Sadakhlo Explained

41.2389°N 44.7878°W

Sadakhlo
Native Name:სადახლო
Native Name Lang:ka
Pushpin Map:Georgia#Georgia Kvemo Kartli
Pushpin Mapsize:280px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Mkhare
Subdivision Name1:Kvemo Kartli
Subdivision Type2:Municipality
Subdivision Name2:Marneuli
Population As Of:2014
Population Total:7,337
Coordinates:41.2389°N 44.7878°W
Elevation M:430
Blank Name:Climate

Sadakhlo (Georgian: სადახლო, Azerbaijani: Sadaxlı) is a village in Georgia located in the southern part of country in the administrative territory of Marneuli Municipality (Kvemo Kartli Region) at the border with Armenia. The village is about 27km (17miles) south of the municipal center Marneuli and 50km (30miles) south of the capital Tbilisi. It is situated along the left bank of the Debeda river. Sadakhlo is the largest village in Georgia, and is the center of the eponymous administrative community (თემი, temi) that includes 4 other nearby villages: Burma, Tazakendi, Molaoghli, and Khuldara.[1]

The Sadakhlo market played a remarkable role in the interaction between Azerbaijanis and Armenians, in light of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Sadakhlo is almost entirely populated with Azerbaijanis, and is an important border town with Armenia. Since Georgia took a neutral stance in this conflict, it became a neutral territory in which both peoples could freely and safely interact with each other.[2]

Six kilometers west of Sadakhlo, in the village of Tsopi along the national route Sh37 to Akhkerpi, the ruins of the medieval Tsopi fortress are located there. This castle dates from the 5th-6th century.[3]

Population

The population of Sadakhlo village is 7,337 according to the 2014 census.[4] Apart from a few dozen people, the village is mono-ethnic Azerbaijani (99.8%).

Year 1897 1923 1939 1959 1970 1979 1989 2002 2014
Number- 1,839 - - 5,185 6,756 - 9,486 7,337
Data: 1923[5] 1970,[6] 1979,[7] Census 2002 and 2014 Note:

Transport

The road of international importance S7 (E001), the main road between Tbilisi and Yerevan (Armenia), passes through Sadakhlo. The Sadakhlo - Bagratashen border crossing is the most important of the four vehicular crossings between Georgia and Armenia. More than 1.2 million incoming travellers were registered in 2019.[8] This is 15.7% of all inbound travellers to Georgia. This also leads to additional investments in infrastructure. With European money the car bridge across the Debeda is being renovated and expanded to four lanes.[9]

There is a train station in Sadakhlo, which is on the Tbilisi - Gyumri - Yerevan railway line which opened in 1899. The railway runs along the village and crosses the border parallel to the S7. There are frequent night trains between Tbilisi and Yerevan. The station serves not only as a terminus for the Tbilisi - Sadakhlo commuter trains and stop for the international trains, but also as a border post for the latter. Nearly 3,400 passengers entered Georgia here in 2019.

From the center of Sadakhlo, the national route Sh37 heads west to Akhkerpi, which also has a border crossing to Armenia. It is Georgia's least used border crossing with 133 arriving travelers in 2019.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Main Results of the 2014 Census (Publication) . Census.ge, National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) . 343 . 2016-04-28 . 2022-03-24 . ka .
  2. Web site: Sadakhlo Neutral Zone for Armenian-Azerbaijani Contacts: Use of Trade as a Tool for Conflict Transformation . 2011-04-01 . 2022-03-24 . Journal of Conflict Transformation - Caucasus Edition . en .
  3. Web site: About Tsopi Fortress . 2022-03-24 . Georgian Travel Guide . en .
  4. Web site: All places: 2002, 2014 censuses . 2022-03-24 . Population Statistics Eastern Europe and former USSR . en .
  5. Web site: Ethnic composition rural Georgia 1923 . 2022-01-18 . Population Statistics Eastern Europe and former USSR . en .
  6. Web site: Ethnic composition of Georgia 1970 . 2022-01-18 . Population Statistics Eastern Europe and former USSR . en .
  7. Web site: Ethnic composition of Georgia 1979 . 2022-01-18 . Population Statistics Eastern Europe and former USSR . en .
  8. Web site: Georgian Tourism in Figures 2019 . 2021-12-01 . 2022-03-24 . Georgian National Tourism Administration . en .
  9. Web site: New Bridge on Debeda River in the Territory of Sadakhlo-Bagratasheni Checkpoint. Georoad. English. 2021-07-09. 2022-03-24.