Districts of Tbilisi. What kind of city is Tbilisi? Where is the ancient city of Tbilisi located?

Tbilisi is divided into districts. From an architectural and historical point of view, the most significant are,. Interesting areas - , Chugureti, . Newly built areas (19-20 centuries) – Ortachala, Eliya, Saburtalo, Didube, Nadzaladevi.

The fate of Tbilisi is not much different from the historical fate of Georgia itself. The city was visited by Persians, Arabs, Seljuk Turks and other invaders. The city was built, destroyed and rebuilt again, but after the Persian invasion in 1795 it virtually ceased to exist. The current appearance of Tbilisi was formed already in the era of the Russian Empire, during the Soviet period, and ended with the creation of individual urban objects in the 21st century.

The Russian administration restored it, called Qala (in Arabic, fortress), on the preserved foundations. The boundaries of the medieval city were determined by fortress walls and historical ruins were restored here - the first city building, a stone basilica, a temple, as well as other temples that were located outside the fortress walls. Residential buildings were mostly restored from the foundations, but the buildings themselves acquired a modern look for the 19th century, and national elements in the form of open carved balconies were introduced by contemporary architects. Thanks to them, a special architectural style appeared in old Tbilisi, which came from the south, where the climate was hot, where people spent a significant part of their lives on wooden balconies. This is explained by the fact that, together with Count M.S. Vorontsov, who became the governor of the Caucasus, came from Odessa, Giovanni Scudieri, who was appointed to the post of Tiflis city architect.

In addition to the restoration of the Old Town, from the beginning of the nineteenth century a new city was built with a rectangular network of streets with houses (late classicism style). These were hotels, apartment buildings, administrative buildings, as well as houses of the Georgian nobility and wealthy citizens.

In this regard, Tiflis was usually divided into two parts: old, or Asian, and new, or European. The Asian part is characterized by crowded buildings, crooked narrow streets, and labyrinths. The newly built and, as well as the left bank part of the city (Chugureti), where officials and German colonists mainly lived (in the Middle Ages these were the villages of Kukia, Chugureti, Didube), became truly European metropolitan areas with wide avenues and boulevards, gardens and parks.

The third part of the current capital arose during Soviet times during the construction of the city in new territories. At this time, the first blocks of integrated development were being created in the city. The 21st century has brought its own avant-garde developments to the appearance of Tbilisi: Avlabari Residence, House of Justice, Tsminda Sameba (Trinity Cathedral).

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin called Tiflis a “magical land”. He stayed in the city for about two weeks, became acquainted with society and was charmed by the reception given to him. Tiflis seemed to him crowded, the inhabitants “have a cheerful and sociable character.”

The poet wrote: “I don’t remember a day on which I would have been more cheerful than this; I see how I am loved, understood and appreciated, and how this makes me happy.”

Mikhail Lermontov, a cornet of the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment, exiled to the Caucasus for his poem “To the Death of a Poet,” served in Tbilisi. Lermontov dedicated many of his works to the Caucasus: “Demon”, “Mtsyri”, “Gifts of the Terek”, many poems. From here the poet wrote: “If it weren’t for my grandmother, then, in all honesty, I would willingly stay here.”

Lermontov’s picturesque description of Tiflis has also reached us. One of the surviving drawings depicts the Metekhi castle with a church over a cliff, and the Avlabari bridge. And the oil painting shows a general view of Tiflis from the left bank of the Kura.

Tbilisi city, photo selection

In Tiflis, Leo Tolstoy wrote his first work, “Childhood,” and decades later, the story “Hadji Murat,” which reflected many of his Tbilisi impressions.

Playwright A. Ostrovsky also visited Tiflis more than once; his plays were staged in the Georgian theater.

It was in Tiflis that Maxim Gorky was “born”. Young Alexey Peshkov published his first story “Makar Chudra” in the Tbilisi newspaper “Caucasus” and for the first time signed it with the name Maxim Gorky. In Gorky's Tbilisi period - the poem "The Girl and Death", sketches for the legend "Danko", several short stories.

