Mestia
მესტია | |
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Townlet | |
Coordinates: 43°02′44″N 42°43′47″E / 43.04556°N 42.72972°E | |
Country | Georgia |
Mkhare | Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti |
District | Mestia |
Elevation | 1,500 m (4,900 ft) |
Population (2014)
[1] | |
• Total | 1,973 |
Time zone | UTC+4 (Georgian Time) |
Climate | Dfb [2] |
Mestia ( Georgian: მესტია IPA: [mestʼia]) is a highland townlet ( daba) in northwest Georgia, at an elevation of 1,500 metres (4,921 feet) in the Caucasus Mountains.
Mestia is located in the Svaneti region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti province ( mkhare), some 128 kilometres (80 miles) northeast of the regional capital of Zugdidi. Mestia and the adjoining 132 villages form Mestia District ( raioni). Its area is 3,044 square kilometres (1,175 sq mi); and its population is 9,316 (1,973 in the town itself), according to the 2014 Georgia census. It was granted the status of a townlet (Georgian: daba) in 1968.
Historically and ethnographically, Mestia has always been regarded a chief community of Zemo, or Upper Svaneti province. It was formerly known as Seti (სეტი). The population is mostly Svans, a cultural and linguistic subgroup of the Georgians. Despite its small size, the townlet was an important centre of Georgian culture for centuries and contains a number of medieval monuments, such as churches and forts, included in a list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Mestia is served by the Queen Tamar Airport, which is operated by the state-owned company United Airports of Georgia since 2010.
The townlet is dominated by stone defensive towers of a type seen in Ushguli and Mestia proper ("Svan towers"). A typical Svan fortified dwelling consisted of a tower, an adjacent house (machubi) and some other household structures encircled by a defensive wall.
Unique icons and manuscripts are kept in Mestia Historical-Ethnographic Museum. Mestia is also a centre of mountaineering tourism.
The town is the starting point for the popular Mestia- Ushguli trail. Most hikers complete this route in four days, sleeping in guesthouses or in local farmhouses. [3]
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43°02′44″N 42°43′47″E / 43.04556°N 42.72972°E
Mestia is the host of the International Short and Mountain film festival.