Svaneti- the historical mountainous region of the North-West of Georgia. Alpine valley in the upper reaches of the river Enguri. Svaneti borders on Abkhazia and Kabardino-Balkaria. The territory of Svaneti occupies only 4.5% of the entire territory of Georgia.

Svaneti, one of the highest mountainous regions of Georgia, on the border with Russia (Kabordino-Balkaria), the mountains reach more than 5,000 meters and are covered with glaciers.

Svaneti, The land of peace and tranquility”, as the Georgian king Saurmag called it in 253 BC, who evicted his recalcitrant subjects here. Svaneti is a symbol of proud love of freedom. Svaneti, a tiny country, a world of glaciers, narrow valleys, wild streams.

You can get to Upper Svaneti only through passes or through the narrow gorge of the Inguri River. In Upper Svaneti they say this: « A bad road is one from which the traveler will surely fall, and his body cannot be found. The good road is the one from which the traveler falls, but his corpse can be found and buried. And the beautiful road is the one from which the traveler may not fall».

Only in 1937, when a highway was laid along it , the Svans saw the wheel for the first time, before that all the cargo was transported here in a pack or on a sleigh with the help of bulls.

Upper Svaneti is known for its architectural treasures and picturesque landscapes. Residential towers, built mainly in the 9th-12th centuries, stand out. Ancient stone Orthodox churches have also been preserved.
The absolute height of the parietal part of the Caucasus - Svaneti - is 4125 m, the maximum is 5068 m (Shkhara), the minimum is 3168 m (Donguzorinsky transition). In this section of the Caucasus, there are up to twenty passes of varying degrees of difficulty, which descend from the northern side to the side Russian Federation. The height of the passes reaches 3160 m. Some of them are suitable for sapalne (measure of wine) transport, the majority are intended for pedestrians, and some are accessible only to climbers.

Upper Svaneti is not only a country generally separated from the whole world, but also within its valleys with villages are separated from each other by mountain ranges and are connected only through passes that are not passable due to snow nine months a year. In Kamchatka Chukotka, at the very end of the world, the Chukchi and Koryaks have more opportunities to communicate with each other and with the outside world than the inhabitants of Svanetia. They can come in winter on deer and dogs for holidays, fairs, visit cultural centers. In Svaneti, before the advent of aviation, in winter it was impossible to penetrate into the neighboring gorge without the risk of dying in an avalanche ..

Live in Svaneti Svans. Until 1930, the Svans were considered a separate people, but later they were considered simply Georgians.

Svaneti is the only place where the secret of extraction from the rivers of golden sand has been preserved among the Svans to this day.

Today it is not known exactly how many Svans live in Georgia, according to some sources 14,000 people, according to others 30,000 people. Usvanov has his own unwritten language, which still has 4 diolects and several groups of adverbs. All Svans are also fluent in the Georgian language, although the Svanet language is so unlike Georgian that Georgians from other regions do not even understand it at all.

The Svan language lives in parallel with Georgian. Georgian is read and studied, and Svan is spoken in the family and sung songs. Most Svans now use three different languages ​​in this way - Svan, Georgian and Russian.

All Svaneti surnames end in = ani=. For example: Khergiani, Kipiani, Charkivani, Golovani, Ioseliani...

The history of the Svan people dates back several millennia. The Svans never had serfdom, and the nobility was conditional. The Svans have never waged wars of conquest, testify to this historical facts, one of which is the construction in the old days of watch and defensive towers, called "Svan towers". Since ancient times, the Svans have traditionally been fond of creating picturesque products from copper, bronze and gold. Famous Svan blacksmiths, masons and wood carvers made dishes and various household equipment from silver, copper, clay and wood, as well as Svan hats - national Svan headdress and unique "kanzi" from turi horns.

Beekeeping was traditional for the Svans - an ancient occupation of many peoples, also widespread in the mountainous regions of Western Georgia. But the most respected and revered professions for Svans are hunting and mountaineering.. The Svans were and remain professional hunters and climbers. Hunting for Svans is actually equivalent to economic activity, and mountaineering is the national sport of Svanetia.

All Svans are Orthodox . But they also have their own national holidays, such as the holiday Lamproba. This holiday is celebrated in February 10 weeks before Easter and they sing the valor of a Svanetian man, youth, boy in front of enemies. Main character holiday, St. martyr George the Victorious. The main events of the holiday are associated with the commemoration of ancestors, kindling fires, torchlight processions and a festive meal.

On the day of Lamprob, as many torches are lit in the houses of Svaneti as there are men in the family. And if there is a pregnant woman in the house, then a torch is lit in honor of the child she is carrying, because it can be a boy! The torch is made from a single tree trunk, the top of which is split into several parts.

A procession of men with burning torches is heading towards the church with songs in the Svan language. A large bonfire of torches is built in the churchyard, and tables are set there. All night before the first rays of the sun, the Svans read prayers to St. George and raise toasts.

Svans, in the mountains, feel free and independent. They are very courageous by nature. Constant risk factors - landslides, breccia flows, frequent landslides, very severe cold winters and many other difficulties, require great endurance, vigilance, insight, attention and courage from the highlanders.

The war was not only between individual villages, but also between houses. It was enough to say an offensive word or kick a dog to get a bullet in the forehead. And then the men climbed into the towers. They took women and children there, smoked meat carcasses, ammunition, filled wooden bottles in the towers with water. The towers have access to the house, which was also a fortress. Instead of windows in Svan houses, there are narrow loopholes, and the houses themselves are built of stone - you can’t set fire to it.

Svan residential building called Machubi was a tall two-story building. The first floor was used for housing and a barn for cattle, on the second floor there was a hayloft. The house was heated by a hearth-fireplace of a design characteristic of Svan architecture, and food was cooked here. As a rule, the house was attached (attached) to a 3-4 storey watchtower. The size of the family ranged from thirty people and more, sometimes reaching one hundred.. Such large residential complexes have survived to this day. In the Mulakhi community, the courtyard of the Kaldani family is surrounded by a three-meter fortress wall. In the courtyard to this day there are one well-preserved and one dilapidated tower. There is also a church with unique icons, crosses and holy relics.

