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A small wooden cabin with smoke billowing from its chimney sits at the foot of a windswept hill dotted with lambs. Inside is a large iron cauldron, worn from centuries of use and smothered by flames. As its interior bubbles, mountain barley and wild hops combine to create a deliciously sweet, tart and cloudy beer known as aludi.
Gathered around the cauldron is a group of men who have remained in this same cabin every year, on this same day, for as long as they can remember. In charge of everything is a specially chosen shulta who oversees the sacred process. Brewing aludi beer together is part of their unofficial brotherhood and a sacred preparation for the upcoming festival.
Soon this special drink will be used to mark the beginning of Atnigenobaa two-week-long festival in the Tusheti region of northeastern Georgia that is filled with pagan ram sacrifices, shrine worship, folk dances, and fiercely competitive horse races.
Hidden deep in the mountains that divide Georgia from its Chechen and Dagestan neighbors, Tusheti is only accessed by a long, narrow gravel road that rises 10,000 feet above the gorges below.
It is a wild and untamed treasure hidden on the border of Europe.
Plagued by heavy snowfall during the long winters, the tourist season is brief and the region is only accessible 4 to 5 months of the year, but it is a paradise for hikers looking to explore new territories.
Tusheti is characterized by its impressive landscape and long-lasting folk traditions, especially in the artistic field. Its strong herding history means wool textiles reign supreme, especially cozy knit booties and elaborate rugs with bold geometric patterns.
Come October, only a handful of locals remain in Tusheti. Prepared for a long and harsh winter, they will be completely isolated from the outside world, completely abandoned in nature. Irakli Khvedaguridze is the only licensed doctor in the region who, at 80 years old, relies solely on his ingenuity, his horse and a pair of trusty homemade skis to care for his medical needs year-round.
It's not just locals who stage a mass exodus each fall, either. Long before the road to Tusheti was built in the 1980s, the only way in or out was on foot or horseback, a reality that local herders have long known.
As winter approaches, flocks of tens of thousands of sheep led by lowland-bound shepherds begin their journey south, where they will graze on sunny plains during the colder months. And with the first thaw of spring, they will begin the annual odyssey back to their homeland.
Herding is not only a primary source of income for Tushetian men, but also a means of connection to their land and heritage. As more and more Tushetians trade the peaceful but primitive mountain lifestyle for more modern opportunities in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, and beyond, traditional crafts such as herding have become a source of pride.
In the heart of the region is Omalo. Crowned by Keselo Fortress and spread among horse-dotted meadows, quaint guesthouses and the occasional screeching rooster, Omalo is the designated gateway to Tusheti.
It's also here that many nature-hungry hikers set out to complete one of Georgia's most famous multi-day hikes: from Omalo to Shatili, a medieval fortified village deep in the Arghuni Gorge. The five-day trek connects Tusheti with neighboring Khevsureti, another isolated mountain region and a medieval treasure, via an ancient shepherd's path.
Dartlo extends from the Pirikiti Valley to the banks of the Alazani River. Not far from Omalo, this quiet and sleepy old village is characterized by its defense towers and neatly stacked stone houses. On the outskirts of the village lies a shell of church ruins with bushes sprouting from its sandstone, its cream-coloured façade returning to the nature from which it emerged.
In a small clearing behind the ruins is a set of peculiar looking stones; Arranged in a semicircle of 12, with two additional ones in the centre, what looks like a micro version of Scotland's prehistoric Ring of Brodgar is actually a 15th century courthouse.
This traditional court, known as Sabtcheo, was where accused criminals were tried; Their sentences often banished them from the village and exiled them to the Tusheti desert. Stranded on the slopes above Dartlo, the village of Kvavlo makes for a great (albeit steep) afternoon hike.
cheese and socks
Shenako is situated among green pastures, with herds of lazily grazing cattle and humble houses with ornate wooden balconies. Towering above the small village is St. George's Church, a detail that would easily go unnoticed in the lowlands, but not in Tusheti. In a region where stone shrines outnumber churches by hundreds, St. George's seems a rare relic.
