Khevi

Khevi is a small historical-geographic area in north-eastern Georgia. High in the pristine and wild Caucasus, visitors will discover proud communities and raw, powerful landscapes.

History

The name of this province, literally meaning "a gorge", comes from the early medieval district of Tzanaria. The people of Khevi are ethnic Georgians called Mokheves.

Khevi has long been of great strategic and military importance due primarily to its proximity to the Darial Pass which connects North Caucasus with Transcaucasia.

Free of typical feudal relations, they lived in a patriarchal community governed by a khevisberi (i.e. "gorge elder") who functioned as a judge, priest and military leader. When the area was placed under the control of the semi-autonomous Duchy of the Aragvi, it was met with fierce resistance by the communities, a story which has become famous in local folklore and classical Georgian literature. The people of Khevi retained their medieval traditions and a unique form of society until, under Soviet rule, many families were forcibly removed to the lowlands.