The main part of the Svan residential building is the tower. It is a stand-alone four-sided (5x5m) square, tall building. The tower is a multifaceted stone tower resembling a pyramid, the height of which can reach 25 meters. The tower has four or five floors. In the upper part there is a window space, the internal dimensions of which are larger than the outer opening, which contributes to a greater view of the area and increases its defensive ability. The tower was built on a slope, and its edge was always directed to this slope. The orientation of the tower, designed to observe the terrain, a massive hemisphere at its base, are a guarantee of its stability during natural disasters (landslides, floods, snow avalanches and etc).

Since ancient times, a peculiar democratic form of government has been introduced in Svaneti: the head of the community (temi) - Mahvishi- were chosen for general meeting. All sane persons of both sexes who had reached the age of 20 had the right to participate in the meeting. The chosen Mahvshi stood out for his wisdom, degree, justice and spiritual purity. He was a preacher of the Christian religion and morality. In peacetime, he was also a judge, and in wartime he led the army (Lashkari), that is, he was the commander in chief. During the alarm (general gathering), a joint meeting of the community was held - Congress Heavy where all issues were decided by majority vote. The most important problems of Heavy, both internal and those that arose outside of it, were considered. The aggravation of relations with neighbors, readiness for upcoming wars, defense strategy, the needs of large churches, construction issues (fortifications, bridges, roads) and the participation of community members in all this were discussed. The congress also dealt with legal issues - it approved the norms and forms of punishment. In the legal hierarchy, the Congress was considered the highest authority. He did not report to anyone. His decisions were final and non-negotiable..

In Svaneti, fertile lands were the property of specific individuals, and all members of the community had the right to use meadows, fields and forests. In addition, there were so-called. icon forest and land that were used for church needs and religious holidays.

Each civil or criminal case was considered by a local court, which included judges - mediators. In Svaneti they were called “Morvali”. Both sides in the litigation chose judges from the family clan, but an outsider could also be involved. “Morvali” listened attentively to everyone. The process of discussion, negotiations were long and could drag on for years. This continued until the matter was brought to full clarity and accuracy. Before the holy icon, an oath was given to be honest and just. After the oath, no one doubted the objectivity of the verdict, and the “Morvali” made a decision, which in most cases was final and did not require revision. During the announcement of the verdict, the judge took a stone and plunged it deep into the ground, which meant the end of the case. Cases often ended in reconciliation. The court was fair and enjoyed universal respect. If the guilt of the offender was proven, he was expelled from his society, and the house could be set on fire. Sometimes death sentences were handed down.

AT last week Great Lent the so-called. Horiemma. The head of the family prayed, took two iron bars and drove them out of the house by hitting them against each other. dark forces(kaji), then went out into the courtyard and fired a gun to frighten evil spirits. For all family members on the right hands, for cattle on the horns, and also on the plow, the mistress of the house wound black threads. This ritual protected people from the evil eye, kept livestock and tools.
During a drought, women threw bones into the nearest lake and, spending days and nights in prayer, asked God for abundant rain. In some communities, men carried the icons of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary (Our Lady), washed them in the river and asked in hymns to save the earth from drought.

Svan national cap

A Svan woman always shared all the difficulties and joys with a man, she was always there - both during plowing, sowing, and especially during harvesting. Therefore, a sickle was always given as a dowry to the bride, as a symbol of grain harvesting.

Severe nature and way of life brought up the Svans as hardworking, courageous and enduring people. Therefore, at the labor exchange in Georgia, the Svan worker and his work were paid twice.

Cuisine of Svaneti. On the Svan table you can see first of all khachapuri - cakes with meat or cheese. Suluguni - salted cheese. Meat. Lamb, veal and pork. On the festive table appears frequently little pig whole baked. Cold appetizer of chicken - satsivi - with spicy seasoning. Svan salt mixed with pepper and fragrant crushed herbs. Occasionally they make shurpa, that is, meat broth, spicy, sometimes with potatoes. Almost every day they eat matsoni - sour milk, something like curdled milk. There are honey and nuts on the table. . Svanetian salt is known throughout Georgia,consists of table salt, tsitsak (pepper) and various aromatic herbs. Dishes prepared with this salt are distinguished by a special aroma, spiciness and are unusually tasty. Svan salt is also used separately.
All Svaneti dishes are made from local natural products, so they are very fragrant and environmentally friendly.

And here is the fault national cuisine not in Svaneti, and all because the grapes in that part of Georgia do not survive, and therefore the wine is imported from other regions. Svans traditionally drink vodka, fruit or honey . The main attribute of the feast - mineral water , extracted from numerous sources with which the land of Svaneti is so rich.

Svans for a long time retained the ancestral order. Quite recently, tribal relations were still alive here in their integrity. One clan included about thirty houses, only they were called not houses, but “smoke” - smoke, hearth, pantry, household. There were usually two hundred or three hundred relatives in the family. Settlement former family so it was called "village".

For three years, on their piece of land, the Svens fought against Soviet power.For the first time, Soviet power won here in 1921. But a small group of party members led by S. Naveriani had to retreat under the onslaught of counter-revolutionary forces. A detachment of the Red Army, sent to suppress the counter-revolution, perishes together with its commander Prokhorov in the Inguri gorge, where an ambush was set up.The final victory comes in 1924, when the Svans they shoot the last Svan princes Dadeshkeliani, destroy their castle in Mazeri and restore Soviet power throughout Upper Svaneti. Its center becomes a revolutionary hearth - a small town Mestia .

Only from 1917 to 1924, before the establishment of Soviet power in Upper Svaneti, 600 men died from blood feuds here. For seven years - 600 men of Svaneti, 600 shepherds, plowmen, fathers, brothers! Almost a hundred people a year were carried away at this time by blood feuds. And there were years in the history of Svaneti when these terrible numbers were even higher.

War, strife, blood feuds were a heavy burden on a small proud people, they were a terrible misfortune. Obviously, it is from here in Svaneti that the custom of wearing such a long mourning originates. After all, if about a hundred people died only from “litsvri” per year, the Svans, who are very widely related, simply never took off their black clothes, they did not have time to finish one mourning, as another began..

Wearing a national costume is no longer customary in Svaneti. The tradition is dead . This can only be regretted. And earlier Svan could always be distinguished on round felt hat.

In the Caucasus, the Svans have never been a rich people, but have always been considered the proudest and most hospitable people..
Svans respect elders. If a person enters the room, older than those present, everyone stands up.

