Sagarejo

Geography

The town of Sagarejo is located in the foothils of the southwestern slope of the Tsiv-Gombori Range, on the banks of the Tvaltkhevi river. It is located 30 km east of the capital Tbilisi, and is on the Tbilisi-Gurjaani highway. It is also located on the S5 highway leading to Baku in Azerbaijan.

Climate

| Jan record high C = 19.7 | Feb record high C = 20.8 | Mar record high C = 25.7 | Apr record high C = 31.5 | May record high C = 32.3 | Jun record high C = 33.8 | Jul record high C = 37.0 | Aug record high C = 39.0 | Sep record high C = 34.5 | Oct record high C = 30.2 | Nov record high C = 26.2 | Dec record high C = 20.5 | year record high C = 39.0 | Jan record low C = -11.5 | Feb record low C = -16.0 | Mar record low C = -6.4 | Apr record low C = -5.9 | May record low C = 1.7 | Jun record low C = 6.0 | Jul record low C = 8.7 | Aug record low C = 10.7 | Sep record low C = 4.4 | Oct record low C = -1.7 | Nov record low C = -7.8 | Dec record low C = -10.9 | year record low C = -16.0 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230903214743/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Georgia/CSV/Sagarejo_37556.csv | archive-date =3 September 2023 | access-date = 3 September 2023}}

History

The town is traditionally considered a chief settlement of the Gare-Kakheti area (Outer Kakheti). The settlement is first mentioned in written records in the 11th century under the name of Tvali, literally meaning "an eye". In the 17th century, Tvali belonged to the David Gareji monastery complex.

In the 19th century, the town came to be known as Sagarejo, i.e., "of Gareja", indicating that the area was owned by the David Gareja monastery. In 1933, Sagarejo became the center of the Sagarejo Municipality, formerly named the Garekakheti region. It acquired town status in 1962.

In 2023, the Sagarejo shooting killed four people and injured five others after a man opened fire from his apartment balcony. The perpetrator was identified as Nodar Atuashvili, a former soldier of the Defence Forces of Georgia who served from 2006 to 2021. He shot and killed a police officer before then committing suicide.

Demographics

According to the most recent 2024 census, the town has a population of 10,134 people.

Notable people

• Goga Bitadze (b. 1999), Georgian NBA player
• Levan Tediashvili (1948 – 2024), wrestler in the Georgian SSR

Gallery

File:View of Sagarejo and Gombori Range.jpg|View of Sagarejo and Gombori Range File:საგარეჯოს პეტრე-პავლეს ეკლესია.jpg|Sagarejo Peter and Paul Church File:Sagarejo kviratskhoveli church.jpg|Kviratskhoveli Church, presumably from the Middle Ages

References

References

1. "Population by regions". National Statistics Office of Georgia.
2. "Population - National Statistics Office of Georgia".
3. "Kakheti Region".
4. "6 dead, including police officer and suspect, after shooting in Georgia - National {{!}} Globalnews.ca".
5. (2023-01-20). "Six Killed, Including Shooter, In Shooting Spree In Georgia". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
6. "Population by regions". National Statistics Office of Georgia.
7. (2003). "საქართველოს მოსახლეობის 2002 წლის პირველი ეროვნული საყოველთაო აღწერის შედეგბი, ტომი I". [[National Statistics Office of Georgia]].
8. "Population by regions". National Statistics Office of Georgia.