HISTORIC VILLAGE CENTER

A traditional Gurian settlement where old buildings, local history, and cultural landscape come together in one space.

Scattered around Chokhatauri, in many a courtyard, the old stone house still stands where wine was pressed every autumn — and that craft continues to this day.

Gurian village space differs from traditional settlements in other Caucasian regions. Houses are typically built from stone or a combination of timber and lime render, courtyards are generous, and the village centre — the church, the communal spring — is the natural gathering place of shared life.

Local vernacular architecture reflects the Gurian climate: given the high rainfall, houses were built with pitched roofs and wide verandas. This veranda — the belvedere — is the social heart of the household: families gather here on summer evenings, and it is here the supra is laid for any family occasion.

Today many such houses are a source of local pride. Walking through the village offers visitors not only visual impressions but direct contact — locals are happy to draw guests into the life of the courtyard.

Interesting fact

The traditional Gurian veranda — the belvedere — is not simply a balcony but a sub-household space where, in earlier times, different generations of a family might have lived simultaneously.

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Traditional Gurian village atmosphere