Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti
The west: lowland Samegrelo (Megrelian cuisine, Ojaleshi wine) and highland Upper Svaneti with the towers of Mestia.
Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti unites two very different historical provinces: lowland Mingrelia (Samegrelo) on the Black Sea, between the Enguri, Rioni and Tekhuri rivers, and highland Upper (Zemo) Svaneti at the foot of the Caucasus range, home to Mount Shkhara, Georgia's highest peak (5,193 m).
Zemo Svaneti was, for centuries, almost cut off from the rest of the world by mountain passes, and that isolation preserved unique 9th–12th-century stone defensive towers and the distinct Svan language; the towers of Mestia and Ushguli are on UNESCO's World Heritage List (1996).
Mingrelia, meanwhile, was the seat of the princely Dadiani house, which ruled the province as its own principality from the 16th century until 1867, and is one of Georgia's rainiest, greenest regions, with Colchic forests and rich botanical diversity.
Svan dress is one of the most recognisable in Georgia, thanks to its famous felt hat: grey, with black cross-shaped seams (recalling the Svan greeting «may the cross protect you»), felted from 200 g of sheep's wool over some 30 hours of work. The hat is worn by men only, while women are traditionally forbidden to make or wear it, with rare exceptions for respected craftswomen.
The men's costume was completed by a shirt, chokha and trousers; women wore a woollen dress and a headdress with earrings and jewellery, and in wealthier families a silk shirt and velvet cloak.
What to see
- Martvili CanyonAn emerald river canyon with waterfalls, once used as a bathing place by the Dadiani princes; today visitors are taken through it by boat.
- Dadiani PalaceThe residence of the Mingrelian Dadiani princes in Zugdidi, built in the 17th century and rebuilt in the 1860s; today a museum with a collection of over 40,000 items, including relics of Napoleon Bonaparte.
- Enguri DamOne of the world's tallest arch dams (271.5 m) on the Enguri river; completed in 1987, the plant supplies electricity to both sides of the river, including breakaway Abkhazia.
- MestiaThe administrative centre of Upper Svaneti, with cobblestone streets and dozens of surviving Svan towers; the starting point for trails to Mounts Ushba and Tetnuldi.
- UshguliA community of five villages at 2,100 m at the foot of Mount Shkhara, one of Europe's highest continuously inhabited settlements, with dozens of 9th–12th-century medieval defensive towers; a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1996).