Map - Qvareli Municipality (Q’varlis Munitsip’alit’et’i)

Qvareli (ყვარლის მუნიციპალიტეტი) is an administrative-territorial unit in eastern Georgia, in the northeastern part of the Kakheti region. Until 1917, the territory of Qvareli Municipality was included in Telavi Mazra of Tbilisi Governorate; with the administrative division of 1921, the territory of Qvareli Municipality was again assigned to Telavi Mazra. Since 1930, it has been formed as a separate district. Currently, it is a municipality. The city of Qvareli, located at the confluence of the Bursa and Duruji rivers, has been a city since 1964.

Area: 1000,8 km2.

Historical sources and archaeological field investigations have confirmed that there were ancient settlements in the territory of Qvareli municipality. At the State Museum of Academician Simon Janashia, archaeological items found in the area of present-day Shielda and Enisli, which belong to the Late Bronze Age, are preserved, and in the territory of Old Gavazi (now Akhalsofeli), Balghojiani and Gremi, household and war items of the ancient era are conserved. Gremi-Necresi area shelters ancient religious structures. The religious centre of this region was Nekresi, founded by King Pharnajom (2nd-1st century BC). In the 4th century, King Thrdat built a church here, where one of the Assyrian fathers, Abibos, settled in the 6th century. During his time, the episcopal diocese of Nekresi was founded (it existed until the 19th century). Nekresi was immediately given great importance. Nekresi Episcopal Diocese included not only Gaghmamkhari but also part of Dagestan (Didoeti). The monastery complex of Nekresi combines several monuments of Georgian architecture, of which the small basilica of the second half of the IV century is one of the oldest churches that have survived to this day in Georgia. The large three-church basilica belongs to the beginning of the 7th century. A tower was built for the bishop's two-story palace (8th-9th century, now in ruins) in the 16th century. On the monastery's territory, there are remains of residential and commercial buildings, small chapels and others.

In the XV-XVI centuries, the kingdom of Kakheti reached the peak of its power; during this period, its throne city was Gremi. The unique Gremi fortress with the Church of the Archangel, ruins, archaeological material and historical sources in the territory of Nakalakari confirm that it was one of the most important trades and economic centres of the feudal age Georgia. Manuscripts have been reproduced here since the 15th century. Important caravan routes passed through Gremi, including the "Silk Road", which connected China with the Mediterranean and Black Sea countries.

Though Gremi was the capital of Kakheti, very little information about its history, lifestyle and appearance has been preserved. However, the surviving buildings and archaeological material prove the strength and importance of the city. During the campaigns of Shah Abbas I of Iran in 1614-1616, Gremi was brutally attacked and turned into ruins. Since then, Gremi, as the throne city of Kakheti, existed for a while but could not restore its old glory. In 1667, a safer place for the throne city was identified, and King Archil chose Telavi as the capital of Kakheti, which was relatively safe from the constant attacks of the Dagestan feudal lords.

Areshi, or Arishi, was the name of the village in Qvareli municipality, on the territory of which today's village of Mtisdziri is located. It was a strategic point in ancient Hereti, on the trade route that connected Kartli and Kakheti to the interior regions of Albania in the early feudal times. A sheep road that used to take sheep to the mountains of Dagestan passed through Aresh and still passes today. According to "Matiane Kartlisai" at the beginning of the 10th century, the combined army of the Abkhaz king Constanti and Kvirike, the Chorebishop of Kakheti, defeated the army of Hereti, and according to the truce, Adarnase, the Patricius of Herteti, gave Orchobi to Kvirike, and Gavazni and Areshi to Constanti".

The material remains of the old glory - ancient strongholds and the ruins of carved churches - are preserved in abundance in this area. And to further glorify the name, it is enough that the people of Areshi, together with other nobles of Hereti, contributed to the unification of Georgia. Many sources and archaeological excavations have confirmed that there were essential settlements here.

There are many legends about the foundation and origin of Qvareli. According to one of the legends, the king, while hunting in Duruji swamps, enjoyed its surroundings, especially the place where Qvareli is situated now, and ordered: "This is a favoured place, and a village should be settled here." Based on historical sources, in the early centuries (IV century), mountainous Pshavis from the village of Kvara settled in the present territory of Qvareli; The settlers from Kvara were called Kvarlelis, and this name was also chosen for the settlement. Subsequently, this name underwent a change, and finally, the toponymal Qvareli was formed.