Tskhinvali
Tskhinvali
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From the top, View over Tskhinvali,Parliament Building,St. Astvatsatsin Church | |
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  Tskhinvali Location of Tskhinvali  Tskhinvali Tskhinvali (Shida Kartli)  Tskhinvali Tskhinvali (Georgia) | |
| Coordinates:42°13′30″N43°58′12″E/ 42.22500°N 43.97000°E | |
| Country |  Georgia |
| De factostate |  South Ossetia[1] |
| Mkhare | Shida Kartli |
| District | Tskhinvali |
| Established | 1398 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 17.46 km2(6.74 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 860 m (2,820 ft) |
| Population (1 January 2019) | |
| • Total | 32,180[2] |
| Time zone | UTC+3(Moscow time) |
| Climate | Dfb |
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Tskhinvali(Georgian:ცხინვალი[ˈt͡sʰχinʷali]) orTskhinval(Ossetian:Цхинвал, Чъреба,romanized:Cxinval, Čreba,Ossetian pronunciation:[t͡sχinˈvɒɫ,ˈt͡ʃʼɾʲebɑ];Russian:Цхинвал(и),romanized:Tskhinval(i),[tsxʲɪnˈval(ʲɪ)]) is the capital of the disputedde factoindependentRepublic of South Ossetia,internationally considered part ofShida Kartli,Georgia(except by theRussian Federationandfour other UN member states). Tskhinvali Region, known historically asSamachablo,was always part of the Georgian state as a single military and administrative entity.[3][neutralityisdisputed]It is located on theGreat Liakhvi Riverapproximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) northwest of the Georgian capitalTbilisi.
Name
[edit]The name ofTskhinvaliis derived from theOld GeorgianKrtskhinvali(Georgian:ქრცხინვალი), from earlierKrtskhilvani(Georgian:ქრცხილვანი), literally meaning "the land ofhornbeams",[4][5]which is the historical name of the city.[6]Seeცხინვალიfor more.
From 1934 to 1961, the city was namedStaliniri(Georgian:სტალინირი,Ossetian:Сталинир), which was compilation ofJoseph Stalin's surname with Ossetian word "Ir" which meansOssetia.ModernOssetianscall the cityTskhinval(leaving off the final "i", which is anominative caseending in Georgian); the other Ossetian name of the city isChreba(Ossetian:Чъреба) which is only spread as acolloquialword.[7]The name Chreba comes from theGeorgianḲreba(Georgian:კრება), literally meaning "gathering" due to the city historically serving as a trading point.[8]
History
[edit]The area around the present-day Tskhinvali was first populated back in theBronze Age.The unearthed settlements and archaeological artifacts from that time are unique in that they reflect influences from bothIberian(east Georgia) andColchian(west Georgia) cultures with possibleSarmatianelements.
Tskhinvali was first chronicled by Georgian sources in 1398 as a village inKartli(central Georgia) though a later account credits the 3rd century AD Georgian kingAspacures II of Iberiawith its foundation as a fortress. By the early 18th century, Tskhinvali was a small "royal town" populated chiefly by monastic serfs. Tskhinvali was annexed to theRussian Empirealong with the rest of eastern Georgia in 1801. Located on atrade routewhich linkedNorth Caucasusto Tbilisi andGori,Tskhinvali gradually developed into a commercial town with a mixedGeorgian Jewish,Georgian,ArmenianandOssetianpopulation. In 1917, it had 600 houses with 38.4%Georgian Jews,34.4% Georgians, 17.7% Armenians and 8.8% Ossetians.[9]
The town sawclashesbetween Georgian People's Guard and pro-BolshevikOssetian peasants during the 1918–20 period, when Georgia gainedbrief independencefrom Russia.Sovietrule was established by theinvadingRed Armyin March 1921, and a year later, in 1922, Tskhinvali was made a capital of theSouth Ossetian Autonomous Oblastwithin theGeorgian SSR.Subsequently, the town became largely Ossetian due to intense urbanisation and SovietKorenizatsiya( "nativization" ) policy which induced an inflow of the Ossetians from the nearby rural areas into Tskhinvali. It was essentially an industrial centre, with lumber mills and manufacturing plants, and had also several cultural and educational institutions such as a venerated Pedagogical Institute (currently Tskhinvali State University) and a drama theatre. According to the lastSoviet census(in 1989), Tskhinvali had a population of 42,934, and according to the census of Republic of South Ossetia in 2015, the population was 30,432 people.
