Ossetians And Georgians In Kazbegi Region Historial And Cultural Issues

The article presents historical and ethno-cultural issues related to Georgian-Ossetian relations of Kazbegi Region. According to historical sources, Kazbegi region was originally inhabited by Georgian tribes - the Tsanars some of whom migrated to the eastern Georgian lowlands in the Principality of Kakheti. Later (the 13th -14th centuries) Tsanars were replaced by the ethnographic group of Georgian origin - Dvals; in the 17th century Ossetians penetrated to the source of the Tergi River and began to assimilate the Dvals who had migrated there. In the 19th century, as a result of ethnic processes, the area close to the upper reaches of the Tergi River (now Truso) were completely inhabited by Ossetians; below, the settlements from the village of Kobi to the village of Jaryah, were mostly inhabited by the Georgian Mountaineers, Mokheves.
Ossetians were fully integrated in the Georgian social-political space and actively participated in the ongoing processes. Integration of Ossetians into the Georgian world occurred naturally, which implied gradual assimilation of com-ponents of the Georgian material and spiritual culture.
Later the Russian Empire managed to entice hostile Ossetians and use them as a political weapon against Georgia’s interests. In the second half of the 20th century, Ossetian population almost completely moved to North Ossetia from today’s Kazbegi region due to the ecological, socio-political and economic fac-tors. However, some of the Ossetian organizations and political circles instigated by the Russian propaganda consider Kazbegi region as their historical homeland and declare political claims on the territory.