On the Southern slopes of Meskheti range covered with coniferous forest is located a famous mountain climatic spa resort of Abastumani with the climate indispensable for prevention of pulmonary diseases. Spring season is especially wholesome when pine-trees start pollination. While breathing yellow dust gets into lungs and makes positive impact on them. Besides major treatment factor of the resort – climate, Abastumani is also famous for it hyperthermal, slightly mineralized springs (‘Goliath Spring’ – 48б5 degrees, ‘Snake Spring’ -42 degrees, ‘Suravandi Spring’ – 239 degrees), with total discharge of 1 million l/day. Mineral waters are used for treatment of numerous diseases. The area of modern-day resort of Abastumani in medieval Georgia was part of the densely populated town of Odzrkhe. From old times it was well-known for its therapeutic waters. In the words of Georgian geographer, since XVII century when Turks took over in Odzrkhe, this area was called Chemik-Bogaz (‘Chemik’ – warm in Turkish, ‘Bogaz’ – gorge). Today’s moniker presumably should be

linked with the family name of local nobles – Abazasdze. Scientific research of thermal mineral waters started from 70s of the XIX century. In sync with this, foundation was laid in development of Abastumani as a phthisiology resort. Chief of the Administration of Mineral Waters of Tbilisi Governorate, physician Adolf Remmert, should be credited for working out and implementing resort project, who also deserves credit for discovery of resort of Tsagveri. In the end of XIX century, for treatment of acute pulmonary diseases, a Grand Duke of Russia, Giorgi Aleksandrovich Romanov settled in Abastumani. A special treatment bathhouse of thermal waters and a palace were built where later on sanatorium ‘Meskheti’ was operated, while since 1994 St. Panteleimon Nunnery has made its home there. As the Grand Duke wished, in 1896-1899 St. Alexander Nevsky Church was erected in Abastumani which is a 19th-century small replica of the VIII-IX centuries Georgian cathedral of Zarzma. That is why it was called ‘Akhali (New) Zarzma’. The walls of the church were painted by a famous Russian artist, Mikhail Nesterov.

 

1. Settlement of Abastumani.

2. Abastumani Astrophysical Observatory is located on Mount Kanobili, 1650 m, 8 km away from Abastumani. Founded in 1932 under the auspices of Professor Evgeny Kharadze. It was the first Astrophysical Observatory in the former Soviet Union. The history of Observatory started in the end of XIX century: the Grand Duke Giorgi Romanov, taken by astronomy, invited to Abastumani his friend and astronomer,

Professor of St.Petersburg University, Sergey Glazenap. They erected a small dome near the palace of the Duke and installed in this structure a telescope brought by Glazenap from St.Petersburg. That is the story how the Grand Duke and Glazenap laid foundation to first

astronomic observations on the sky of Abastumani at nights. Employees of the Observatory 1935 discovered a stray stellar object #1390 which they called ‘Abastumani’.

 

Location: Southern slope of Meskheti (Adjara-Imereti) range, gorge of river Otskhe

Distance: 25 km from Adigeni, 28 km from Akhaltsikhe, 240 km from Tbilisi

Sea level: 1250-1450 m

Landscape: mountainous

Climate: middle mountain (lower belt), winter cold, snowy, mean temperature in January -6 degrees centigrade, snow cover stable, from mid-December until the end of the second decade of March; summer moderately warm, mean temperature in August 16 degrees centigrade

Average annual precipitation: 688 mm

Average comparative annual humidity: 77%

Annual average number of sunlight hours: 1967 h.

Natural treatment factor: mild climate of lower belt middle mountain and thermal, silicon acid, sulphuric-chloride, calcium-sodium mineral waters with general mineralization 0,6 g/dm3

Types of therapy: passive climate therapy, mineral water baths

Diseases for treatment: pulmonary TB in all phases of development, chronic and acute forms of pneumonopleuritis and lymphodenitis; bone and joints and peripheral nervous systems, as well as gynecological diseases.