Svans are slow, reserved and polite. They will never hurt a person. The Svan language is distinguished by the absence of swear words.. The strongest curse among the Svans is the word “fool.

Svan churches are very small, but there are up to 60 of them in the village. People come to light candles.

Christianity came to Svaneti late, only in the 9th century, and until the 19th century, priests were rarely here

There are no cities in Svaneti. Settlement Mestia is the administrative capital. 2600 people live here. Wherein Mestia has an airport.

Somehow, I moved to Facebook.

If someone else did not find me there, we are looking for by the name of Ksenia Svaneti Parjiani

But that's not the point.

Now I am actively inviting people to ski in Svaneti. I publish information in many places, sometimes even too much. I feel like a spammer. Anyway. Again, that's not the point.

At one of the forums, people began to discuss what could be attractive about skiing Svaneti.
Comparing it with the Alps is simply ridiculous, well, at least with Gudauri. But even with Gudauri somehow it cannot be compared.
People expressed their positions on why they would go skiing in Svaneti.
And here, of course, for many, the first place came out that Svaneti is a unique land in which people with an ancient culture live, where traditions are still not forgotten and the way of life adopted many centuries ago is preserved. Wise, proud, fair highlanders. So it happens, there are really a lot of such people from whom you can learn wisdom, endurance, faith and many other things, which sometimes in modern world you just forget.
But you have to understand that not everyone is like that. And if you travel as a tourist, live in a hotel or guest house (the most common form of accommodation in Svaneti now), you may encounter completely different attitudes. And, of course, the people who live here are not perfect.

Maybe I shouldn't have taken this out of that forum, but my blog is meant to talk about life in Svaneti. And if you tell only stories and legends about mountain Svans, the information cannot be called complete.
I will tell you about the usual situations that arise here and tell you how to make sure that there are fewer of them on your journey.

mentality

I would call them not wild, but temperamental. Here people need much less time to boil. And the well-known manner of Svans to speak loudly and actively gesticulating many people is really very frightening and alarming. But it is rarely possible to meet this temperament turning into aggression or bullying, like, "Why did you hatch on me ?!"
Moreover, this manner is grasped very quickly, after a couple of days, the tourists who talked with the Svans also begin to speak loudly)))

Regular swan:
- loves chacha (VERY LOVES CHACH);
- hospitable (especially after several servings of chacha, so hospitable that he almost drags him to visit him by force and tries to drink his favorite chacha). It’s only when you are at the Svan’s house that you understand what kind of “hospitality” it was - that for him you are just another wild ram that was brought into a stall, and now they will actively shear and aggressively defend from other “beaters”, who also strive to cut off from you get money;
- self-serving (if there is an opportunity to cash in on others, he will milk to the last penny. If you stay with him, you are obliged to pay for everything and everything, and only to him exclusively)

We must admit that this is happening in Svaneti. Svans are very fond of drinking. Well, a drunk person, whether he is a Swann, whether he is an Englishman, can behave inappropriately. But we had non-drinking tourists and more than once the Svans left them alone, not forcing them to drink against their will. As our guide said to his group: "Drunk Svan - bad person". This rule is really worth remembering and trying to avoid contacts. It seems to me that this is not difficult to do. There is no such cattle (at least I have not seen in 5 years) that would climb on. what to cut money from you. And when they call you a low price, and in the end they charge twice as much - yes. This has also become a common practice. The way out is simple. Use the recommendations, since there are many of them on the Internet, come to friends or trusted people , use the services of a tour operator, such as the Lile tour of Svaneti.In pursuit of savings, many spend much more.I'm not saying that saving is bad, sometimes it's even worth bargaining, but you need to understand that people here now live only by tourism , therefore they want to receive from it more money, sometimes not honest ways, unfortunately.

An ordinary Svan does not like neighbors (all Svans, despite their apparent friendship, are in fact in continuous and tough confrontation. Almost to the point of beating and other mafia showdowns). The famous Svan towers are just a necessary measure of survival in the world, when every neighbor is an enemy to a neighbor and whoever has a higher tower shoots arrows at neighbors.

This remark is very close to reality. For some reason, in Svaneti now the most serious conflicts occur between neighbors. To tell you honestly, some 50 years ago this was not the case. People lived more peacefully. Conflicts could flare up, but they had other reasons. And the towers, as you understand, did not save from conflicts in any way, given the fact that neighbors are always members of the same clan, of the same family. But what to do, we learn to live like this, often not trusting those closest to us. And in Mestia there is also competition. Everyone is in a hurry to snatch a tourist from each other. Therefore, it would be good if the market calmed down a bit and became stable, so that people would order housing in advance, many conflicts could be avoided. And so yes. in Mestia, even scuffles often happen between locals. But, by the way, and not only in Mestia. The guests told me how two taxi drivers in front of their eyes began to beat the faces of each other who would go. And in the end, everything was decided with the help of price. One wanted 5 lari, the other agreed to 4 lari.

Food.
Local shops are very scarce in products (frozen sausages, vermicelli and canned food ... perhaps that's all. Back to the USSR), and the Svans will not let you cook in their kitchen - please eat the local cuisine at exorbitant prices. Yes, and that will be prepared from carcasses and other cheap products. Svans usually carry their own products, so I repeat - do not count on stores. About the most delicious real Georgian cuisine - this is definitely not for you in Svaneti. In Svaneti, only one thing is tasty - Svan salt. There is no kitchen in Svaneti - to a normal store (in Zugdidi) 6 hours on a mountain road. So historically, the cuisine there is meager and uncomplicated.

I had guests here from Ukraine recently, everyone asked what kind of food, how much, and if we would be hungry. I wondered where these questions come from. When they arrived, they explained to me that they had a rest last year in Gudauri and did not meet there the same Georgian table, which was bursting with dishes. I tell them, but there can't be a feast every day. And they answer, and we were ready to pay good money for this, but no one could offer us. By the way, they were more than satisfied with the food in our house. So yes, in Mestia, tourists are often fed in houses in a simpler way than in a cheaper way. Well, what to do. The tourist does not measure that in order to be fed well, it cannot be cheap. Agriculture in Svaneti is now in decline. Almost no one keeps pigs, for 3 years the flu has already beaten the livestock five times. And since they are all free range, the disease spreads instantly. To maintain a meat and dairy farm, you need a lot of hay. Hay must be prepared, but there is no one to prepare it, everyone is busy with tourism. The people barely manage to feed themselves. In general, everything is imported from Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Zugdidi. Always more expensive and not always fresher and tastier. So again, recommendations and guest reviews will be a big plus, and reasonableness with the choice.
What else I want to say, Svaneti is a wonderful region. And despite the possible disadvantages, getting to know him will bring you a lot of positive impressions and emotions. If you're reading my blog, don't miss it. I helped a lot of people to see Svaneti without all these disadvantages. We became friends with a lot of people. Perhaps I offer not the cheapest option. There are no houses in our database that accept for 35 GEL with two meals a day. But that’s why they don’t exist, because I can give my head to be cut off wherever we put you, you will be welcomed like old good friends, the table will break from food and you will see those very wise and calm Svans, about whom so much has been written.
I love you my friends!