Diklo is reached from Shenako by a winding dirt road or an overgrown trail through dense forests that extend over one or two mountains. Just a couple of peaks away from Russia's Dagestan region, the town's hilltop ruins overlook a handful of shrines, lonely shepherd huts and houses scattered across the landscape.
The last house has a cheerful, rosy-cheeked woman known locally as Masho Bebo (Grandma Masho) placing pieces of fresh cheese to age on the rafters of her balcony. Dancing in the wind is a collection of colorful wool socks, hand-knitted by Masho Bebo as a souvenir for tired hikers passing through the village.
Tushetian traditions and culture have been shaped by their extreme isolation and ancient superstitions. Arguably, nothing is more representative of Tushetian culture than the countless khati (stone shrines) and salotsavi (sacred spaces) scattered throughout its landscape. Piles of carefully placed stones adorned with animal skulls and long, curly bovine horns can be found everywhere. Some allow women, many do not, but all are revered for the deity they symbolize.
Tusheti toes the line between Orthodox Christianity and local pagan traditions with a pronounced emphasis on the deceased. Near the end of August each year it is mariamoba – a holiday dedicated to both Saint Mary and her deceased loved ones. It is a time of setting the table for those who are no longer here, both in the recent and distant past.
A few months later, in December, those brave enough to stay will gather to celebrate. Mzebudoba, the solstice and the beautiful winter stillness that will guide you towards a fertile spring. Warmed only by their stoves and crackling wood-fired ovens, the women of Tusheti prepare ritual cakes and breads such as kada and machati which will serve as offerings to a mix of ancient gods, Orthodox saints and deceased ancestors. A single plate of khatvisi (a traditional shepherd's dish of boiled curd and butter), accompanied by a chalice of aludi, a few machati and a lit candle should be placed in the window that receives the first rays of the sun.
Goblins and demons
Although it is often forgotten, Kdini January is when goblins and demons wreak havoc. Like Halloween and the Day of the Dead, Kdini It is a moment when the veil between worlds thins. But instead of carving pumpkins or creating colorful offerings, some locals take to the woods to sminaoba where they will eagerly listen to any familiar voice that attempts to contact them from beyond.
Harsh winters and a cloistered existence have created a local cuisine based on pastoral dairy products, hot soups, hearty meats and buttery breads filled with salty cheese or creamy potatoes. While restaurants, bars and cafes are few and far between, local guesthouses are often happy to set a table with their favorites for their travellers.
At Guesthouse Gere, a charming half-timbered family home off a lonely dirt road in Omalo, two women in aprons are hard at work; Despite the low temperatures, they are sweating.
One of the women is rolling out the dough into palm-sized discs with an old glass bottle the same color as the emerald garden the house overlooks. The other carefully stacks the discs with freshly cut minced sheep meat before quickly folding their edges into perfect folds.
Just an elbow away is a large bubbling pot ready to welcome them by the dozens: it's a kitchen tango. While its ingredients are much simpler than its lowland counterpart, Tushetian khinkali the meatballs are just as delicious; especially washed down with a drink of chachaa powerful Georgian spirit made from the pulp left over from wine making.
Other staple foods of Tushet include kotoria thinner version of khachapuri filled with spicy curd cheese and a generous amount of dairy fat; khavtisi, a dish of boiled curd and butter, also known as Tushetian fondue; and guda, a cheese named not after Dutch Gouda, but after the sheepskin sack in which it is aged. One of the shepherds' favorites is khaghilong strips of meat (often sheep, goat or game) that have been meticulously brined and sun-dried to create what can only be described as Tushetian jerky.
Despite the long history of winemaking in Georgia, beer in Tusheti seems to be a local novelty. Made with mountain barley and wild hops, aludi It is deliciously tart and sweet and takes on a hazy orange hue.
Everything in Tusheti is rooted in tradition and aludi is not an exception. Although tourists can drink it casually, for Tushetians beer is sacred: it is always present during rituals, parties, festivals, funerals, etc. However, all said and done, nothing warms the soul as much as a cup of kondaris chaia local tea made with wild thyme or savory (sometimes both).
