The Tskhenistsqali ( ka, ცხენისწყალი, ''Cxenisċqali'' , also: ''Tskhenistskali'') is a river in northern

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 ...

. Its source is in the main range of the

Caucasus Mountains The Caucasus Mountains * * Azerbaijani: , * * * * * * * * * * * is a mountain range at the intersection of Asia and Europe. Stretching between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, they are surrounded by the Caucasus region ...

, in the easternmost part of the

Lentekhi Municipality Lentekhi ( ka, ლენტეხის მუნიციპალიტეტი, ''Lenṫexis municiṗaliṫeṫi'') is a district of Georgia, in the region of Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti. Its main town is Lentekhi. Politics Lentekhi M ...

, lower

Svaneti Svaneti (Svan language, Svan: შუ̂ან, ლემშუ̂ანიერა; ''shwan, lemshwaniera'', and Suania in ancient sources; ka, სვანეთი ) is a historic province in the northwestern part of Georgia (country), Georg ...

. A tributary of the river

Rioni The Rioni ( ka, რიონი ; , ) is the main river of western Georgia. It originates in the Caucasus Mountains, in the region of Racha and flows west to the Black Sea, entering it north of the city of Poti (near ancient Phasis). The city ...

, it is long, and has a

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of .Statistical Yearbook of Georgia: 2020
, National Statistics Office of Georgia, Tbilisi, 2020, p. 12. It flows through the small towns

Lentekhi Lentekhi ( ka, ლენტეხი, ) is a small town and Lentekhi District's ( Raion) capital in Georgia's western region of Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, 323 km northwest to the nation's capital Tbilisi. Situated on the southern s ...

and

Tsageri Tsageri ( ka, ცაგერი , ''Cageri'') is a town in Georgia, located in Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti region in the west of the country and serving as an administrative center of the homonymous district. Tsageri is located at 475 m ab ...

and joins the Rioni near the town of

Samtredia Samtredia ( ka, სამტრედია ) is a town in Imereti, Georgia (country), Georgia, lying in a lowland between the rivers Rioni River, Rioni and Tskhenis-Tsqali, west of the capital Tbilisi, and west of Georgia's third largest city K ...

. The main tributaries of Tskhenistskali are: Zsekho, Kheleldula, Janolula ( from the right ), Kobishuri, Leuseri, Khopuri (from the left). From etymological standpoint the name is derived from the Georgian words ცხენი (''Cxeni,'' "

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

") and წყალი (''Tsqali'', "

water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

"), thereby meaning "horse water" and is therefore identified with the ancient Hippus river mentioned by Arrian (Periplus, 13).

References

Rivers of Georgia (country) {{Georgia-river-stub