note in the immediate region: Abrskila and Achkityzga. Abrskil Cave (or "Abrskila") is a notable landmark in the area and it is named after the hero of the Abkhazian national epos,

Abrskil Abrskil or Abrskila was the hero of Abkhazian national epos, Abrskil. He was a role model of the Greek Prometheus and hence was also known as Abkhaz Prometheus. The Abrskil Cave, a notable landmark near the village of Otapi, is named after this le ...

. According to Prof. Shalwa Inal-yipa, it is the biggest cave in Caucasia. Characteristics of the cave include interior walls that reach a height of 30–40 meters and this karstic cave reaches a length of about , although only are accessible to tourists. The Achwats stream flows out of the cave and into the Duab River. The part of the cave which is open to tourists consists of four halls with

stalactite A stalactite (, ; , ) is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble and that can be deposited as a colloid, or is in suspension (chemistry ...

s and

stalagmite A stalagmite (, ; ; ) is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically composed of calcium carbonate, but may consist ...

s. At the cave entrance, tourists can view a waterfall, as well as the Great Abkhazian Wall towers. On June 6, 2010, President

Sergey Bagapsh Sergei Uasyl-ipa Bagapsh, (4 March 1949 – 29 May 2011) was an Abkhaz politician who served as the second President of Abkhazia from 12 February 2005 until his death on 29 May 2011. He previously served as Prime Minister of Abkhazia f ...

visited the village of Otapi and the Abrskil Cave with MP

Zaur Adleiba Zaur is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Zaur Ardzinba (1950–2015), businessman from Abkhazia who unsuccessfully ran for president in the 2009 election * Zaur Gashimov (born 1981), Azerbaijani football defender * Zaur Gurbanli ...

and the Ochamchira district governor

and pledged to provide the assistance needed to restore a tourist route to Abrskil cave. The villagers of Otapi rely heavily on tourists visiting this cave for their livelihoods and selling locally produced farm goods to them. The Abkhaz state-owned company,

Chernomorenergo Chernomorenergo is a state-owned power company of Abkhazia. It is responsible for the distribution of electricity in Abkhazia and operates the Inguri hydroelectric power station. It is currently headed by Aslan Basaria. It is the only Russian pla ...

, has been responsible for providing the cave with electricity to light up the tunnels and attract more tourists to fuel the local economy. Peshchera Achkityzga Cave is situated on the side of a cliff within distance from the town of Otapi.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Otap'i
Populated places in Ochamchira District