Only 3 hours by car from Tbilisi you can find yourself in the heart of the High Caucasus, trekking and horse trips – the Pankisi Gorge. Sufi prayers in a mosque, canoeing down the Alazani river, a felt production presentation.
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About the region
The Georgian Pankisi Gorge is situated in the very heart of the High Caucasus and is one of the most northern regions of Georgia. Pankisi is an ideal place for nature and trekking lovers as well as fans of climbing expeditions. Many pedestrian and horse trails run through this region. Off-road cars can be used on some of the routes, and mountain river valleys and waterfalls can be admired through the window.
In the 12th and 13th century there used to be a rich duchy called Torgwa Pankeli, named after a Georgian aristocrat. The duchy was surrounded with massive walls, fortifications as well as signal and fortified turrets. Within these fortifications the Georgians built many Christian churches, whose ruins are still visible in every corner of Pankisi.
Pankisi is a land of Sufi brethren, both male and female, a region inhabited by Muslims and Christians often cultivating the traditions of both religions.
On the Eastern part of the gorge there is a picturesque Tusheti National Park. The protected area embraces the alpine belt with its coniferous forests, crystal clear mountain lakes and mountain pastures. In the mountain forests one can encounter a Caspian sea wolf, a lynx, Caucasian goats and chamois. Over the canopy fly black-billed capercaillies, Caucasian snowcocks and pheasants. In addition to nature, residential turrets with defensive features are another attraction of the park.
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Horseback trips to the mountains
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1. Canoeing down the river on a tyre and waterfall jumping The current of the Alazani River is rapid, but the river isn’t deep and has many small bays, thanks to which it is perfect for mountain canoeing rallies and rafting. Big spinning-on-the-surf-ace tyres are great for this purpose as well. The streams of the Alazani river turn into waterfalls at the foot of the Great Caucasus. Thrill enthusiasts jump from their tops into the river in the places where natural, deeper basins have been formed. The Kists will disclose to the fishermen where wild trout fisheries are located.
2. Horseback trips to the mountains Small mountain horses travel on the High Caucasus routes almost effortlessly with tourists and luggage on their backs. At the top, one can spend the night in a shepherd’s hut. The highlanders are happy to demonstrate to hikers the process of the production of a dozen or so kinds of cheese, butter or cream. Those who are hungry will be fed on lamb shish kebab.
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The Kists are very hospitable people
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Stay at a Pankisi family’s place
The Kists are very hospitable and kind people, quite friendly to strangers. One remembers for a long time the joy derived from the contact with them. Their lifestyle, so different from the Western European customs, has not been tainted by commercialism yet, which makes tourists compare their stay in Pankisi to expeditions to most exotic corners of the earth.
An inseparable element of the Kist hospitality is feasting together, according to the following Georgian saying: a guest is God’s messenger. The Kists are honoured to have guests and gladly invite them to the table. During such feasts the natives often organise Kist and Georgian music concerts as well as traditional dance shows.
If so required by the guests, the hosts provide car transport from the airport or the bus station in Tbilisi to Pankisi. The Pankisi Gorge can also be reached from the Ortaczala bus station in Tbilisi by the so-called marszrutka
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The guests are offered spacious rooms
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Stay at a Pankisi family’s place in Pankisi Valley
The Kists usually make available to their guests a whole storey of their house, with a separate entrance. The guests are offered spacious rooms. Most houses are surrounded by a big garden, in the vicinity of which there are orchards, vineyards, apiaries as well as bird and cattle farms. Vast terraces are usually covered in grapevines from which heavy, purple and dark blue Kist wine is made. The wine is drunk from glasses or special buffalo horns, and it leaves on one’s lips a specific residue in that very colour. At their doorstep, the Kists treat their guests to local culinary specialities. They don’t let their guests buy any food, and offer them home-grown fruit for free.
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Dressed in traditional Kist outfits, they perform lezginkas, one of the most popular dances in the C
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Folk evening
The band Daimoakh (Motherland) is made up of singers and dancers widely recognised in Georgia. Dressed in traditional Kist outfits, they perform lezginkas, one of the most popular dances in the Caucasus, which the tourists are invited to perform alongside the natives. They sing and play both Georgian and Chechen songs, which gives their performance a unique flavour. The members of the band sometimes accompany tourists on their mountain trips, their singing resounding around the neighbouring mountain tops.
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The dzikr prayer in an old mosque in Duisi
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Visits to mosques and churches
The Kists are glad to show tourists around their mosques, churches and home shrines, which cannot be found in any guidebooks. In an old mosque in Duisi the members of a female Sufi brethren gather to recite the dzikr prayer. The women invite to their part of the mosque all those who wish to go there and are interested in the Sufi tradition. This is one of the greatest attractions in Pankisi, often compared to the famous Whirling Dervishes in Turkey.
Felt production technology
In the home workshops the Kists make felt, a highly durable fabric, from sheep wool. In addition to warm shepherd clothes, the craftsmen make various colourful accessories: bags, cases, hats and wall hangings, which may be bought right on the spot. The traditional process of felt production is one of the most interesting elements of the Kist culture.
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Testing of traditional Kist dishes
The traditional Kist cuisine includes Chechen (żiżik gałnysz) and Georgian (chinkali, chaczapuri) dishes. Typical of Kist cuisine are mutton, goat, beef and chicken kebabs (usually prepared in the open air during mountain trips). The Kists make many types of dairy products, such as: several types of cheese, butter, cream and yoghurt. They also bake wheat and maize bread, and will treat you to some lovely home wine.
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“Marszua Kawkaz” Foundation
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“Marszua Kawkaz” Foundation
(in the Kist language: “Peace to Caucasus”)
Marshua Kawkaz, a charity organisation of Kist women living in Georgia, is a non-governmental, non-profit and apolitical organisation registered at the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Georgia on 24th Dec 1999.
The idea of setting up “Marszua Kawkaz” was fuelled by the Kist community’s social debates on preserving the currently stable situation and peace in Caucasus.
The registered office of the foundation is located in the village of Duisi, in the Akhmeta region of the Republic of Georgia.
The president and founder of Marszua Kawkaz is Makvala Margochvili.
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Published on Tuesday December 15th, 2009
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Publish on Facebook
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Mon, Dec 28 2009 - 11:03 PM
 by bootlegga
| Excellent first report on Globo! If it was a little longer, it would have been 5 stars. |
Fri, Dec 18 2009 - 05:27 AM
by jorgesanchez
| Interesting reading about an interesting country |
Thu, Dec 17 2009 - 02:37 PM
by marianne
| Very interesting to read., and well written. I like your photos |
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