# Signagi > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Signagi > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Signagi.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signagi > Source revision: 1348858706 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Town in Kakheti, Georgia}} {{Infobox settlement | official_name = Signagi | native_name = სიღნაღი | image_skyline = Sighnagi 2009.jpg | image_caption = Signagi as seen from a nearby hill | imagesize = 280px | image_flag = | image_shield = | shield_size = 90px | pushpin_map = Georgia#Georgia Kakheti | pushpin_mapsize = 280 | pushpin_map_caption = Location in Georgia | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{Flag|Georgia}} | subdivision_type1 = [Mkhare (region)](/source/Mkhare) | subdivision_name1 = [Kakheti](/source/Kakheti) |subdivision_type2 = [Municipality](/source/List_of_municipalities_in_Georgia_(country)) |subdivision_name2 = [Signagi](/source/Signagi_Municipality) | leader_title = | leader_name = | established_title = | established_date = 1762 | area_total_km2 = | population_as_of = 2014 | population_total = 1,485{{cite web |url=http://www.geostat.ge/index.php?action=page&p_id=2152&lang=geo |title=მოსახლეობის საყოველთაო აღწერა 2014 |date=November 2014 |publisher=საქართველოს სტატისტიკის ეროვნული სამსახური |accessdate=7 November 2016}} | population_metro = | population_blank1_title = | population_blank1 = | population_density_km2 = | timezone = GET | utc_offset = +4 | timezone_DST = GET | utc_offset_DST = +4 | coordinates = {{coord|41|37|07|N|45|55|18|E|region:GE|display=inline}} | elevation_m = 836 | elevation_max_m = | elevation_min_m = 720 | postal_code_type = Postal code | postal_code = 4200 | area_code = +995 355 | website = https://visitsighnaghi.com | footnotes = {{cite web |url=https://nona.net/features/map/placedetail.1598871/Signagi/ |title=Signagi (Abashis Raioni, Georgia) |accessdate=2011-03-08}} | name = | population_est = 1,420{{cite web |url=https://geostat.ge/media/61960/1-3-population-by-cities-and-boroughs.xlsx |title=Population by regions |publisher=National Statistics Office of Georgia |access-date=29 April 2024 }} | pop_est_as_of = 2024 }} 290px|thumb|Street of Signagi 290px|thumb|City wall and gate '''Signagi''' or '''Sighnaghi''' ({{lang-ka|სიღნაღი}}) is a [town](/source/town) in [Georgia](/source/Georgia_(country))'s easternmost region of [Kakheti](/source/Kakheti) and the administrative center of the [Signagi Municipality](/source/Sighnaghi_Municipality). Although it is one of Georgia's smallest towns,{{in lang|ka}} [http://www.statistics.ge/_files/georgian/census/2002/mosaxleobis%20ricxovnoba%20da%20gansaxleba.pdf The 2002 Census results] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071124201121/http://www.statistics.ge/_files/georgian/census/2002/mosaxleobis%20ricxovnoba%20da%20gansaxleba.pdf |date=2007-11-24 }}, p. 47 ([PDF](/source/PDF) format). The Statistics Department of Georgia. Retrieved on April 1, 2007. Signagi serves as a popular tourist destination due to its location at the heart of Georgia's [wine](/source/Georgian_wine)-growing regions, as well as its picturesque landscapes, pastel houses and narrow, [cobblestone](/source/cobblestone) streets. Located on a steep hill, Signagi overlooks the vast [Alazani](/source/Alazani) Valley, with the [Caucasus Mountains](/source/Caucasus_Mountains) visible at a distance. == Etymology == The name of the town comes from [Old Turkic](/source/Old_Turkic_language) word of ''{{Lang|tr|syghynak}}'' ({{Langx|tr|sığınak}}, {{Langx|az|sığınacaq}}), meaning "shelter" or "asylum".{{cite book |first1=G. G. |last1=Beradze |first2=L. P. |last2=Smirnova |title=Материалы по истории ирано-грузинских взаимоотношений в начале XVII века |location=Tbilisi |publisher=Мецниереба |year=1988 |page=83 |language=ru |quote=Часто встречающееся в персидских источниках '''тюркское''' слово cикнак (сигнак) означает укрепленное место, укрытие, крепостное защитное сооружение. В отмеченном значении данное тюркское слово вошло и в другие языки, в том числе грузинский [238, с. 1091]. Нашло оно отражение и в грузинской топонимии, в частности в названии кахетинского города Сигнахи (ныне центр Сигнахского района Груз. ССР), возникшего во второй половине XVIII в. на месте былого укрепления…}} == History == Signagi is