At different times, the literary paths of A. Bely, V. Mayakovsky, S. Yesenin, B. Pasternak, O. Mandelstam, K. Paustovsky ran through Tbilisi, who remarked: “I have never seen such a colorful and light city as Tiflis.”

The names of not only writers, but also great artists, musicians, and actors are associated with Tbilisi. P. Tchaikovsky, A. Chekhov, I. Aivazovsky, I. Repin, A. Rubinstein, M. Balakirev, V. Vasnetsov, V. Vereshchagin, V. Nemirovich-Danchenko, F. Chaliapin were here....

And these are figures only of Russian culture, but there were so many representatives of other cultures!

Glass bridge over the Kura

TBILISI CITY

Tbilisi (Georgian თბილისი,.) - “warm spring”) is the capital and largest city of Georgia. Located on the banks of the Mtkvari (Kura) river. The name Tbilisi was first mentioned in the 4th century; its appearance is associated with the presence of warm sulfur springs in the city (Georgian: ტფილისი [Tpilisi]; tbili - “warm”); in Russian until 1936, the name Tiflis was used, adopted through Greek literature. On August 20, 1936, the Tbilisi form, closer to the national sound of the name, was adopted as the official one.

The city covers an area of ​​726; it is home to 1,693,768 people.

Founded in the 5th century AD by Vakhtang Gorgasali, king of Iberia, and became the capital in the 6th century, Tbilisi is the most important industrial, social and cultural center of Georgia. The city is also an important transit hub for transnational energy and trade projects. Its strategic location at the crossroads between Europe and Asia has repeatedly made Tbilisi a bone of contention between various forces in the Caucasus. The history of the city can be studied by its architecture: from the spacious Rustaveli Avenue to the narrow streets of the Narikala district, preserved from the early Middle Ages.

The ethno-confessional composition of the city's population is heterogeneous. Although the vast majority of residents are Orthodox Christians (members of the Georgian Orthodox Church), synagogues, churches and mosques are located close to each other in the Abanotubani area and around Meydan, a few hundred meters from the Georgian temple in ancient Metekhi.

Tbilisi has an international airport. The most famous tourist sites of the city: Holy Trinity Cathedral, Freedom Square, Sioni Cathedral, Metekhi, Narikala, Georgian Parliament Building, Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi Opera, Anchiskhati, Mtatsminda (Holy Mountain), Kashveti Church, Bridge of Peace.

The life of the city is depicted in the paintings of Niko Pirosmani and Lado Gudiashvili. One of the most famous ensembles of Georgian choreography “Sukhishvili-Ramishvili” is located in Georgia.

Until 1936, the city was called Tiflis in Russian, and თფილისი ([Tpilisi], an old Georgian name) in Georgian. It got its name because of the warm sulfur springs (translated from Georgian “tbili” (oral “tpili”) means “warm”).

The symbols of the city are its flag, coat of arms and seal.

The coat of arms of the city of Tbilisi is a round composition with inscriptions. It is a graphic representation of the capital letter "tan" in the shape of a hawk and a pheasant, as well as a sequence of letters and expresses the essence of the legend of the capital. Along the edge of the upper hemisphere of the coat of arms there are seven seven-pointed stars. The main image is framed by an oak branch - a symbol of eternity and strength, at the base of which there is a cross-shaped image with the inscription “Tbilisi”. The axial completion of the coat of arms represents a water theme.

This is a traditional Georgian shield, where the Georgian inscription Mkhedruli თბილისი ("Tbilisi") using the capital letter თ forms a stylized falcon and pheasant, illustrating the legend of the origin of Tbilisi. Along the top edge are seven small heptagonal stars lined up in an ascending pattern. The oak rod is symbolic of strength and durability and creates a cross-like division at the base of the shield that protects the Tbilisi inscription written in historical Georgian scripts - Asomtavruli and Nuskhuri. All this rests on a water wave, symbolizing the Mtkvari River, on which the city is located.

