Meskheti Range

Meskheti Range near Abastumani, Georgia

Meskheti Range (Georgian: მესხეთის ქედი) (Meskh/Meskhet/Meskhetian Range, Adzhar-Imereti Range, Adzhar-Akhaltsikh Range also Moschian Mountains) is a part of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range in Meskheti region, in southwestern Georgia.

The length of the range is 150 km and the highest point is Mount Mepistskharo at an elevation of 2,850 meters above sea level. The Meskheti Range range is characterized by high amounts of precipitation. The territory around Mt. Mtirala (the Ajarian section of the range) was the wettest region within the Soviet Union and is the most humid area of the Caucasus with an annual precipitation of approximately 4500mm/year. The slopes of the Meskheti Range are mainly covered by deciduous forests (oak, chestnut, maple, hornbeam, beech) below 1,200 meters above sea level and by coniferous forests (spruce, fir and in some cases pine) from 1,200-1,800 meters. The highest regions of the range are covered by sub-alpine and alpine meadows.

Strabo mentions the Moschian Mountains as joining the Caucasus. (Geography, 11.2.1)