Dedoplistskaro Municipality
Dedoplistskaro in Kakheti: Vashlovani National Park, Takhti-Tepa mud volcanoes, Khornabuji fortress and Pirosmani’s Mirzaani. History and routes.
Dedoplistskaro Municipality — overview
MunicipalityHistory
Dedoplistskaro Municipality occupies the south-eastern corner of Kakheti and is its largest municipality, covering about 2,529 km². Its administrative centre, the town of Dedoplistskaro, lies at about 800 m above sea level on the Shiraki Plain. Most of the territory belongs to the Iori Plateau, with semi-desert landscapes in the south and a more humid climate in the north; the Alazani and Iori rivers form its natural frontiers. Dedoplistskaro borders Sighnaghi Municipality to the west and north and Azerbaijan to the east and south.
The town is first mentioned in the early 12th century as a military post of King David IV the Builder; according to legend, its name — “the Queen’s Spring” — is connected with Queen Tamar. Above the town rises Khornabuji fortress, probably first built at the end of the 1st millennium BC; by the 5th century, under King Vakhtang Gorgasali, it was the centre of a large settlement, and it was rebuilt in later centuries, including under Erekle II. The 9th-century Church of the Ascension in Ozaani is another notable monument.
After the Russian annexation, a fort was built here in 1803 and the settlement was renamed Tsarskie Kolodtsy (“Tsar’s Wells”); in 1869 an oil refinery was opened. In 1963 it received town status under the name Tsiteltskaro, and its historical name was restored in 1991. The village of Mirzaani in the municipality is the birthplace of the painter Niko Pirosmani (1862–1918), where a house-museum is dedicated to him.
Dedoplistskaro is the gateway to the Vashlovani Protected Areas, established in 1935 and today including a strict nature reserve, a national park and natural monuments. The landscape of arid canyons, badlands, pistachio woodlands and steppe is unique in Georgia. Highlights include Eagle Gorge, the active Takhti-Tepa mud volcanoes and the floodplain forests of the Alazani; in 2003–2004 the presence of a leopard was confirmed here.
For travellers, Dedoplistskaro is a destination for wild nature and wide horizons: a jeep trip into Vashlovani, a walk to Eagle Gorge, the mud volcanoes and a climb to Khornabuji make for one to two unforgettable days. Combine them with the Pirosmani museum in Mirzaani and the wine villages of nearby Sighnaghi.
FAQ
1) Where is Dedoplistskaro Municipality located?
In the south-eastern corner of Kakheti, on the border with Azerbaijan.
2) What is the administrative centre?
The town of Dedoplistskaro, at about 800 m on the Shiraki Plain.
3) How large is the municipality?
About 2,529 km² — the largest municipality in Kakheti.
4) What does the name Dedoplistskaro mean?
“The Queen’s Spring”; legend connects it with Queen Tamar.
5) What is Khornabuji?
A hilltop fortress north of the town, the centre of a large settlement by the 5th century.
6) What is Vashlovani?
A protected area established in 1935 with arid canyons, badlands and steppe, including a national park.
7) Where are the Takhti-Tepa mud volcanoes?
In Dedoplistskaro Municipality, within the Vashlovani protected areas.
8) Where was Niko Pirosmani born?
In the village of Mirzaani, Dedoplistskaro Municipality, where a house-museum is dedicated to him.
9) What was the town called in the Soviet period?
Tsiteltskaro; the historical name was restored in 1991.
10) Where can I find official municipal information?
On the municipality’s official website.