Tamarasheni
Encyclopedia
Tamarasheni is a former village in Georgia
, within the territory controlled by separatist South Ossetia
, some 0.5 km north of Tskhinvali
.
Per Georgian administrative division the village is in Shida Kartli
region. During the 2008 South Ossetia War
, the village was completely destroyed by the Ossetian forces and depopulated of its majority Georgian population. After the war, the South Ossetian regime included the former Tamarasheni territory in Tskhinvali as a "Moscow Microdistrict" inaugurated by the Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov.
The village is situated in the Great Liakhvi River valley. Tradition holds it that the modern-day village was founded by the medieval queen Tamar of Georgia
(1284-1212) as a small town. Hence, the settlement’s name, literally meaning "built by Tamar". It was formerly part of the late medieval Georgian princedom of Samachablo
(literally, "the estate of the Machabeli
[family]") and then of the former South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast
(abolished in 1990). Populated mostly by ethnic Georgians, the village lies within the ongoing Georgian-Ossetian conflict
zone, and remained under the Government of Georgia’s control till the 2008 South Ossetia War
.
Tamarasheni is a home to the Museum of the 19th-century Georgian writer and Shakespeare translator Ivane Machabeli
who was born there in 1854. The museum was severely damaged, on July 23, 1997, in a blast allegedly organized by local Ossetian separatists.
Most of the village's houses were destroyed during the 2008 South Ossetia War
by Ossetian militias.
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, within the territory controlled by separatist South Ossetia
South Ossetia
South Ossetia or Tskhinvali Region is a disputed region and partly recognized state in the South Caucasus, located in the territory of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic....
, some 0.5 km north of Tskhinvali
Tskhinvali
Tskhinvali , is the capital of South Ossetia, a disputed region which has been recognised as an independent Republic by Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Nauru, and is regarded by Georgia and the rest of the world as part of the Shida Kartli region within Georgian sovereign territory.It is located...
.
Per Georgian administrative division the village is in Shida Kartli
Shida Kartli
Shida Kartli is a region in Georgia. It consists of the following districts: Gori, Kaspi, Kareli, Java, Khashuri.The northern part of the region, namely Java, and northern territories of Kareli and Gori, is controlled by the authorities of the self-proclaimed republic of South Ossetia since...
region. During the 2008 South Ossetia War
2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
, the village was completely destroyed by the Ossetian forces and depopulated of its majority Georgian population. After the war, the South Ossetian regime included the former Tamarasheni territory in Tskhinvali as a "Moscow Microdistrict" inaugurated by the Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov.
The village is situated in the Great Liakhvi River valley. Tradition holds it that the modern-day village was founded by the medieval queen Tamar of Georgia
Tamar of Georgia
Tamar , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was Queen Regnant of Georgia from 1184 to 1213. Tamar presided over the "Golden age" of the medieval Georgian monarchy...
(1284-1212) as a small town. Hence, the settlement’s name, literally meaning "built by Tamar". It was formerly part of the late medieval Georgian princedom of Samachablo
Samachablo
Samachablo is a Georgian historical district in Shida Kartli, Georgia, which currently lies entirely within the disputed South Ossetia Region. The name Samachablo derives from the Georgian aristocratic family of Machabeli who once held possession of the area...
(literally, "the estate of the Machabeli
Machabeli
Machabeli was a Georgian princely house which held a large fiefdom in the province of Inner Kartli called Samachablo after their family name....
[family]") and then of the former South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast
South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast
The South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast was an autonomous oblast of the Soviet Union created within the Georgian SSR on April 20, 1922. Its autonomy was revoked on December 10, 1990 by the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian SSR, leading to the First South Ossetian War...
(abolished in 1990). Populated mostly by ethnic Georgians, the village lies within the ongoing Georgian-Ossetian conflict
Georgian-Ossetian conflict
The Georgian–Ossetian conflict refers to the ethno-political conflict in Georgia's autonomous region of South Ossetia, which evolved in 1989 and developed into a 1991–1992 South Ossetia War. Despite a declared ceasefire and numerous peace efforts, the conflict remains unresolved, and minor armed...
zone, and remained under the Government of Georgia’s control till the 2008 South Ossetia War
2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
.
Tamarasheni is a home to the Museum of the 19th-century Georgian writer and Shakespeare translator Ivane Machabeli
Ivane Machabeli
Prince Ivane Machabeli was a Georgian writer, journalist and public figure known for his resonant translations of Shakespeare....
who was born there in 1854. The museum was severely damaged, on July 23, 1997, in a blast allegedly organized by local Ossetian separatists.
Most of the village's houses were destroyed during the 2008 South Ossetia War
2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
by Ossetian militias.