Kartli

               Kartli  is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari (Kura), 

on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role in the ethnic and political consolidation of the Georgians in the Middle Ages. Kartli had no strictly defined boundaries and they significantly fluctuated in the course of history. After the partition of the kingdom of Georgia in the 15th century, Kartli became a separate kingdom with its capital at Tbilisi. The historical lands of Kartli are currently divided among several administrative regions of Georgia.

                     The Georgians living in the historical lands of Kartli are known as Kartleli and comprise one of the largest geographic subgroups of the Georgian people. Most of them are Eastern Orthodox Christians adhering to the national Georgian Orthodox Church and speak a dialect, which is the basis of the modern Georgian literary language.

National Clothing in Georgia

              The traditional costumes in Georgia were formed by the influence of nature and way of life in this country. Every man was a warrior, a farmer and a shepherd at the same time. And every woman was a housewife. 

                  Traditional men's costumes in Georgia consist of an undershirt (it is named "piranha"), underpants "sheidishy", wide trousers "sharvali" and a kind of jacket named chokha. Chokha is the most interesting and iconic Georgian piece of clothing. It is made of wool (black, gray, white, blue, red or brown fabric), it has long sleeves and laps, and it must have a belt with a stiletto on it. Also, chokha always has bandoliers on both sides of the chest, spaces filled with bullet-like decorations, they're called Masri. The color of chokha tells about the man's place in society.

               Traditional women's clothing in Georgia is very beautiful. It is a long dress called "kartuli", tightly belted, with ornate bodice and long laps. The belt is beautifully decorated, almost floor-length. 

Georgian headdress needs special attention. It consists of "lechaki" triangle white veil of tulle, "kopi" thin bolster made of silk and cotton, "chikhta" cardboard rim sewed with velvet. 

                  If to talk about shoes, rich people (men and women) used boots on high heels named "koshi", soft shoes without heels named "mesti", or high leather boots named "tsagi". Poor people used "basts", shoes made of rawhide leather.