The Aragvi (Georgian: არაგვი) and its basin are in Georgia on the southern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains. The river is 112 km (70 mi) long, and its basin covers an area of 2,740 km2 (1,060 sq mi).[3] The ground strata are mostly sandstone, slate, and limestone. The Zhinvali Dam and its 130 MW hydro-electric power station generate much of Georgia's power, and its construction in 1986 formed the Zhinvali Reservoir, upon whose north-western shores rises Ananuri castle with its 17th-century Church of the Assumption.
| Aragvi | |
|---|---|
 View upstream Aragvi River and along Tbilisi–Senaki–Leselidze highway (taken from around Jvari Monastery) | |
 | |
| Native name | არაგვი (Georgian) |
| Location | |
| Country | Georgia |
| Region | Caucasus |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Caucasus |
| • location | Gudauri, Mtiuleti, Georgia |
| • coordinates | 42°20′41″N 44°41′42″E / 42.34459°N 44.69502°E |
| • elevation | 1,045 m (3,428 ft)[1] |
| Mouth | flows into the Mtkvari (Kura) |
• location | Mtskheta, Georgia |
• coordinates | 41°50′24″N 44°43′34″E / 41.84003°N 44.72611°E |
• elevation | 445 m (1,460 ft)[2] |
| Length | 112 km (70 mi) |
| Basin size | 2,740 km2 (1,060 sq mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Kura→ Caspian Sea |
Confusion over name and course
editGiven its etymology (see below; the word simply means "river"), the exact course of the Aragvi River is the source of some confusion. The river has several important tributaries, all called "Aragvi":
The Tetri Aragvi ("White Aragvi")[4] flows from Gudauri down to the town of Pasanauri, where it is joined by the Shavi Aragvi ("Black Aragvi"),[5] the main river of Gudamakari to the north-east. Together, these two rivers continue as, simply, "the Aragvi"; from Pasanauri, the Aragvi flows south-east to the Zhinvali Reservoir, where it is joined by the Pshav Aragvi[6] (itself fed by the Khevsur Aragvi)[7] before flowing south to merge with the Mtkvari by Mtskheta, Eastern Georgia's ancient capital just north of Tbilisi.
Etymology
editAccording to Iranologist Anahit Perikhanian, the name of the river derives from Old Iranian *Aragv(ī), from Proto-Iranian *Ragvī-, the feminine form of *ragu- 'swift' (compare Sanskrit raghvī́, feminine of raghú 'rapid', and Armenian arag/erag 'rapid', an Iranian borrowing).[8]
Use and infrastructure
editThe 102 m (335 ft) high dam by Zhinvali is one of the largest in Georgia. Besides generating up to 130 MW of electricity, the waters of the Aragvi travel down a 36.7 km (22.8 mi) pipe to provide drinking water in Tbilisi and to irrigate fields.
Gallery
edit-
Zhinvali reservoir -
Ananuri castle -
Hydro-electric dam on the Aragvi -
The Source of The Aragvi River to the North of Gudauri
Notes
edit- ^ Soviet General Staff Maps, 1:50,000 series, sheet K-38-54-W
- ^ Soviet General Staff Maps, 1:50,000 series, sheet M-38-78-A
- ^ Statistical Yearbook of Georgia: 2020, National Statistics Office of Georgia, Tbilisi, 2020, p. 12.
- ^ Georgian: თეთრი არაგვი, tetri aragvi. Source: approx. 42°31'27.13"N, 44°24'2.40"E
- ^ Georgian: შავი არაგვი, shavi aragvi. Source: approx. 42°27'25.18"N, 44°42'40.80"E
- ^ Georgian: ფშავის არაგვი, pshavis aragvi. Source: approx. 42°23'57.01"N, 45°8'42.74"E
- ^ Georgian: ხევსურეთის არაგვი, khevsuretis aragvi. Source: approx. 42°33'45.75"N, 44°57'12.78"E
- ^ Perikhanian, A. G. (1993). Materialy k ėtimologicheskomu slovariu drevnearmianskogo iazyka. Chastʹ I Материалы к этимологическому словарю древнеармянского языка. Часть I [Materials for the etymological dictionary of the Old Armenian language. Part 1] (in Russian). Erevan: Izdatelʹstvo NAN Respubliki Armenii. p. 13.
