Orkhevi (, ; formally Orkhevi Settlement, , ) is a settlement (dasakhleba) and suburb in the eastern part of Tbilisi, within the Samgori District. It stands on the left bank of the Mtkvari River, between the settlements of Samgori-II and Zemo (Upper) Alekseevka. The well-planned workers' settlement was established in the mid-20th century to house the builders and engineers of the Samgorvodstroy trust, responsible for constructing the Tbilisi Reservoir and the Samgori irrigation system. Over time, it has transformed from a Soviet-era industrial hub into a residential area with mixed-use development.
The area of the settlement was inhabited as far back as the Late Bronze Age (13th–11th centuries BCE), as evidenced by numerous archaeological findings. The modern history of Orkhevi began in 1948 with the establishment of a key industrial and logistical base for the Samgorvodstroy trust. The settlement was rapidly developed with residential buildings and its own social infrastructure.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, Orkhevi's industrial profile expanded significantly with the construction of large enterprises, including a strategically important reinforced concrete plant for the Tbilisi Metro and a branch of a building materials factory, among other industries. Archival sources from this period provide a detailed look into the life of the settlement, documenting both official achievements and the daily challenges faced by its residents.
The dissolution of the Soviet Union marked a new chapter in Orkhevi's history, characterized by the privatization of Soviet enterprises, a rise in crime—notably the widely publicized case of the "Orkhevi maniac"—and a simultaneous spiritual revival, symbolized by the construction of the Church of St. Nino. In the 21st century, the settlement has faced modern challenges, including social protests, environmental issues, and conflicts over illegal construction. At the same time, a period of active urban improvement has begun, with road renovations, rehabilitation of social facilities, and the creation of new recreational areas.
Etymology The name "Orkhevi" is believed to originate from the eponymous river and is formed by combining two Georgian words: ori khevi (), which means "two ravines" or "the confluence of two ravines". Historically, this area, including the neighboring settlements, was known as Karisebi (), which translates to "windy places".
The toponym is not unique in Georgia. Besides the well-known village of Orkhevi in Tianeti Municipality, the name also appears in 20th-century literary and journalistic sources. These mention other places named Orkhevi, such as a location in the Khoni district of Imereti referenced in Konstantine Lortkipanidze's novel The Dawn of Kolkhida, and a kolkhoz in the Gurjaani district of Kakheti mentioned in a 1958 literary review.
Archaeology The territory on which the modern settlement stands has an ancient history. In the Orkhevi field, at the confluence of the Orkhevi and Kura rivers, burials from the Late Bronze Age (13th–11th centuries BCE) were discovered. During archaeological excavations, more than 80 artifacts were found, including various ceramics (jugs, pots, bowls), bronze weapons (daggers, axes, spearheads, and arrowheads), as well as ornaments made of bronze, bone, and carnelian. These findings indicate that the area was densely populated and had a developed economy based on agriculture and animal husbandry over three thousand years ago.
History
Prehistory of the area (until 1948) Before the founding of the modern workers' settlement, "Orkhevi" referred to a geographical area and presumably a railway station. The area was first mentioned in the Soviet period in the context of the Sovietization of Georgia in February 1921, when units of the 11th Red Army moved towards Orkhevi station as part of the offensive on Tiflis.
In the post-war years, with the start of the Samgori irrigation system project, the area became a site of active development. The first preparatory work began in 1946. In October of that year, the press reported on the start of construction of workers' settlements in the area of the future Tbilisi reservoir. Later, in a letter from the settlement's residents in 1970, it was claimed that the first temporary structures were built as early as 1946.
By the end of 1946, Orkhevi was already a recognized landmark on the administrative map of the capital. When forming the electoral districts of Tbilisi in December 1946, it was mentioned as a boundary point of the Navtlughi electoral district, whose border ran "from Navtlughi station to Orkhevi". Thus, by the beginning of 1948, Orkhevi was a known area with preparations for large-scale construction underway, but not yet a fully-fledged settlement with an industrial base.
Establishment of the industrial base (1948) The full-scale industrial development of the area, already known as Orkhevi, began in 1948 when this territory was chosen as a key industrial and logistics base for the "Samgorvodstroy" trust, which was leading the construction of the Samgori irrigation system.
Development proceeded at a rapid pace. In March 1948, the head of the trust, V. Gaganidze, announced the creation of a material supply base in Orkhevi, including central mechanical workshops, a garage, and a sawmill. By April of the same year, the auto repair shops, garage, and mechanical workshops had been built. By July, the central mechanical workshop was being completed, equipped with "first-class machines" for repairing construction equipment and manufacturing parts. At the same time, a power line was being extended to the industrial zone to supply the workshop, the sawmill, and the material and cement warehouses.
