zemo svaneTi (mestiis raioni) saqarTvelos yvelaze maRalm-
Tiani dasaxlebuli raioni da Znelad misadgomi mxarea. is
qveynis Crdilo-dasavleT nawilSi, kavkasionis samxreT kalTebzea ganlagebuli. qedis am nawils `svaneTis kavkasionsac~ uwodeben. is gamoirCeva Tavisi silamaziT, maradiuli TovliT, yinuliT dafaruli mwvervalebiTa da Znelad gadasalaxi uReltexilebiT. misi mosazRvre regionebia: dasavleTiT afxazeTi, CrdiloeTiT ruseTis federacia, aRmosavleTiT qvemo svaneTi, xolo samxreTiT samegrelo.
regionis administraciuli centria daba mestia. igi zRvis
donidan 1400 metrze mdebareobs. mestiis raionis mosaxleobis
98% qarTvelia. maRali qedebiTa da mwvervalebiT Semosaz-
Rvruli mestiis raioni moqceulia enguris xeobaSi. mdinare
enguri Tavisi swrafi dinebiTa da ulamazesi bunebiT uamrav
turists izidavs.

mestiis raionis umaRlesi mwvervalebia: Sxara - saqarTvelos umaRlesi mwvervali (5068 m), gistola (4859 m), TeTnuldi (4851 m), uSba - msoflioSi erT-erTi rTulad dasaZlevi mwvervali (4700), ailama O(4546), Sxelda (4368 m).

istoriulad zemo svaneTi 12 Temisgan Sedgeboda, romelTac Camoyalibebuli yofa, Cvevebi da TavianTi saxalxo dResaswaulebi hqondaT. balzemoT 8 Temi iyo: latalis, lenjeris, mestiis, mulaxis, ifaris, kalis, uSgulisa da wvirmis, xolo balqvemoT - 4: cxumaris, beCos, ecerisa da faris.

svanebi uZveles iberiul-kavkasiuri warmoSobis mosaxleobas
warmoadgenen da miekuTvnebian qarTvelur eTnikur jgufebs,
msgavsi Taviseburebebis mqone eniTa da kulturiT; magram
radgan svanuri umwerlobo enaa, amitom svanebisaTvis saliteraturo erovnuli enad imTaviTve saerTo qarTuli ena iTvleboda.

Savi zRvispireTidan - dioskuriidan kavkasionis mwvervalebamde yofila gaSlili svanTa sabrZanebeli da toponimikaSic SemorCenilia im Soreuli warsulis kvali.

yvelaze adreuli cnoba svanTa Sesaxeb gvxvdeba berZen da
romael istorikosebTan - strabonTan ( Zv.w. 64/63 - ax.w. 23/24
ww) da pliniusTan ( ax.w. 23/24 ww.). berZeni mwerlebi svanebs `soanebs~, `soanidebs~ uwodebdnen. straboni svanebs ixseniebs rogorc `dioskuriis mTianeTSi mcxovreb tomTagan~ yvelaze Zliersa da mebrZols, romelTac 20 0000 kaciani laSqris Sekreba SeeZloT.

svanebs saukuneebis ganmavlobaSi uxdebodaT mtris mogerieba
da Tavis dacva. isini did Zalas warmoadgendnen saqarTvelos
mxedrobasa da jarSic. maT amay da udrek xasiaTze isic metyvelebs, rom bals zemo svaneTi ubatono iyo. skandinaviis msgavsad svaneTi da fSav-xevsureTi is mxareebia, sadac xalxma ar daidga monobis uReli. saukuneebis manZilze idga aq saqarTvelos simtkicis sveti, frialebda lomis saxe droSa, daviTisa da Tamaris droSis nawili. saukunidan saukunemde gaismoda am savaneSi ganTiadis simRera `riho~ da mzis sagalobeli `lile~.

mecniereba safuZvlianad varudobs, rom saqarTvelos uZvelesi
tomi Soreuli Sumeris monaTesavea. enilile xom SumerTa mzis
RmerTi iyo. laxamu SumerTa miwisqveSa wyalTa RmerTia.
svaneTSi ori sofeli atarebs am saxels. laxamus dedaa `igi~ -
dedamiwa, svanurad `gim~. Svidi aTasi welia ifurcleba svanTa
qarTuli tomis dauwereli matiane. saswaulia misi gadarCena
- miTis, sityvis, simReris saxiT.

svaneTs cocxal muzeums uwodeben. drom Semogvinaxa erovnuli
da ucxouri xelovnebis mravali nimuSi (italiuri jvari
ienaSis eklesiaSi, germanuli vercxlis fiala da siriuli Tasi
uSgulSi, kalas sasaniduri sura, jvrebi, medalionebi,
monetebi). svani oqromWedlebi, mxatvrebi, mSeneblebi adreul
SuasaukuneebSi Tavadac qmnidnen xeze kveTilobis, CuqurTmis,
xat-jvrebis, iaraRis, oqromWedlobis SesaniSnav nimuSebs.

svaneTis soflebi mWidrod, jguf-jgufadaa ganlagebuli mTebis
cicabo ferdobebsa da Rrma xeobebis ZirSi. maT Tavisebur saxes
uqmnis Zveleburi koSkiani sacxovrebeli kompleqsebi,
romlebic mTel svaneTSi aris gavrcelebuli, magram dRevandlamde, ZiriTadad, Tavisufal svaneTSi moaRwia. maTi ricxvi 200-mde aRwevs. svaneTis sacxovrebeli kompleqsebi feodalizaciis procesSi IX-X ss-Si Camoyalibda, Sedgeba orsarTuliani nagebobisa da masTan dakavSirebuli koSkisagan.
svanuri sacxovrebeli saxlis uZveles tipad mkvlevarni
cixe-saxls miiCneven, romlisTvisac vertikaluri dagegmarebaa
damaxasiaTebeli. koSkisagan gansxvavebiT igi ufro dabalia da
masiuri.