The section is very easy to use. In the proposed field, just enter the desired word, and we will give you a list of its meanings. I would like to note that our site provides data from various sources - encyclopedic, explanatory, word-building dictionaries. Here you can also get acquainted with examples of the use of the word you entered.

The meaning of the word svans

Svans in the crossword dictionary

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. D.N. Ushakov

Svans

Svans, units svan, svana, m. Caucasian people inhabiting the western part of Georgia (Svaneti).

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova.

Svans

Ov, unit svan, -a, m. An ethnic group of Georgians that make up indigenous people Svaneti is a historical region in Western Georgia.

and. svanka, -i.

adj. Svan, th, th.

New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova.

Svans

A people living in the mountains of western Georgia (in Svaneti).

representatives of this nation.

Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998

Svans

in Art. Georgians.

Svans

ethnographic group of Georgians; live in the Mestia and Lentekhi regions of the Georgian SSR. The Svan tribes, who in ancient times occupied a vast territory on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus (see Svaneti) and partly on the northern slopes (mainly in the upper reaches of the Kuban River), together with the tribes of Karts and Megrelolazes (chans) formed the basis for the formation of the Georgian people. S. speak Georgian, in everyday life they also speak Svan. In the past, they were characterized by local features of culture and life (original forms of tower architecture, developed alpine economy, remnants of military democracy, etc.).

Wikipedia

Svans

Svans- the people of the Svan group of the Kartvelian language family. self-name "lushnu", unit mushwan. They speak the Svan language, which is part of the northern branch of the Kartvelian language family, separate from the Georgian branch. Until the 30s of the 20th century, they were distinguished as a separate nationality (1926 census), but then subsequent censuses did not single them out separately and included (as today) in the Georgians. In addition to their native language, all Svans speak Georgian. Svan surnames end in "ani".

Examples of the use of the word Svan in the literature.

However, she was curious about who was being hosted. Svans and she asked the Marquis de Norpois who he met there.

But I was not distinguished by observation, in most cases I did not know the names and what they were of the things that were before my eyes - I was sure of one thing: since they are used Svans, so this is something extraordinary, and therefore I did not realize that when I told my parents about their artistic value and that the ladder had been brought, I was lying.

Just recently Svans they introduced her to the Duchess of Vendôme, which pleased her, and at the same time she thought that it was in the order of things.

Is it because, as I knew, Svans were in the immediate vicinity of all these objects, I turned them into something like emblems of the private life of the Svans, into something like the emblems of the customs of the Svans - customs from which I had been so far away for so long that they still seemed alien to me, even after I was allowed to join them?

Not only that Svans they took me to the Zoological Gardens and to a concert - they showed me a favor even more valuable to me: they did not turn me off from their friendship with Bergotte, and yet this friendship gave them charm in my eyes even at that time when I, not being familiar with Gilberte, thought that, thanks to her closeness with the divine elder, she could become my most desirable friend, if the contempt that I apparently inspire in her did not take away from me the hope that someday she would offer me to go with him in his favorite cities.

In this way, Svans no more than my parents - and yet, it would seem, it was Svans and should have been different occasions oppose me in life - they interfered with my happiness: happiness to look at Gilberte as much as you like, if not with a calm soul, then, in any case, with adoration.

After saying goodbye to the owner of the store, I again got into the carriage, and since Svans lived close to the Bois de Boulogne, the driver, of course, did not go in the usual way, but through the Champs Elysees.

Chauffeurs, ex-locals Svans, now live in the city, and fellow countrymen, when meeting with them, subject them to a jealous table test.

Even Svans who were standing by the car heard his voice and fell silent for a few moments.

Alpine meadows, where several of our valley collective farms drive cattle, these Svans consider controversial, because they themselves live nearby, and they are very comfortable with them.

By the time the collective farms recovered, Svans accustomed to consider these meadows as their own.

It's all here Svans, including the driver and Geno on the other side, gurgled in a crossed eagle call.

Territory: Russia (Muscovy), 1681
Published: Amsterdam 1681
MOSCOVIAE seu RUSSIAE MAGNAE Generalis Tabula qua LAPPONIA, NORVEGIA SUECIA, DANIA, POLONIA, ...

