Variani is a village in the Gori District of 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...

, about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from Gori

Gori, Georgia

Gori is a city in eastern Georgia, which serves as the regional capital of Shida Kartli and the centre of the homonymous administrative district. The name is from Georgian gora , that is, "heap", or "hill"...

. As of 2008, it had a population of 1,500.

Variani is best known for being the birthplace of Iakob Gogebashvili

Iakob Gogebashvili

Iakob Gogebashvili was a Georgian educator, children’s writer and journalist, considered to be the founder of the scientific pedagogy in Georgia...

 and the location of the Iakob Gogebashvili House Museum, being a border village to the 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....

 disputed territory, and being occupied by Russian forces in 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....

 until 8 October 2008.

Notable people

In addition to Iakob Gogebashvili

Iakob Gogebashvili

Iakob Gogebashvili was a Georgian educator, children’s writer and journalist, considered to be the founder of the scientific pedagogy in Georgia...

, who was born in Variani in 1841, the boxer Georgi Kandelaki

Georgi Kandelaki

Georgi Kandelaki is a former boxer and current boxing administrator...

 who won the 1997 World Amateur Boxing Championships

1997 World Amateur Boxing Championships

The Men's 1997 World Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Budapest, Hungary from October 18 to October 26. The ninth edition of this competition, a year after the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, was organised by the world governing body for amateur boxing AIBA...

 in the Superheavyweight category and competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics

Boxing at the 1996 Summer Olympics

-Qualification:The following tournaments were used as qualification tournaments for boxing at the 1996 Summer Olympics.Africa* All-Africa Games in Harare, Zimbabwe from September 13 to September 23, 1995* Qualification Tournament in April/May? 1996...

, was born on 10 April 1971 in Variani.