Ambrolauri
Encyclopedia
Ambrolauri is a town in western Georgia
which serves as a regional
capital of Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti
and the center of the homonymous district. As of the 2002 census, it had a population of 2,500.
Ambrolauri is known from the 17th century when it served as one of the residences of the kings of Imereti
. Of this royal complex, only the ruins of a church and a tower have survived. In 1769, the Imeretian king Solomon I
granted this locale to the prince Zurab Machabeli
who erected a tower there, which is now known as the "Machabeli tower". Ambrolauri was officially granted the status of town in 1966. It was damaged by the 1991 Racha earthquake
.
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...
which serves as a regional
Mkhare
Mkhare is a subdivision in the country of Georgia. It is usually translated as region.The country is divided, according to the Presidential decrees from 1994 to 1996, into regions on a provisional basis until the secessionist conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia are resolved...
capital of Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti
Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti
Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti is a region in northwestern Georgia which includes the historical provinces of Racha, Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti . It covers an area of 4,954 km² and has a population of 50,969 . It is the most sparsely populated region in the country...
and the center of the homonymous district. As of the 2002 census, it had a population of 2,500.
Ambrolauri is known from the 17th century when it served as one of the residences of the kings of Imereti
Kingdom of Imereti
The Kingdom of Imereti was established in 1455 by a member of the house of Bagration when the Kingdom of Georgia was dissolved into rival kingdoms. Before that time, Imereti was considered a separate kingdom within the Kingdom of Georgia, to which a cadet branch of the Bagration royal family held...
. Of this royal complex, only the ruins of a church and a tower have survived. In 1769, the Imeretian king Solomon I
Solomon I of Imereti
Solomon I , of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was King of Imereti from 1752 to 1766 and again from 1768 until his death in 1784....
granted this locale to the prince Zurab 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....
who erected a tower there, which is now known as the "Machabeli tower". Ambrolauri was officially granted the status of town in 1966. It was damaged by the 1991 Racha earthquake
1991 Racha earthquake
The 1991 Racha earthquake occurred in the province of Racha, Georgia at 9:12 UTC on 29 April. Centered on the districts of Oni and Ambrolauri on the southern foothills of the Greater Caucasus mountains, it killed 270, left approximately 100,000 homeless and caused severe damage, including to...
.