Shenako

Shenako is a small, well-kept Tushetian village on a slope a few kilometres east of Omalo, at about 2,070 m. Its stone houses with carved wooden balconies cluster around the church of the Holy Trinity, one of the very few churches in Tusheti, where traditional shrines have long mattered more than churches. Behind the church is a niche sanctuary, a relic of pre-Christian beliefs that blended with Christianity in the highlands. The views over the surrounding valleys and up to the Caucasus ridge are wide.

Shenako is a popular day hike from Omalo, about two hours each way with a steep descent to the river and a climb back up, or a short drive by 4x4. Many hikers continue to Diklo, a village near the Dagestan border at about 2,150 m with the ruins of Diklo fortress on a rocky spur. A few guesthouses open in summer, and the village is much quieter than Omalo.

Shenako is an old Tush village that, like most of Tusheti, emptied in the 20th century and is now lived in mainly in summer; only four residents were recorded at the 2014 census. The church of the Holy Trinity is its main landmark, and the niche shrine behind it shows how pre-Christian traditions survived alongside Christianity in the Tushetian highlands.