Sarpi and the Border

Sarpi is where Georgia ends, literally. The border post stands at the southern end of the village and the Turkish village of the same name continues beyond it. The line was drawn in 1921 and cut the settlement in half; Laz families with the same surnames were left on both sides and for decades could not see one another. That history gives Sarpi more weight than an ordinary beach. Laz is still spoken here — a Kartvelian language, distinct from Georgian and slowly becoming rare. The houses climb the cliff slope one above another, linked by narrow flights of steps. The beach is among the best in Adjara. The pebbles are large, the water deep and unusually clean; this is the last of the shelf before the bottom falls away. At the southern end, under the border wall, rock faces drop straight into the sea. A few things to know: - Photography is prohibited at the crossing — do not photograph the border post or its perimeter - On summer weekends a queue of cars builds at the checkpoint and frequently blocks the village road - Carry your passport; this is a border zone even if you are not crossing - Sunset here is unlike anywhere else on the coast: the sun goes down into open sea with no land in the way It is half an hour from Batumi. Sarpi, Kvariati and Gonio fortress fit comfortably into one unhurried day, and the border itself is worth ten minutes of standing and looking, even if you have no intention of crossing.

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