RVSSIAE vulgo MOSCOVIA, Pars Australis

Territory: Russia (Muscovy, Southern part), 1638
http://mapa.od.ua/catalog.php

On the same month of October, on the 3rd day, Grigory Semenov, the son of Pleshcheev and Cherkas Pyatigorsky, came to the Tsar and Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich of All Russia, and the Tsar and the Grand Duke sent him to Cherkasy to Temgruk-Prince Aidarovich with an embassy and protect him from his enemies from the Cherkas, who retreated from him and who made him cramped. Gregory said. - He came to Astrokhan in the 71st year of November on the 3rd day, and Temgruk-prince was at that time from his enemies came to Astrokhan and with his son z Domanuk. And Temgruk-Prince and his son Domanuk-Mirza came to Cherkasy on December 6, and Grigory came to Cherkasy with them, and with him the head of the Streltsy Grigory of Vrazhskaya, and with him 500 archers and five Cossack chieftains with Cossacks, and Cossacks with them 500 people. And Temgryuk with the sovereign's people brought hostility to his enemy and brought them to his will, and fought the Shepshukov uluses and fought the Tatsky lands near the Skiny towns, and took three towns: the city of Mokhan, the city of Yengir, the city of Kavan, and Mirza Telishka were killed and many people were beaten . And those towns were princes of Shepshukov, and the people of those towns finished off Temgruk-prince with their foreheads, and Temgruk-prince paid tribute to them. And their land fought for eleven days, and they took the taverns of Mshansky and Sonsky one hundred and sixty-four, and they beat many people and full of imali, but they took four murzas: Burnat, Yezdnour, Burnak, Dudyl (Kabarda did not develop either in the 16th century or later into a single state, but consisted of a number of small feudal estates that were at enmity with each other.The supremacy of the larger, senior prince was largely nominal.As can be seen from the well-known chronicle, Temryuk Idarov sought, using Russian help, to strengthen his power and resist the Crimean-Turkish Shepshukovy uluses - the possession of the Kabardian prince Psheapshoko Kaitukov, who adhered to the Crimean orientation and was in alliance with the prince of the Lesser Nogai Horde Kazy Urakov, a vassal of Crimea. Kabardy.) And released Temgruk Gregory to the king and the grand duke.
http://www.vostlit.info/Texts/Documenty/Kavkaz/XVI/Russ_Kab_otn_1/1-20/4.htm
E.N. Kusheva writes: “Documents of the end of the 16th and 17th centuries. provide material for the identification of Sonsky taverns. The “Sons” of Russian sources are the Svans, for whom the Russians adopted the Georgian form of their name; but the term Sonskaya land was then used in a broader sense ... Hence the name of the pass routes from Kabarda to Georgia “Sonsky gaps”. As you can see, Sony (Sone), Suany is the Georgian form of the ethnonym Svan, which is also common among the Circassians.
S. N. Beytuganov. Kabardian surnames: origins and fates. - Nalchik: Elbrus, 1989. - 184 p.
http://circas.ru/index.php?newsid=1615

Ethnonyms and tribal names of the North Caucasus. Natalia Georgievna Volkova. Science, 1973

Dawit" continued to expand the boundaries of Georgia, taking Uxt"i and its limits, and Gag, Te"runakan, Tayush, Kayean, Kaytson, Lo"r"e", Tashir, Mahganaberd, the entire principality of the Armenians Kiwrike" and Abas. He also subdued Mount Caucasus and the kingdom of the Sonk" , Mrachul, Chk "et, Duale" t", Here "t" as far as the Caspian Sea and to Haghband and to Shapuran city.
http://rbedrosian.com/va2.htm


...In the year 610 A.E. Ge "orgi, king of Georgia, took Ani from Emir Fadlun. He replaced his brother Shatat. But fifty days later the Shah-Armen came upon the city with many troops, a city which had been beaten and polluted by the Sonk".
http://rbedrosian.com/va2.htm
Vardan Arewelts "i" s Compilation of History

Hulam - on the western bank of the Cherek-Khakho, where Svan families live, who still dress completely in Imereti and are called "soni"
http://www.vostlit.info/Texts/Documenty/Kavkaz/XIX/1820-1840/Blaramberg/text28.htm

Svani, in plural. Svaneti, or Sonya, or Sonnet, [so] the Georgians call a people who call themselves Schnau.
JOHANN ANTON GILDENSTEDT. TRAVEL IN THE CAUCASUS. Travel and observations in Georgia in 1771

a record of the testimony of one Kumyk and two Kabardian princes, made in 1743 at the Collegium of Foreign Affairs, in St. Petersburg. The entry says that between the people of Kharachay, living "in the Kuban peaks" and having " Tatar language”, on the one hand, and the “Chegem volost”, where they use a “special” language (Svan?), but “they also use the Tatar language”, on the other hand, the “people of Sona” are located ...
“The fourth people of the Sona, live on the peaks of the Baksan River, near the peaks of the Kuma River and the Kuban.
http://www.vostlit.info/Texts/Documenty/Kavkaz/XVIII/1740-1760/Pok_knjazej_1743/text.phtml

He calls himself tson; neighbors call it differently - Svans, sonts, tsints, and they call the most rocky valleys Svaneti.
http://www.vostlit.info/Texts/Documenty/Kavkaz/XVIII/1760-1780/Reineggs/text2.htm