located in the [Kakheti](/source/Kakheti) region of Georgia, first settled in the [Paleolithic](/source/Paleolithic) period. Throughout its history, Signagi or Sighnaghi was known to the local population as Kambechovani, and later as Kisikhi or Kisiki. The word ''Sighnaghi'' in the [Turkic language](/source/Turkic_languages) means shelter or trench. Signagi as a settlement was first recorded in the early 18th century. In 1762, King [Heraclius II of Georgia](/source/Heraclius_II_of_Georgia) sponsored the construction of the town and erected a fortress to defend the area from [marauding attacks](/source/Lekianoba) by [Dagestani](/source/Dagestan) tribesmen. According to the 1770 census, 100 families, chiefly craftsmen and merchants, lived in Signagi. When Georgia was annexed by [Imperial Russia](/source/Imperial_Russia) in 1801, Signagi (Signakh) was officially granted town status and became a center of the [Signakh uezd](/source/Signakh_uezd) within the [Tiflis Governorate](/source/Tiflis_Governorate) in 1802. As result of the urbanization of Signagi, nearby [Nukriani](/source/Nukriani) developed as a suburban village of Signagi. In 1812, Signagi joined the rebellion with the rest of Kakheti against Russian rule. During the [Caucasian War](/source/Caucasian_War), the town "was considered an important point on account of its proximity to" Dagestan.{{cite book|last=Van Halen|first=Don Juan|authorlink=Juan Van Halen|title=Narrative of Don Juan Van Halen's Imprisonment in the Dungeons of the Inquisition at Madrid: And His Escape in 1817 and 1818|year=1828|publisher=J & J Harper|location=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/narrativedonjua00gutigoog/page/n266 269]|url=https://archive.org/details/narrativedonjua00gutigoog|quote=kahetia 1812.}} The town quickly grew in size and population and became an agricultural center in the [Soviet Union](/source/Soviet_Union). The severe economic crisis in [post-Soviet](/source/post-Soviet) Georgia heavily affected the town, but a major reconstruction project recently launched by the [Government of Georgia](/source/Politics_of_Georgia_(country)) and co-funded by several [international organization](/source/international_organization)s intends to both address an increasing tourist interest and modernize infrastructure.[http://www.sighnaghi.org.ge/english.html The official website of Signagi] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928080518/http://www.sighnaghi.org.ge/english.html |date=2007-09-28 }}. Retrieved on April 1, 2007. ===Armenians of Signagi=== Armenians once formed the vast majority of the population of Signagi. In 1851, there were 4,267 Armenians and 200 Georgians. By 1916, that majority had narrowed closer to 50-50, with 8,968 Armenians, 8,470 Georgians, and 224 people of other nationalities.{{Cite book |url=https://www.prlib.ru/item/417322 |title=Кавказский календарь на 1917 год |publisher=Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom |year=1917 |edition=72nd |publication-place=Tiflis |pages=206–213 |language=Russian |trans-title=Caucasian calendar for 1917 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104233151/https://www.prlib.ru/item/417322 |archive-date=4 November 2021}} In Signagi there were a few Armenian schools, including Surb Sahakyan School, Yerkser School, Lianozyan School, Surb Gevorg Co-ed School, Marinski School, Kaghakayin Yerkdasya School, and the Armenian Women's Sewing School. In 1903, across Signagi region, there were 498 Armenians attending school. There was an Armenian theatre group as well during this period.{{cite book |last1=Karapetyan |first1=Samvel |title=The Armenians in Kakhet |date=2004 |publisher=Gitutyun |location=Yerevan |isbn=580800585X |pages=224+24 |url=https://raa-am.