The Palace of Merkheuli (Georgian: მერხეულის მარღანიების სასახლე) is a ruined mansion in the village of Merkheuli in the Gulripshi municipality, Abkhazia, an entity in the South Caucasus with a disputed political status. It is commonly attributed to the Marghania (also known as Maan, Marghan), a clan of local nobles.[2]

The Palace of Merkheuli
Native name
Georgian: მერხეულის მარღანიების სასახლე
Merkheuli Palace is located in Abkhazia
Merkheuli Palace
Location of The Palace of Merkheuli in Abkhazia
Merkheuli Palace is located in Georgia
Merkheuli Palace
Merkheuli Palace (Georgia)
LocationGeorgia (country) Gulripshi Municipality, Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, Georgia[1]
Coordinates42°59′30″N 41°10′10″E / 42.99167°N 41.16944°E / 42.99167; 41.16944
AreaGulripshi Municipality

History edit

The ruins stand at the north-east outskirts of Merkheuli. It consists of a stone building on a small plateau — remains of a nobleman's "palace" — and a set of fortified walls and a small tower dominating a small stream defile leading to the building. The entire complex can roughly be dated to the 15th century.[3]

References edit

  1. ^ The political status of Abkhazia is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence from Georgia in 1992, Abkhazia is formally recognised as an independent state by 5 UN member states (two other states previously recognised it but then withdrew their recognition), while the remainder of the international community recognizes it as as de jure Georgian territory. Georgia continues to claim the area as its own territory, designating it as Russian-occupied territory.
  2. ^ Marghania Palace in Merkheuli village Historical monuments of Abkhazia — Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia.
  3. ^ Voronov, Y. N. (1978). В мире архитектурных памятников Абхазии [In the world of architectural monuments of Abkhazia] (in Russian). Moscow: Iskusstvo. p. 110.