V. Ya. Teptsov: “All the lands at the headwaters of the Kuban and the Terek... the Svanets consider them to be their own... Even... 20-30 years ago, the Svanets took rent from the highlanders of the North Caucasus for the land along the headwaters of the Terek; This payment stopped with the conquest of the Western Caucasus by the Russians... The Svanets in the North Caucasus indicate towers of the same design as the Svanet ones and say that these towers were built by their ancestors, who owned these lands and Christian graves on them... At one of the sources of the Kuban, Kichkenekol , the Svanets point to the ruins of an extremely ancient bridge as evidence of their former possessions. Here, according to legend, there was a city and a fortress guarding the passage along the gorge of this river to Svaneti. How their state decomposed and when - the Svanets do not remember”
V. Ya. Teptsov. Svaneti (Geographical sketch). "Sat. materials for the description of localities and tribes of the Caucasus”, vol. X, Tiflis, 1890, p. 56, cf. more page 63.
It is significant that the Svan legends are consistent with the traditions of the population that historically replaced the Svans of the North Caucasus. So, the population of the gorge, along which the river flows. Eastern Cherek, said that the Svans originally lived there, and from them, as if, the inhabitants of the village had their origin. Souths. M. Ivanov, referring to the opinion of the old Urusbievites, wrote that the upper reaches of the river. Baksan belonged to the Svans in ancient times.
M. A. Ivanov. In the river gorge Baksan. “News of the Caucasian Branch of the Russian Geographical Society”, XV, No. 1, Tiflis, 1902, p. 11.
According to the legend of the Chegemians, at the time of one of the semi-legendary ancestors of the Chegem feudal lords, Anfako, the Baksan Gorge belonged to the Svans and Anfako unsuccessfully tried to recapture it.
V. Miller and M. Kovalevsky. In the mountain communities of Kabarda. "Bulletin of Europe", 1884, book. 4, pp. 562-568.
About 10 years ago, a local researcher X. O. Laipanov informed the author of these lines that in the upper reaches of the river. Kuban, they recorded a legend that in place with. Elbrus in the Baksan gorge in the old days there was a Svan village.
The stay of the Svans in the upper reaches of the river. Kuban and on the river. Baksan left a mark in toponymy. Not being a specialist in the field of Kartvelian languages, I will confine myself to pointing out only the following facts. Names of some settlements in the region of interest to us, the names of Svan villages seem to be duplicated: Uchkulan - Ushgul, Khumara (ancient Skhumar) - Tskhumar, Lashkuta - Lashketi. Of these: Ushgul, Tskhumar and Lashketi are located in Svaneti; Uchkulan and Khumara - in the upper reaches of the river. Kuban, and Lashkuta - on the river. Baksan. Of the above comparisons, only the names Uchkulan - Ushgul allow an explanation from the Turkic languages, but they can also be explained from Kartvelian.
One of such explanations regarding Ushgul is known to us from K. F. Gan. Experience in explaining Caucasian geographical names. "Sat. materials for describing the localities and tribes of the Caucasus”, XL, Tiflis, 1909, p. 143.
The explanation of the remaining two pairs of names should be sought only in the Kartvelian languages ​​and, first of all, in the Svan language. According to the Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences of the Georgian SSR A. G. Shanidze, Lashkuta comes from the Svan words meaning “the place where they hang”. It should be noted that the semi-legendary ancestor of the Chegem feudal lords Ipar son of Anfako, who lived in Lashkut, had a name that coincided with the name of one of the villages in Svaneti (the village of Ipar southeast of Mestia). The well-known mountain with the ruins of a medieval church near Khumara, in the upper reaches of the Kuban, appears on maps and in literature under the name of Shoan, Shuan, Shona. The area adjacent to the mountain in the XVIII and the first half of the XIX centuries. was part of the Abaza territory. Therefore, one cannot ignore the possibility of comparing the name of the mountain with the Abkhaz-Abaza term sh˳ānwā, meaning “Svans”.
According to an addition to the Nikon Chronicle, in 1562, 500 archers with the head of Grigory Semyonov and 500 Cossacks with five atamans, by royal order, went along with the Kabardian prince Temryuk (Ivan the Terrible's father-in-law) against the enemies of the latter. In addition to the Nikon chronicle, the Kabardian prince Shepshuk is named the main of these enemies. Among the “Shepshukov uluses”, that is, lands subject to Shepshuk, the city of Kovan, taken from him, is mentioned, maybe from the Nogai Koban, which means r. Kuban. The main value for us of the evidence of the addition to the Nikon Chronicle lies in the indication that the Kabardians of Temryuk, together with the royal people, conquered many “Son taverns”, that is, Svan settlements, from Shepshuk.
Is it permissible to assume that the Kabardian prince Shepshuk could own a part of the Transcaucasian Svaneti and that it was Temryuk who later took it from him? Of course not. Additions to the Nikon Chronicle prove that in the 16th century. there was a significant Svan population in the North Caucasus. On the other hand, the mention of the city of Kovan in this document makes it possible to assume that the Svans, who were among the "Shepshukov uluses", in the middle of the 16th century. lived in the upper reaches of the Kuban. In any case, this position is consistent with our other materials.
complete collection Russian chronicles, XIII, 2nd half. SPb., 1906, p. 371.
THE SETTLEMENT OF THE SVANS IN THE NORTHERN CAUCASUS BEFORE THE XIX CENTURY-Report at the session on the ethnography of the Caucasus, November 15-21, 1949 in Tbilisi.Lavrov L.I.

Below - Svaneti Alexander Kuznetsov

WHO ARE SVANS?

WHO ARE SVANS?

About the Svans, due to the uniqueness of their history and culture, sometimes absolutely fantastic assumptions were made. Some considered them Persians by origin; others claimed that they were from Mesopotamia and Syria; there were also those who proved the direct origin of the Svans from the ancient Romans. The basis for such hypotheses was certain similarities between the Svan and Persian languages, Syriac ornaments on ancient Svan jewelry, as well as some Italic elements in ancient architecture Svaneti.

Now we know that the Svans are Kartvelians by origin, they belong to the family of the Caucasian or Japhetic peoples proper. The ancient inhabitants of the Caucasus, its aborigines, were called Japhetides. Svaneti is an organic part of Georgia. It is connected with it not only territorially, but also with its entire history and centuries-old culture.

Nevertheless, the Svan language is completely different from modern Georgian. The Svan language never had its own written language; Georgian writing was adopted. The Georgian language is taught in schools, and all books, magazines and newspapers are printed in it in Svaneti.

The Svan language belongs to the Caucasian group of languages, to its southern group, but is separated by a separate Svan subgroup. In the first subgroup of the South Caucasian languages ​​there are Mingrelian and Chan, in the second, Kartvelian subgroup - Georgian with its various dialects (Khevsursk, Kartali, Imereti, Gurian, etc.), and in the third, apart - Svan. More than once I had to make sure that the Georgians with the dialects of the Kartvelian subgroup do not understand a word in Svan.

The Svan language lives in parallel with Georgian. Georgian is read and studied, and Svan is spoken in the family and sung songs. Most Svans now use three different languages ​​in this way - Svan, Georgian and Russian.

As for Mesopotamia and Persia, it is now known that the distant ancestors of the Kartvels once inhabited Asia Minor. Svaneti, like other parts of Georgia, from ancient times was in the closest cultural contact with Syria, Palestine and Northern Mesopotamia. With the spread of Christianity in Georgia, these ties became even stronger. With regard to relations with Italy, the situation is somewhat more complicated. The Romans were familiar with Svaneti already from the 1st century AD, when the Svans occupied a much larger territory. Scientists of Rome, historians and geographers, considered the Svans to be a powerful and warlike people, which even the Roman commanders had to reckon with. Even then, the Svans had a high culture and were well organized, firmly soldered by their tribal social order. It is possible that some kind of Italian influence penetrated into Svaneti and brought here architectural forms completely alien to other regions of the Caucasus. The teeth of the Svan towers are somewhat reminiscent of the Moscow Kremlin. It is known that the Kremlin walls were built in the 15th century by the Italians. There are watchtowers in the Caucasus and other places, in Ossetia, for example, but nowhere else can you find anything similar to the architectural forms of the Svan towers. Except in medieval Italy...

Kartvels appeared in Georgia 1000 years before our era, when they settled in Svaneti is still unknown for certain. However, in the Mestia Museum you can see objects found in Svaneti belonging to people not only of the Bronze Age, but also of the Stone Age.

Documents, books, icons, architectural monuments, with whom it was possible to get acquainted and which give a more or less clear idea of ​​the history and ancient culture Svaneti, do not go back into the depths of centuries further than to the X-XII century AD. Legends, traditions and historical songs also begin from the time of Queen Tamara (end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th century).

