Tropical summer ,mils winters, exotic fruits, hot spicy dishes and unforgettable hosts – Samegrelo is a hard place to leave, located among the ravines created by the Rioni , Enguri and Tskhenitskali rivers and the Black Sea. The north side […]
Tropical summer ,mils winters, exotic fruits, hot spicy dishes and unforgettable hosts – Samegrelo is a hard place to leave, located among the ravines created by the Rioni , Enguri and Tskhenitskali rivers and the Black Sea.
The north side of Samegrelo is landlocked by the region of Svaneti and the Caucasus Mountains.
Samegrelo (Samarglo in Megrelian language and sometimes also called Megrelia or Mingrelia) is a historical geographical province in western Georgia , surrounded by Rioni , Tskhenitskaliand Enguri Rivers, as well as the Black Sea. The name originated from the historic Kingdom of Egrisi. Georgian written sources first mention the name Samegrelo in 12th C. Initially the province was identified with the whole of western Georgia (much like Abkhazeti or Imereti), but in the 13-15th C, it assumed a narrower meaning. The province is populated by an ethnic subgroup of Georgians -Megrels, largely concentrated between the rivers of Psirtskha (Anakodis Tskali) and Tskhenistskali. The central city in the province is Zugdidi.th the Middle Ages, Odishi principality was created on this area and the province was often mentioned by that name , although various foreign sources often used variations of the name Samegrelo. From the beginning of the 19th C. though, Samegrelo was once again and finally established as the only reference to the province. In the beginning of the 17th , as a result of Abkhaz feudals’ growing influence, the borders of the principality were first moved to Kelasuri River , later to Galidzgda River and finally to Enguri River.
According to the current administrative – territorial devision , Samegrelo is a part of Samegrelo- Zemo Svaneti region and includes Abasha , Zugdidi, Martvili, Senaki, Chkhorotsku, Tsalenjikha and Khobi municipalities, as well as the city Poti .
Samegrelo is rich in architectural and historical monuments