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ՀԱՅԵՐԸ-ԿԱԽԵԹՈՒՄ.pdf |ref=armkakh}} There were a number of Armenian churches in Sgnagi which no longer function as Armenian churches. * Surb Karapet Church. Date of construction unknown, but it appears in records as early as 1788. By the 1840s it must have been in poor condition, because in 1847-1849 it was renovated. * Surb Gevorg Church (Saint George). Built in 1793. It was closed on January 22, 1924 by the then government and converted into a club. Now it functions as a Georgian Church. * There are records as early as 1796 of a third church, and a fourth church which there are records from 1818 of a house which had been blessed to function as a church. The house belonged to one Hovhannes Paremuzyantsi. On March 13, 1842 there was an application to build a Surb Astvatsatsin Church on the site but it was not built due to certain complications. == Geography and climate == The town has an area of 2.978 ha with 24.3% being residential. Signagi is approximately 113 km southeast of [Tbilisi](/source/Tbilisi), the capital of Georgia. Signagi District is adjacent, on the town’s east and southwest sides. Signagi is situated in the eastern foothills of the [Gombori Range](/source/Gombori_Range), a watershed between the [Iori](/source/Iori_River) and [Alazani](/source/Alazani_River) valleys, in a productive agricultural and [fruit-growing](/source/horticulture) region. At an elevation of about 790 m above sea level, the town overlooks the Alazani Valley and faces the [Greater Caucasus](/source/Greater_Caucasus) mountains. Signagi has a mild Mediterranean-like climate. There are four seasons, with winters being moderately cold while summers can be hot. The highest average temperature is in July at 24.3°C while the lowest average temperature is in January at 0.2°C. Average annual precipitation ranges from 602.1 to 949.7 [mm](/source/Millimetre), with the heaviest occurring during the spring months and early summer. == Culture and attractions == Signagi and its environs are home to several historical and cultural monuments and have been specifically protected by the State since 1975. The town is walled with the remnants of 18th-century fortifications. There are two [Georgian Orthodox](/source/Georgian_Orthodox_Church) churches in the town itself - one dedicated to [St. George](/source/St._George) and the other to [St. Stephen](/source/St._Stephen). The venerated [Bodbe Monastery](/source/Bodbe_Monastery) is located 2 kilometers from Signagi and is a place of pilgrimage due to its association with [St. Nino](/source/St._Nino), the 4th-century apostle of Georgia. The local Ethnographic and Archaeological Museum dating from the 1950s was upgraded and developed into a modern-standard exhibition the – [Signagi Museum](/source/Signagi_Museum) – in 2007.[http://www.museum.ge/web_page/index.php?id=76 Signagi Museum] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721030744/http://www.museum.ge/web_page/index.php?id=76 |date=2011-07-21 }}. [Georgian National Museum](/source/Georgian_National_Museum). Retrieved on December 14, 2007. Signagi is known as the "City of Love" in Georgia, with many couples visiting it just to get married.{{Cite web|url=https://www.advantour.com/georgia/sighnaghi.htm|title=Sighnaghi, Georgia|website=Advantour}} ==Notable people== *[Gevorg Bashinjaghian](/source/Gevorg_Bashinjaghian), painter *[Otar Chiladze](/source/Otar_Chiladze), writer *[Tamaz Chiladze](/source/Tamaz_Chiladze), writer *[Dimitri Jorjadze](/source/Dimitri_Jorjadze), nobleman, hotel executive and racing driver *[Vano Sarajishvili](/source/Vano_Sarajishvili), singer *[Bidzina Kvernadze](/source/Bidzina_Kvernadze), composer ==See also== * [Kakheti](/source/Kakheti) * [Nukriani](/source/Nukriani) *[Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti](/source/Kingdom_of_Kartli-Kakheti) == References == {{reflist}} *Rosen, Roger. ''Georgia: A Sovereign Country of the Caucasus.'' Odyssey Publications: Hong Kong, 1999. {{ISBN|962-217-748-4}} == External links == {{Commons category|Sighnaghi}} *[http://www.visitsignagi.com/ Promotional website of Signagi], State Department of Tourism and Resorts of Georgia, 2008. *[https://archive.today/20070617132107/http://www.iesc.ge/index.php?article_id=272&clang=0 Government Looks to Make Signaghi a Top Tourist Destination]. ''[Georgian Business Week](/source/Georgian_Business_Week)''. June 4, 2007. Retrieved from ''The SME Support Project'' website, December 15, 2007. {{Wikivoyage-inline}} {{Cities and towns in Georgia (country)}} {{Authority control}} Category:Cities and towns in Kakheti Category:Tiflis Governorate --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Signagi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signagi) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signagi?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.