Today the city is divided into the following districts:

Old Tbilisi (ძველი თბილისი)

Vake-Saburtalo (ვაკე-საბურთალო)

Abanotubani - the oldest quarter of Tbilisi

Isani-Samgori (ისანი-სამგორი)

Didube-Chugureti (დიდუბე-ჩუღურეთი)

Gldani-Nadzaladevi (გლდანი-ნაძალადევი)

Didgori (დიდგორი)

OLD TBILISI

Old Tbilisi (Georgian: ძველი თბილისი) is a district in the historical center of Tbilisi.

The area is located in the southeastern part of the city, on both banks of the Kura. It occupies approximately the territory that Tiflis occupied in the 12th century. The streets in this area are narrow, the buildings have retained the features of medieval buildings. Here you can see the ruins of the Narikala citadel, completed in the 16th-17th centuries, the stone church of Anchiskhati, the Metekhi church, the Sioni Cathedral and the baths of King Rostom.

Although the term "Old Tbilisi" has long been used to refer to the historical part of the city, the district with this name was formed only in 2007 from streets and blocks previously included in three other districts of the city.

Architectural monuments are concentrated in Old Tbilisi; there are buildings dating back to the 5th century, but the buildings of the 19th century predominate. Some of these architectural monuments are included in the protection lists of the World Monuments Fund.

Old Tbilisi, Narikali fortress complex

TBILISI CITY DAY

There is a day, a special day in the life of Tbilisi, when Tbilisoba comes to the streets of the city...

No one knows exactly how many people participate in the holiday, but we can say with complete confidence - almost all residents of Tbilisi and, of course, all guests of the capital. Tbilisoba participants celebrate the best workers and collective farmers, figures of science, literature and art at the solemn meeting; honor new honorary citizens of the city, whose talent has become generally recognized in the country; they bless young married couples who begin their journey through life together with a thin seedling planted in the Newlyweds Park; looking at the drawings of children coloring the asphalt of the streets with colored chalk... Perhaps, only on this Sunday day of golden autumn on the avenues of the Georgian capital and in the labyrinth of streets of the old city can you meet the heroes of the paintings of Pirosmani and Gudiashvili - quinto jokers, shod in pointed boots and belted stacked straps; busy firewood merchants, cheerful shoemakers and sweet sellers. On this day you can hear the melodies of pipes and barrel organs, the creaking of an ancient cart and the cries of donkeys lazily wandering with khurjins thrown over their backs; You can admire and buy folk art products - matte niello ceramic jugs and wall plates, felted wool carpets and famous embossing, women's filigree jewelry...

Families come to the ancient Rike Square, always with children. And in what other place can you show the children a “village” that has grown up in a few days, in which one house is different from the other? There is a Rachin ode, an Ossetian saklya, and a Svan tower... - dwellings typical of all corners of Georgia. Hospitable hosts will treat adults with young wine and barbecue, and children will be presented with grapes and tangerines, apples, pears, peaches, from which baskets and carts will burst.

However, it is possible to fully appreciate the generosity of the Georgian land only at the city hippodrome. From the very morning, carts loaded to the brim are drawn onto its green carpet - a real “harvest parade”! Then theatrical performances are played in front of those gathered - pictures of the life of old Tiflis appear, a colorful wedding ceremony takes place, and ensembles of folk instruments play. At the end, national sports competitions and games begin - horse racing, lelo, isidi, tskhenburti.

Palace in Tiflis

And in the Park-Museum of Georgian Architecture and Folk Life, people meet with poets who came from all over the republic - Tushins and Pshavas, Kakhetians and Mingrelians, Imeretians and Gurians, Ossetians and Abkhazians...

They prepare carefully for Tbilisoba, as for a long-awaited wedding or the birth of their first child. The work of restorers is especially long and painstaking: in the old quarters of the capital, they cover buildings with scaffolding for several months in order to then reveal them renewed. This happened, for example, with the famous Anchiskhati basilica, which shed the layers of thirteen centuries; with an old house, which now comfortably houses the Republican Center for Children's Fine Arts with an expressive sculptural composition of Berikaoba wrestlers at the entrance; with many other valuable architectural monuments, which have been restored to their original appearance.

