Vashlijvari
OverviewVashlijvari (Georgian: ვაშლიჯვარი) is a neighbourhood and former village in the western part of Tbilisi, in Saburtalo District. It lies on the right side of the Mtkvari valley, on the right ba...
אודות Vashlijvari
Overview
Vashlijvari (Georgian: ვაშლიჯვარი) is a neighbourhood and former village in the western part of Tbilisi, in Saburtalo District. It lies on the right side of the Mtkvari valley, on the right bank of the Dighmistskali River, mostly around the slopes of Mount Onadiri.
In the 1880s Vashlijvari was a village-type settlement that gradually merged with Tbilisi. In 1989 a new residential district of multi-storey buildings, designed for about 39,000 residents, was built on its territory. The old village itself, which gave its name to the new district, ended up in its eastern part.
Location
Vashlijvari lies between Saburtalo and Dighomi, close to the I and II quarters of the Dighomi Massive. The centre of the neighbourhood is at approximately 41.7554° N, 44.7664° E (OpenStreetMap).
The Dighmistskali is a right tributary of the Mtkvari. It rises on the eastern slope of the Satovle-Satskepela Ridge at 1,400 m and joins the Mtkvari within Tbilisi. It is 22 km long, with a basin of 72.7 km² and a mean annual discharge of 0.25 m³/s, and flows through Mtskheta Municipality and Tbilisi.
Name
The name combines two Georgian words, vashli (apple) and jvari (cross); English Wikipedia glosses it literally as “apple cross”. The sources we checked give no further information on how the name arose.
History
4th–3rd millennia BC — people were already living on the territory of Vashlijvari.
1959 — late antique to early feudal pit graves and stone cists were found near the Dighmistskali bridge.
Since 1968 — regular archaeological excavations have been carried out around Vashlijvari.
1972 — a cemetery of the 4th–7th centuries was found on a ridge on the right bank of the Dighmistskali; 1981 — sites of the Kura-Araxes period and the 1st millennium AD. An expedition led by R. Abramishvili uncovered pit graves covered with stone slabs and stone cists at the early medieval cemetery.
Late Middle Ages — the history of Vashlijvari was closely tied to the village of Dighomi; the settlement was under the jurisdiction of the mouravi (governor) of Dighomi.
19th century — vineyards were planted; in the 1880s Vashlijvari was a village-type settlement.
Soviet period — the Georgian Research Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking was founded here with an experimental base that supplied towns and villages with early table grape varieties.
1989 — the new residential district of multi-storey buildings was built (architects G. Shavdia, O. Arveladze, E. Rukhadze, T. Jirashvili).
Administrative status
Vashlijvari is part of Saburtalo District. Under Tbilisi City Council Resolution No. 16-35 of 5 December 2014 it forms, together with Dighomi, the territorial unit No. 9 “Dighomi, Vashlijvari”. The unit’s boundary starts where the Saburtalo administrative boundary crosses the Tbilisi–Kvemo Lisi road, follows that road to the turn-off to the oncology hospital, runs in a straight line east to the Mtkvari, then north along the boundaries of Didube and Gldani districts, and finally along the boundary between Saburtalo and Mtskheta.
Nearby sights
Onadiri (Monadiri) church — a hall church of the developed Middle Ages (9th–10th centuries) preserved in the vicinity of Vashlijvari.
FAQ
1) Where is Vashlijvari?
In western Tbilisi, in Saburtalo District, on the right side of the Mtkvari valley and the right bank of the Dighmistskali River, mostly around the slopes of Mount Onadiri.
2) Which district and unit does it belong to?
Saburtalo District. Under the 2014 division, Vashlijvari and Dighomi together form territorial unit No. 9 (“Dighomi, Vashlijvari”).
3) What are the neighbouring areas?
It lies between Saburtalo and Dighomi, close to the I and II quarters of the Dighomi Massive.
4) Which river flows here?
The Dighmistskali, a right tributary of the Mtkvari: 22 km long, with a basin of 72.7 km².
5) When was the residential district built?
In 1989 a district of multi-storey buildings for about 39,000 residents was built on the territory of the former village.
6) Who designed it?
Architects G. Shavdia, O. Arveladze, E. Rukhadze and T. Jirashvili.
7) What archaeological finds are known?
People lived here as early as the 4th–3rd millennia BC. Finds include late antique to early feudal pit graves and stone cists (1959), a 4th–7th-century cemetery (1972) and Kura-Araxes period sites (1981).
8) What does the name mean?
It combines the Georgian words vashli (apple) and jvari (cross); English Wikipedia glosses it as “apple cross”. We found no reliable source on how the name arose.
9) Is there a historic monument nearby?
The hall church of Onadiri (Monadiri), dated to the 9th–10th centuries.
10) What was here in Soviet times?
Vineyards had been planted in the 19th century; in the Soviet period the Georgian Research Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking with its experimental base was founded here.
Sources
רחובות
Vashlijvari — 30 רחובות
רובעים סמוכים
Saburtalo — רובעים אחרים