One thing is clear: the entire history and development of the culture of the Svans, their way of life, customs and mores are connected with two seemingly contradictory phenomena. It is isolation from the outside world and at the same time influence Georgian culture, mainly through christian religion. It was isolation that led to the preservation and strengthening of the tribal system that existed until the 20th century, while in other parts of Georgia the tribal system was replaced by feudalism as early as three centuries BC. Self-government, apparently, served to develop a heightened sense of independence of the Svans, formed the Svan character - proud and courageous. What else, besides the desire to be independent, to preserve one’s freedom with all one’s strength and even at the cost of one’s life, could create these towers, these fortress houses, this desire to preserve one’s own, and only one’s, way of life? After all, Upper, or Free Svaneti, has been waging an unceasing and stubborn struggle for its freedom for centuries.

By their own historical monuments- churches, books written on parchment in the old Georgian style, chased silver icons, frescoes and other works of art of bygone times - Svaneti, of course, owes common culture Georgia, where Christianity came from Byzantium in the 4th century.

The Svans are a small people. Currently, there are only about 18 thousand inhabitants in Upper Svaneti. Very interesting data on the sex ratio for 1931. Until the age of 15, inclusive, men prevailed in Upper Svaneti at that time, and after 15 years - women. This is due to accidents in the mountains (during hunting, in avalanches - when crossing passes in mountain rivers), death during the civil war, as well as the result of a blood feud that flourished in 1917-1924. Luckily, this outbreak of litsvri was the last. The matured children have already balanced this terrible discrepancy.

All Svans are fanatically hospitable. Now a lot of all kinds of people walk around Svaneti, and so far everyone finds shelter, shelter and food in Svan houses. Svans are slow, reserved and polite. They will never hurt a person. The Svan language is distinguished by the absence of swear words. The strongest curse among the Svans is the word "fool". (The rest are borrowed from other languages.) But the pride of the Svan could not bear this word either, often because of it enmity and even blood feud arose. Politeness is in the blood of a Svan, laid down by many generations. Respect for the elders, reverence for the elderly is elevated in Upper Svaneti into an unshakable law.

Insane courage and courage coexist with a deep inner culture, tact and restraint in the character of the Svan.

Clearly, a lot depends on the way you look at things, on what a person wants to see. For example, Dr. Orbeli published in 1903 a pamphlet on goiter and cretinism in Svaneti. So, he saw only diseases here. And another doctor, Olderochche, wrote in 1897 "An Outline of Degeneration in Princely and Free Svanetia." This doctor predicted the complete degeneration of the Svans in half a century. Half a century has passed - and nothing ... The doctor's foresight let him down.

The first Russian person to write about Svaneti was the tsarist colonel Bartholomew. What a arrogant aristocrat, but still managed to consider and understand the Svans:

“As I got to know the Free Svanets more and more, I became convinced how unfair and exaggerated the rumors about their hardened cruelty; I saw people before me in my childhood, almost primitive people, therefore, highly impressionable, inexorable in blood-revenge, but remembering and understanding the good; I noticed in them good nature, gaiety, gratitude ... "

Everyone sees, understands and loves first of all what he knows. Therefore, I will talk about the Svan character on the example of mountaineering. Yes, speaking of modern Svans, it is simply impossible not to dwell on this.

No one will ever tell you quite definitely why people strive for heights. Only one thing can be said with certainty: this occupation does not give any material benefits. Only spiritual values ​​are acquired here. Therefore, mountaineering is so to the liking of the Svans. It's just in their nature.

They may object to me: “Svans should not be climbers when they live almost on the peaks!” Oh, that would be an ill-conceived objection! Among the local population of the Pamirs or the Tien Shan, you rarely meet an outstanding climber. Isn't it mountains? There is, apparently, a pattern common to the whole world - there are almost no climbers among the highlanders. The exceptions are the Sherpas in the Himalayas, the Svans in the Caucasus and the inhabitants of the Alps.

This feature of the Svans was noticed already in the last century by the teacher of the Kutaisi city school V.Ya. Teptsov, who did not always speak flatteringly about the Svans. In his book "Svaneti", published in Tiflis in 1888, he wrote:

“Promise another highlander the paradise of Mohammed beyond the glaciers, he will not go, but the Svanet climbs right into the jaws of death ... They say that wandering beyond the mountains among the Svanets has become the same habit as wandering among the gypsies.”

Here is a list of famous climbers - residents of Upper Svaneti.

The older generation, the pioneers of Soviet mountaineering, about whom we are still talking about:

1. Gio Niguriani.

2. Gabriel Khergiani.

3. Vissarion Khergiani, master of sports.

4. Beknu Khergiani, Honored Master of Sports.

5. Maxim Gvarliani, Honored Master of Sports.

6. Chichiko Chartolani, Honored Master of Sports.

7. Goji Zurebiani, Honored Master of Sports.

8. Almatsgil Kvitsiani.

The young generation of Svan climbers:

1. Joseph Kahiani, Honored Master of Sports.

2. Mikhail Khergiani, Honored Master of Sports.

3. Grisha Gulbani, master of sports.

4. Iliko Gabliani, master of sports.

5. Jokia Gugava, master of sports.

6. Sozar Gugava, master of sports.

7. Shaliko Margiani, master of sports.

8. Mikhail Khergiani (junior) master of sports.

9. Jumber Kahiani, master of sports.

10. Givi Cerediani, master of sports.

11. Boris Gvarliani, master of sports.

12. Valiko Gvarmiani, master of sports.

13. Otar (Konstantin) Dadeshkeliani, master of sports.

Some of these lists are no longer alive today. If we take into account that a certain and considerable part of men are children and the elderly, then, according to the most rough estimates, it turns out that for 200-300 adult men in Upper Svaneti there is one master or honored master of sports in mountaineering. You will not find this in any other mountainous country in the world, including Nepal.

In Upper Svaneti, drivers and, especially, pilots are considered respected people - people who connect the country with the outside world, give it life. There are also many Svan pilots. But to no one you will meet here such a warm, such love relationship like climbers. A good climber, in the view of the Svans, is a real man.

The glory of the climbers of Upper Svaneti is associated with Ushba - the peak rising above Mestia. The same V.Ya. Teptsov wrote in his book: “Ushba Peak is known among the Svans as the abode of the unclean. Not a single Svanet dares to climb its slopes because of a superstitious fear of going to hell.