Tbilisoba... So what is it? There is no definite answer, because this is a hymn to the generosity of the earth and hardworking hands, this is a meeting of the past century with the present century, this is music, songs, dancing, smiles and jokes, this is, finally, the applause of the audience, for whom the stage is the whole city.

And if we say Tbilisoba, it is a holiday of masters, kind and talented people, with whom the Georgian land has always been rich.

GEOGRAPHY OF TBILISI

Tbilisi is located in the Tbilisi Basin, stretching in a narrow strip for almost 30 km in the valley of the Kura River and along the adjacent mountain slopes on three sides. Altitude above sea level - 380-770 meters. In the vicinity of Tbilisi, areas with 6-, 7- and 8-point seismicity have been identified. From the east, south and partly from the west, Tbilisi borders on the Gardabani district, from the north and the rest of the west on the Mtskheta region.

The climate is subtropical, semi-arid, with long hot summers, short warm springs and mild but relatively dry winters.

Average annual temperature: +13.3 °C

Average annual wind speed: 1.5 m/s

Average annual air humidity: 67%

The fauna of the city's surroundings is very diverse; animals such as foxes, striped hyenas, jackals, and wolves can be found. Lots of reptiles and birds. In order to protect natural complexes and preserve biodiversity, the Tbilisi National Park was created in the region.

The Museum of the Soviet Occupation, specially left a poster with Stalin - probably the Georgians themselves seized power in Moscow, well, and then occupied Georgia, such shapeshifters

HISTORY OF TBILISI

According to legend, initially the territory of Tbilisi was covered with forest. According to the most common version of the legend, during the hunt of King Vakhtang Gorgasal in the 5th century, a shot pheasant was boiled in a spring. Due to the medicinal properties of the thermal springs, and the strategic location, Vakhtang in the 5th century ordered the founding of a city called “warm spring”. Today, at the site of its foundation there is the Abanotubani quarter (Georgian: აბანოთუბანი - “quarter of baths”).

POPULATION

The historical dynamics of population growth and ethnic and religious backgrounds have been varied. From the 5th to the 7th centuries, the population of Tbilisi grew rapidly due to the transfer of the capital from Mtskheta. During the period of Arab rule in Tbilisi (VII-XI centuries - Tbilisi Emirate), the bulk of the population was of the Muslim faith and was a mixture of Georgian and immigrant Arab and non-Arab populations. From the 9th to the 18th centuries the city developed intensively. Arabs and Turks carried out active construction.

From 1216 until the end of the 18th century, the population of Tbilisi was from time to time subjected to repression and extermination by the conquerors, which led to dramatic changes in the national composition and population of the city. Thus, according to data from 1848 to 1922, one of the large national groups of the city were Armenians, and at different times they made up from 26.3% to 36.6% of the city’s population, Georgians 24.8-33.8%, and according to 1864-65, the largest national group in the city were Armenians, who made up 47.2% of the city’s population (without a garrison, in winter); Georgians accounted for 24.7% of the inhabitants of Tiflis, and Russians were in third place (20.7%), the share of other peoples was 7.4%.

According to the 1897 census, the ratio of the three largest ethnic groups (according to data on their native language) leveled off: Armenians retained their dominance, but it became very insignificant (29.5%, Armenians-Armenian Apostolic Church and Armenian Catholics - 31.8%), Russians were in second place (28.1%), Georgians were in third (26.4%), other national groups accounted for 16% (with a garrison). From the mid-12th century until the October Revolution, out of 47 mayors of Tbilisi, 45 were Armenians.

In the 20th century, due to the migration influx, the proportion of the Georgian population continuously increased: in 1926 they already took first place and made up 38.1% of the population of Tbilisi, in 1939 - 44.0%, in 1959 - 48.4%. Since the 1960s, Georgians have already constituted the absolute majority of the capital's population: in 1970 - 57.5%, in 1979 - 62.1%, in 1989 - 66.1%, in 2002 - 84.2%. In turn, the share of the Armenian population is continuously decreasing: in 1926 they accounted for another 34.1%, in 1939 - 26.4%, in 1959 - 21.5%, in 1970 - 16.9%, in 1979 - 14 .5% and by 2002 they had finally become a small ethnic minority (7.6%).