During the acute phase of theGeorgian-Ossetian conflict,Tskhinvali was a scene of ethnic tensions and ensuing armed confrontation between Georgian and Ossetian forces. The 1992Sochiceasefire accord left Tskhinvali in the hands ofOssetians.
Russo-Georgian War
[edit]
A considerable part of the population of South Ossetia (at least, 30,000 out of 70,000) fled intoNorth Ossetia–Alaniaprior or immediately after the start of the 2008 war.[10]However, many civilians were killed during the shelling and the followingBattle of Tskhinvali(162 civilian deaths were documented by the Russian team of investigators[11]and 365 – by the South Ossetian authorities[12]). The town was heavily damaged during the battle due to extensive shelling by theGeorgian Army.Andrey Illarionovvisited the town in October 2008, and reported that Jewish Quarter indeed was in ruins, though he observed that the ruins were overgrown with shrubs and trees, which indicates that the destruction took place during the1991–1992 South Ossetia War.[13]However,Mark Ames,who was covering the last war forThe Nation,stated that Tskhinvali's main residential district, nicknamed Shanghai because of its population density (it's where most of the city's high-rise apartment blocks are located), and the old Jewish Quarter, were completely destroyed.[14]
Geography
[edit]Climate
[edit]Located in theCaucasus,at 860 metres (2,820 ft) above sea level, Tskhinvali has ahumid continental climate(Köppen:Dfb), with an average annual precipitation of 805 millimetres (31.7 in). Summers are mild and winters are cold, withsnowfalls.
| Climate data for Tskhinvali | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.9 (35.4) |
3.3 (37.9) |
7.8 (46.0) |
14.2 (57.6) |
19.5 (67.1) |
22.8 (73.0) |
25.2 (77.4) |
25.4 (77.7) |
21.2 (70.2) |
15.8 (60.4) |
8.7 (47.7) |
4.0 (39.2) |
14.2 (57.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.6 (27.3) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
2.8 (37.0) |
8.1 (46.6) |
13.3 (55.9) |
16.6 (61.9) |
19.1 (66.4) |
19.2 (66.6) |
14.9 (58.8) |
9.9 (49.8) |
4.1 (39.4) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
8.6 (47.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −7.1 (19.2) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
2.0 (35.6) |
7.2 (45.0) |
10.4 (50.7) |
13.1 (55.6) |
13.0 (55.4) |
8.6 (47.5) |
4.1 (39.4) |
0.5 (32.9) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
3.2 (37.8) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 46 (1.8) |
46 (1.8) |
52 (2.0) |
74 (2.9) |
97 (3.8) |
97 (3.8) |
75 (3.0) |
66 (2.6) |
60 (2.4) |
68 (2.7) |
65 (2.6) |
59 (2.3) |
805 (31.7) |
| Source: Climate-data.org[15] | |||||||||||||
Present
[edit]
Currently, Tskhinvali functions as the capital ofSouth Ossetia.Before the 2008 war it had a population of approximately 30,000.[citation needed]The town remained significantly impoverished in the absence of a permanent political settlement between the two sides in the past two decades.
On August 21, 2008, a world-known[16]Russian conductor and director of theMariinsky Theatre,of Ossetian origin,Valery Gergievconducted a concert near the ruined building ofSouth Ossetian parliamentin memory of the Ossetian victims of theRusso-Georgian War.[17]
Transport
[edit]There was a railway service before 1991 at theTskhinvali Railway stationconnecting the city withGori.