garda koSkiani sacxovrebeli kompleqsebisa, svaneTis soflebi
gamoirCeva Sua saukuneebis sakulto arqiteqturiT, romelic
qarTuli arqiteqturis organuli nawilia. aqve unda aRiniSnos,
rom qristianoba svaneTma 523 wels lazikasTan erTad
miiRo.

svaneTSi Sendeboda darbazuli, erTTaviani eklesiebi, zogjer
Sverili waxnagovani sakurTxevlis afsidiTa da minaSenebiT or
an sam mxares. yvelaze adrindeli eklesiebi IX-X ss. miekuTvneba. saSen masalad gamoyenebulia Sirimi, zogjer riyis dafleTili qva an fiqali. fiqlebiT iyo gadaxuruli eklesiebic. svaneTSi eklesiebi, saqarTvelos sxva raionebisagan gansxvavebiT, reliefuri CuqurTmiT araa Semkuli, eklesiis fasadebi sadaa da moxatulia fasaduri mxatvrobiT, rac Tavisebur saxes uqmnis svanur eklesiebs (fari, svifi, laRami, laSTxveri, CaJaSi). fasadTa moxatulobis siuJetebi sxvadasxvaa - bibliuri Temebi, svanebis saTayvanebeli wmindanebi, gvxvdeba saero Sinaarsis scenebic.

svaneTis TiTqmis yvela eklesia moxatulia. svaneTis kedlis
mxatvrobis Zeglebi, romlebic did qronologiur periods
moicavs, X-s-dan dawyebuli XVIII s-mde, mniSvnelovan masalas
gvaZlevs saqarTvelos monumenturi mxatvrobis istoriisaTvis,
asaxavs ra misi evoluciis sxvasasxva etaps, magram amasTanave
garkveuli TaviseburebebiTac xasiaTdeba, rac safuZvels
iZleva, gamoiyos adgilobrivi ferweruli skola, romelic
arsebobda saqarTvelos iseTi ferweruli skolebis gverdiT,
rogoric iyo tao-klarjeTis, daviT garejis samonastro da
centraluri raionebis sxva skolebi. Zvel ostatTa natif xelovnebaze naTlad metyvelebs svaneTis
mcire zomis darbazuli eklesiebis freskebi. sof. ifxis (XI),
wvirmis, ifraris, uSgulis lamarias (X-XIII) lagurkas (1111 w),
faris, laSTxveris, nakifaris (1130 w), macxvariSis (1140) eklesiebis moxatuloba icavs im stils, rasac swavlulni
svanuri skolis saxeliT moixsenieben. wminda giorgis kultTan
erTad sayuradReboa eriskacTa saxeebi, amiranisa da devis
brZolis scena da deisusi - monumenturi xelovnebis Sedevri ifrarisa da nakifaris sakurTxeveli.

svaneTis monumenturi mxatvrobis SesaniSnavi nimuSia sami moxatuloba, Sesrulebuli mefis mxatvris Tevdores mier,
romelic warmoSobiT svani iyo. esenia: ifraris (1096 w.), wminda kvirikes eklesia (1112 w.) da nakifaris (1130 w.) moxatulobani. meore svani mxatvris miqael maRlakelis mieraa xelmowerili maxcvariSis eklsiis kedlis mxatvroba (1140 w). svaneTSi daculia IX-XVI saukuneebis mravali ferweruli xati.
mxatvrobasTan erTad, svaneTis eklesiebma aseulobiT
ferweruli da Weduri xat-jvari, xelnawerTa da qsovilTa
umdidresi koleqcia Semogvinaxa. moxatul-moCuqurTmebulia svanuri eklesiis karebi (eceri, fari, latali), moWedilia xatebi. zemo svaneTis administraciul centrSi, daba mestiaSi, 1936 wlidan funqcionirebs svaneTis istoriul-eTnografiuli
muzeumi. muzeumi 4000-mde eqsponats Seicavs. qronologia mesame
aTaswleuliT iwyeba da Sedgeba arqeologiis, eTnografiisa da
Sua saukuneebis qristianuli xelovnebis unikaluri koleqciisagan. muzeumSi daculia bevri uZvelesi xelnaweri da marTlmadidebluri xati.

mestiis muzeumisa da svaneTis eklesiaTa Zvirfasi saganZuri
siwmindeebis raodenobiTa da maTi mxatvruli RirebulebiT
msoflioSi cnobili muzeumebis koleqciebs utoldeba.
Sua saukunebis svaneTis arqiteqturisa da saxviTi xelovnebis
Zeglebi da arqeologiuri masala mkafiod metyvelebs svani
xalxis mdidar kulturul warsulze. arqeologiuri gaTxrebis
Sedegad aRmoCenili Zv.w.aR-is VII-VI saukuneebiT daTariRebuli
gora-namosaxlari sofel ecerSi, agreTve sof. xaiSis,
Wuberis, farisa da uSgulis gora-namosaxlarebi gansakuTrebul interess imsaxurebs, radgan mdidar informacias iZleva ara marto adreantikuri dasaxlebis tipze, aramed svani xalxis religiur-miTologiur rwmena-warmodgenebzec.