Merkheuli ( ; ; ) is a village in Abkhazia, Georgia. A 2011 census recorded a population of 839 people.
History Fragments of Greek pottery dating back to the 6th century BC have been found in the village.Settlements and Necropoleis of the Black Sea and its Hinterland in Antiquity, Gocha R. Tsetskhladze and Sümer Atasoy, p.27
Merkheuli was established in 1879.
Following the Armenian genocide, many Armenians resettled in Merkheuli, eventually becoming the majority ethnicity in the town.
Notable people Lavrentiy Beria, chief of the NKVD from 1938 to 1945, was born in Merkheuli in 1899.
Population Year of census Population Ethnic composition 1886 466 Russians (61.4%), Georgians (32.2%), Abkhazians (4.3%) 1926 3,827 Georgians (47.3%), Armenians (15.8%), Russians and Ukrainians (9.2%), Abkhazians (4.3%) 1959 3,076 Georgians, Armenians, Russians, Abkhazians (no specified percentages) 1989 3,939 Georgians, Armenians, Abkhazians (no specified percentages) 2011 839 Armenians (76.3%), Georgians (9.4%), Abkhazians (8.6%), Russians (4.4%)
Climate Merkheuli has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa.)
See also Gulripshi District Merkheuli Palace
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