International relations
[edit]Twin towns and Sister cities
[edit]Tskhinvali is twinned with the following cities:
Notable people
[edit]- David Baazov,founder of theZionistmovement in Georgia
- Kakhi Kakhiashvili,Olympic Champion weightlifter
- Arsen Kasabiev,weightlifter
- Vadim Laliev,former professional wrestler representing Armenia and Russia
- Temo Svirely,artist
- Guram Tskhovrebov,football player
- Irakli Okruashvili,a Georgian politician and a formerGeorgian Defence Minister
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^South Ossetia's status is disputed. It considers itself to be an independent state, but this is recognised byonly a few other countries.TheGeorgiangovernment and most of the world's other states consider South Ossetiade jurea part of Georgia's territory.
- ^Статистический сборник за январь-июнь 2019 г.Entry from September 4, 2019 on the websiteugosstat.ru.Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^"Information on Tskhinvali/South Ossetia Region".Archived fromthe originalon 2023-10-15.
- ^(in Russian)Словарь географических названий.
- ^Bedoshvili, Guram (2002).Etymological-Explanatory Dictionary of Georgian Toponyms.Tbilisi: Bakur Sulakauri Publishing. p. 479.
- ^(in Russian)ИСТОРИЯ ЦАРСТВА ГРУЗИНСКОГО( "History of theGeorgian Kingdom"), Вахушти Багратиони. Retrieved fromvostlit.infoon 24. August, 2008.
- ^The Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (UK) (2007)"Georgia: a toponymic note concerning South Ossetia".
- ^Натиев, Ф. (1873)."Цхинвали"(PDF).Кавказъ(in Russian) (36). Тифлисъ: 1f.
- ^"Цхинвали. Электронная еврейская энциклопедия".2006-07-04.Retrieved21 August2015.
- ^United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees."UNHCR – UNHCR secures safe passage for Georgians fearing further fighting".UNHCR.Retrieved21 August2015.
- ^"Мы полагаем, что мы в полной мере доказали состав преступления - Пресс-центр - Интерфакс".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-05-16.Retrieved2012-04-02.
- ^"Список погибших жителей Южной Осетии".Retrieved21 August2015.
- ^Илларионов Андрей."Эхо Москвы:: Разворот Ситуация в Южной Осетии и Грузии: Андрей Илларионов".Эхо Москвы.Retrieved21 August2015.
- ^"How To Screw Up A War Story: The New York Times At Work – By Mark Ames – The eXiled".Retrieved21 August2015.
- ^"Climate: Tskhinval".Retrieved2 December2014.
- ^"Life and tempo of a maestro".The Sydney Morning Herald.28 September 2006.
- ^"South Ossetians enjoy requiem concert in shattered capital".The Guardian.August 21, 2008.Retrieved4 May2021.
- ^"Архангельск и Цхинвал могут стать городами-побратимами".Российская газета.December 22, 2008.
- ^"Архангельская область восстанавливает югоосетинскую 5-ю школу - KP.RU".
- ^"АРХАНГЕЛЬСК - ЦХИНВАЛ: ДРУЖБУ УКРЕПЛЯЕТ СПОРТ".АРХАНГЕЛЬСК - ЦХИНВАЛ: ДРУЖБУ УКРЕПЛЯЕТ СПОРТ.
- ^"Сообщение пресс-службы Министерства иностранных дел Республики Южная Осетия | Министерство иностранных дел".
External links
[edit]
Sites
[edit]- Site of Tskhinvali:information, news, video, photos, etc. – www.chinval.ru
Pictures
[edit]- Casualties in South OssetiafromHuman Rights Watch
- Tskhinvali after the warfromRIA Novosti
- 13 Aug 2008: Pictures of destroyed Tskhinvali after shelling of the city by Georgian troops on 8 Aug 2008fromOsinform
- "Kvartals old Tskhinval (photo)" («Кварталы старого Цхинвала (фото)»)– OSinform.ru
References
[edit]- Tsotniahsvili, MM. (1986).History of Tskhinvali(in Georgian). Tskhinvali.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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