In addition to industrial development, Orkhevi became the starting point for the transport infrastructure of the entire project. It was from the Kakheti highway in the Orkhevi area that construction began of a separate operational road, which ran along the entire route of the main canal and connected all its sections.
Formation of the workers' settlement (1949–1950s) After the creation of the industrial base, active housing construction began. In October 1949, the newspaper Komunisti reported: "In Orkhevi, several residential houses and a canteen are already ready... then Orkhevi will already be a settlement (daba)".
By the end of 1950, Orkhevi, part of the Gareubani district of Tbilisi, had turned into a well-equipped workers' town for the builders of the Samgori irrigation system. Over two years, 26 residential houses, a kindergarten, a nursery, an outpatient clinic, a barbershop, a bathhouse, a canteen, and a shop were built. Decorative trees were planted along the straight streets, and the settlement was equipped with its own radio communication center, water supply, and power station. By this time, the construction of a club for 300 people and a post office building was near complete. Housing construction continued: by December of the same year, six additional houses were built for drivers and mechanics, and medical stations with dental offices were opened.
The social and cultural life of the settlement also developed rapidly. In 1951, a public library was opened. (now the Terenti Graneli Library) and a new club, where concerts were held, including tours by artists from the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic. The settlement took pride in its outstanding workers, among whom were roofer Giorgi Peshkhelashvili, drivers Nadezhda Klyshina and Ivan Arutyunov, and excavator operators Ivan Timchenko and Stepan Fadeev, sawyer Mikhail Meladze, and carpenter Georgy Ninoshvili
Simultaneously, the administrative and political establishment of Orkhevi was taking place. On January 25, 1950, the Orkhevi electoral precinct was established, and by 1954, a primary party organization was already active here. To provide the construction project with qualified workers, courses for the training and advanced training of construction personnel were organized.
Despite the active development, the quality of life and utility services was not always high. In 1952, residents complained about the meager assortment in the store and were forced to travel to Tbilisi for essential goods.
Administrative reforms and industrial growth (1960s–1980s) In the 1960s, the settlement underwent significant administrative transformations and faced domestic problems typical of rapidly growing workers' settlements. In April 1962, as part of a reform, the Samgori district was separated from the administrative jurisdiction of Tbilisi. Simultaneously, the "settlement of the Samgori Irrigation System Administration" was officially merged with the village of Orkhevi, and the new entity was named the Samgori settlement. Despite the official renaming, the historical name Orkhevi remained firmly in everyday use, as evidenced by numerous letters from residents to newspapers of the time.
The social life of the settlement during this period was vividly captured in the pages of the newspaper Zarya Vostoka. In December 1962, two letters were published that reflected the contrasts of daily life. On December 7, a group of 15 residents, including public inspector T. Semikhova, published a collective letter complaining about the work of the grocery store (manager G. Bayramov), the meat and vegetable stall (manager S. Lazarishvili), and the restaurant (manager N. Jalalov). The residents reported inflated prices for pastry, the sale of meat at a single price without differentiation by grade, and the illegal sale of alcohol at a soft drink kiosk. Notably, a day later, on December 8, another letter appeared in the same newspaper, in which residents, including Anna Alekseevna Osipova, G. Timchenko, and R. Yakovenko, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the children's doctor of the local polyclinic, Edita Georgievna Asatiani, noting that her "kind smile and kind words are the best medicine for the sick". By 1970, almost a quarter of a century after its founding, living conditions had worsened: in a collective letter, 40 residents complained about the extreme dilapidation of the "temporary structures built in 1946", frequent interruptions in the supply of drinking water, and an almost complete lack of electricity.
By the 1970s, Orkhevi was incorporated into the Zavodskoy District (, lit. 'Factory District') of Tbilisi, and the authorities began to pay attention to its improvement, particularly road lighting. During this period, Orkhevi's industrial profile, initially focused on construction, began to actively diversify. In addition to the existing "Orkhevi livestock sovkhoz", the construction of a number of new industrial facilities began in the settlement.
A key enterprise was the new "reinforced concrete structures plant (ZhBK)", built in the early 1980s by "Tbiltonnelstroy" under the leadership of Hero of Socialist Labour Alexander Datashvili. This enterprise, on a field that, according to a contemporary, "looked like a runway", and past which a road ran, bordered by the "pink foam of blossoming almond trees" from the gardens of the Alekseevka settlement, was of strategic importance. It was critical for supplying the construction sites of the Tbilisi Metro, which, in the words of a journalist, were "starving", experiencing a severe shortage of structures, and awaited the plant's launch like "manna from heaven". In February 1982, the plant, which included a concrete mixing unit and a central warehouse for 1,100 tons of cement, produced its first products. Its design capacity was 20,000m³ of precast reinforced concrete and 50,000m³ of ready-mix concrete per year. In connection with its launch, the old ZhBK plant on Eliava Street in Tbilisi was closed down in 1983.