Ureki
Expats Land
Ureki is a village located on the Black Sea coast and is known for its black magnetic sand. It is located 50km north of Batumi.
Ureki is a seasonal resort and is something like a country house settlement, part of which has been rebuilt into low-rise hotels. Surprisingly, the city is not stretched along the coast, but away from it.
The main feature is the black magnetic sand, which has health benefits (although there is no scientific evidence to support this). The weak magnetic field is formed due to the presence of magnetite in the sand, and the beach is named Magnetiti in honor of this. The sandy beach is also a big advantage, unlike Batumi and Kobuleti - you can only find it in neighboring Shekvetili.
History
For centuries, magnetic sand has been carried to the Black Sea coast by mountain rivers, mainly originating in the Adjara-Imereti ridge. In Ureki, due to the surrounding rivers and terrain features, this sand is retained and remains on the shore.
The sand is mostly brought by the small Sepa River, as well as Kuchkhis Abano, Supsa, and Natanebi. The magnetite content reaches 15%, and heavy fractions up to 70% (in addition to magnetite, mainly ilmenite, chromite). The beach also runs along neighboring Shekvetili, but much less magnetite washes up to it.
The nature of the sands was actively studied by Soviet scientists. The first to describe them was K.N. Gabunia in 1933, and then the sands were studied in 1964 and 1977. In 1977, it was also proposed to build a quarry for the extraction of these sands at a depth of 7-10 meters for subsequent processing.
The site of the village itself was (and, in fact, still is) a swampy area. The swamp was drained, and a settlement began to be built in its place. During the Soviet era, health sanatoriums were built near the magnetic sands.
After Georgia gained independence, the sanatoriums in Ureki (like almost all sanatoriums) fell into decline. Then, together with the popularization of tourism and recreation, Ureki began to be built up with private holiday homes. Now, both foreign tourists and Georgians come to Ureki, mainly for the sandy beach.
Seasonality
Outside the season, almost everything in the city closes, even Nikora (a large chain of grocery stores) and only local small stores remain. The availability of a hotel on Booking or Airbnb does not guarantee that the hotel will actually be rented out and ready to receive visitors - most hotels close for repairs, and the rest simply close.
The season starts in May, by which time they try to finish repair work and prepare hotels or their own homes for rent. At the same time, outside the season, the beach is literally covered with small shells and crustacean shells. However, unfortunately, during the season the beach is covered with small debris and, as a rule, crowded with people.
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Guide
All the necessary information for moving to Georgia and living in it