Akhaltsikhe

Acting as the regional capital, Akhaltsikhe Municipality is divided into two cities (Akhaltsikhe and Vale) and 14 communities containing 46 villages. In a brief administrative experiment, the city of Akhaltsikhe was separated from the surrounding rural municipality in 2014 to act as a self-governed city; however, this was deemed inefficient and revoked in 2017, reuniting the urban core with its rural periphery. Similar to Adigeni, Akhaltsikhe was heavily impacted by the 1944 deportations, yet it has maintained a highly diverse demographic structure. Today, ethnic Armenians constitute approximately 31% of the population, operating alongside Georgian Orthodox and a notable Georgian Catholic minority (12.6%). Akhaltsikhe's villages, such as Atsquri and Abatkhevi, reflect an enduring multi-ethnic architectural legacy, hosting 19th-century Catholic churches and Islamic ruins side-by-side with ancient Orthodox Basilicas.