Akhaltsikhe

Akhaltsikhe, formerly known as Lomsia, is a city in Georgia's southwestern region of Samtskhe–Javakheti. It is the administrative center of the Akhaltsikhe Municipality and the Samtskhe–Javakheti region. In 2024, by census reports, the city has a population of 17,287 people. The city lies at an elevation of approximately 1,000 meters in the Akhaltsikhe Basin. It is situated on both banks of the small river Potskhovi, which divides the city between the old city in the north and new in the south. The Georgian translation of Akhaltsikhe is "new fortress"; this is significant of the city's historical use and background as a fortified settlement, as well as existing as strategic stronghold in a heavily contested region of the Caucasus.