So it was once. The Svans rarely approached Ushba; many superstitions and legends were associated with its impregnable walls. Here is one of them, the legend of the goddess Dali, the Svan Diana, the goddess of hunting.

There lived a brave hunter named Betkil. Betkil was young, slim, handsome and was not afraid of anything in the world. Luck always accompanied him, he never returned from a hunt empty-handed. He was not afraid of the formidable Ushba either, and, no matter how they tried to dissuade him, he went to hunt on its slopes. But as soon as the hunter went up to the glacier, Dali herself met him. She bewitched the handsome young man, and he, forgetting about his home and family, stayed with her to live on Ushba.

For a long time they enjoyed their happiness, but one day Betkil looked down, saw the towers of his native village and got bored. At night, he secretly left Dali and went downstairs. And there, shedding tears, the most beautiful woman of Svaneti was waiting for him. Betkil surrendered new love and forgot about Dali.

At a big holiday, all the people had fun and feasted, songs, dances and round dances did not stop. And suddenly people see - a huge tour, like a horse, runs through the clearing. Nobody has ever seen such a big tour. The heart of the brave hunter could not stand it, he grabbed his bow and chased the tour. The tour jumps along a wide path, Betkil runs after him, and behind him, as soon as he steps, the path disappears and immediately breaks into sheer abysses.

But the brave Betkil was not afraid (he was not afraid of anything in the world), he continued to pursue the tour. And now, on the slopes of Ushba, the tour disappeared, and Betkil remained on sheer cliffs, from where there is no return. Then he realized who sent this huge tour - the goddess Dali herself.

Below, under the rock on which Betkil remained, people gathered, people shouted, cried, stretched out their hands to him, but could not help him in any way. Then the bold young man shouted loudly: “Let my bride dance!” The Svans parted, and Betkil's beloved performed a shush-pari dance for him. Betkil shouted again: “I want to see how my sister will mourn me!” His sister came out and he watched the dance of weeping and sorrow. “And now I want to see the dance of the people!” The Svans led a round dance with a refrain about the perishing Betkil. And then the brave handsome man shouted: “Farewell!” - and the echo carried his voice through the mountains. Betkil threw himself off a cliff and crashed. The white snow among the rocks of Ushba is his bones, his blood dyed the rocks of Ushba red.

Since then, the goddess Dali never showed herself to people again, and the hunters did not come close to the rocks of Ushba, where the goddess of the hunt lives.

At the end of the past and the beginning this century world-famous summit trying to conquer foreign climbers. In England, even the "Ushbist Club" was created. Its members were English climbers who visited Ushba. Now there is only one member in this club - a very old man, a school teacher named Hodchkin. When our climbers were in England for the last time, Zhenya Gippenreiter presented Mr. Khodchkin with an award badge "For Climbing Ushba". The eighty year old man could not hold back his tears.

At that time, almost all attempts to climb Ushba ended in failure. From 1888 to 1936, only five foreign athletes visited the northern peak of Ushba, and only ten foreign athletes visited the southern peak, and more than 60 people stormed this peak. During these fifty years, many tragedies have played out on its slopes.

In 1906, two Englishmen come to Svaneti and declare their desire to climb to the top of Ushba. They are looking for a guide, but not a single Svan agrees to cross the border of Dali's possessions. However, there is a new Betkil, a brave hunter Muratbi Kibolani. He boldly leads the English along the steep cliffs and reaches both peaks of the terrible Ushba. Although this time there was no meeting with the goddess Dali, one of the British died during the descent.

The Svans could not believe that people had been on top of Ushba. Then Kibolani, taking firewood with him, climbed to the top alone and kindled a fire there. The goddess Dali was put to shame. A severe competition of the Svans with an impregnable peak began.

Among the first Soviet people who visited Ushba was also a Svan, his name was Gio Niguriani. For four years, a group of Georgian climbers led by Alyosha Dzhaparidze made attempts to climb, and only in 1934 four Soviet people - Alyosha and Alexandra Dzhaparidze (the first Georgian climber), Yagor Kazalikashvili and Gio Niguriani - light a fire on top of the bicorn.

In the 1930s, mountain climbing took on a sporting character. Begins to develop in Svaneti and skiing.

One winter, - says Vissarion Khergiani, - we heard that seven Russians were coming towards us through the Twiber pass. That they have sledges on their feet and Russians can very quickly ride on these sledges in the snow. We didn't believe until we saw it for ourselves.

The world is small. On May 1, in the Ay cafe, I was told about this campaign by its participant Alexei Alexandrovich Maleinov, Honored Master of Sports, chief engineer for the construction of the Elbrus sports complex. The same doctor A.A. headed this first crossing over the Caucasian ridge on skis. Zhemchuzhnikov, who had just treated Misha after a collision with an unruly tourist.

All Mestia gathered, - said Vissarion. - The Russians showed us how to ski down the mountains. Everyone laughed a lot, and then they said: "Let Vissarion try." They gave me skis, I put them on, went far, far away and did not fall. When the Russians left, Gabriel, Maxim and I made skis for ourselves out of boards and began to walk through the deep snow to each other's koshi. And then they took and crossed the Bashil Pass on their skis.

After that, the Svans were sent to courses in Nalchik, and then to the mountaineering school, which was located in the current Dzhantugan mountaineering camp in Kabardino-Balkaria.

It was very difficult for us, - says Vissarion, - we did not know the Russian language and could not understand what they wanted from us. We always walked on ice without steps and did not know what insurance was. But then they got used to the ice ax and the rope, learned to walk on crampons and hammer in hooks. It has become comfortable and familiar to us.

And in 1937, the same year when the first wheel was seen in Upper Svaneti, a sports group, consisting entirely of Svans, climbed South Ushba. The participants of this ascent almost all belonged to the Khergiani family, they were Vissarion Khergiani and Maxim Gvarliani, their relatives Gabriel and Beknu Khergiani and Chichiko Chartolani. Not without adventures, Gabriel and Vissarion flew into the crack: the fragile rope broke; The Svans climbed directly, by no means along the easiest path, and ended up on a very difficult section of rocks. But everything ended well. It was the first Soviet wall ascent, the first ascent that brought the Svans the glory of real climbers. Mountaineering has become a national sport in Svaneti.