The share of Russians in 1926 was 15.6% of the population of Tbilisi, by 1939 it increased to 18.0%, by 1959 - to 18.1%, mainly due to the resettlement of intelligentsia and highly skilled workers from the RSFSR to the city during the years of industrialization . Subsequently, due to the influx of the Georgian population to the capital and higher natural growth, the share of Russians began to decrease: in 1970 they were 14.0%, in 1979 - 12.3%, in 1989 - 10.0%. In the post-Soviet period, the majority of the Russian population left the city and by 2002 they constituted only 3.0% of Tbilisi residents.

According to the 2002 population census in Tbilisi, out of 1,081,679 residents, Georgians made up 84.2% (910,712 people), Armenians - 7.6% (82,586 people), Russians and Ukrainians - 3.3% (35,908 people) , Azerbaijanis - 1.0% (10,942 people), Ossetians - 0.9% (10,268 people), Greeks - 0.4% (3,792 people), and others - 2.5% (27,471 people).

night Tbilisi

Ethnic composition according to the 2002 census

Tbilisi 1,081,679 100.00%

Georgians 910 712 84.19%

Armenians 82,586 7.63%

Russians 32,580 3.01%

Yazidis 17,116 1.58%

Azerbaijanis 10,942 1.00%

Ossetians 10,268 0.95%

Greeks 3792 0.35%

Ukrainians 3328 0.31%

Abkhazians 471 0.04%

cysts 73 0.01%

others 9811 0.91%

The official language is Georgian.

About 90% of the capital's believers belong to the Georgian Orthodox Church, the rest to the Armenian Apostolic Church and other faiths: Muslims, as well as a small number of Catholics, Jews and Yazidis.

In the historical district of Avlabari, on M. Abdushelashvili Street, there is a presidential palace - the official residence and place of work of the President of Georgia. The palace was built in 2004-2009 on the initiative of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Transport

In Tbilisi, since 1966, the 4th metro in the USSR has been operating, which actively developed during Soviet times, experienced stagnation after the collapse of the USSR and has been modernized since 2008. The fare is 50 tetri, payment is made with a plastic card, the cost of which is 2 lari.

Until 2006, the city had trolleybus and tram networks.

In Soviet times, the city had cable cars, on one of which (to the Mtatsminda Pantheon) on June 1, 1990, the worst accident of this type of transport in the USSR and the CIS occurred with 20 dead and 15 injured. Most of the cable cars ceased to exist in the 1990s, with the last one closing in 2010. However, in 2012, the city authorities opened a new cable car - from Rike Park to the Narikala Fortress.

The famous Tbilisi funicular was opened to the public after reconstruction in March 2013.

Tbilisi is the largest transport center of the country, the most important railway junction of the Georgian Railway with a station.

The main airport of Georgia, Tbilisi International Airport, operates in the city.

The bulk of the city's population is transported by minibuses (Marshut Taxi). Ford Transit cars produced in 2011 are yellow, with 16 seats. Travel in minibuses equipped with air conditioning and an automatic payment system costs 80 tetri. The population pays for travel using transport plastic cards. These cards can also pay for travel on the bus and metro.

CULTURE TBILISI

Tbilisi is the ancient cultural center of Georgia. In the south-eastern part of the city is its historical core - the Old Town with narrow streets that have preserved the features of medieval buildings. Here you can see the ruins of the Narikala citadel, later completed by the Turks in the 16th-17th centuries, the stone church of Anchiskhati, the Metekhi church, the cathedrals of Sioni and Sameba. Modern quarters of Tbilisi have a more European appearance, with beautiful multi-storey buildings facing wide boulevards and avenues with shady trees.

Tbilisi Academic Theater named after K. Marjanishvili

Tbilisi is famous for its rich theatrical traditions. Every year on January 14, Georgian Theater Day is celebrated. It was on this day in 1850 that the play by the founder of the Georgian theater, George Eristavi, was first shown in Tbilisi. Then it was the first and only professional Georgian theater. Today, in the capital of Georgia there are more than a dozen theaters of various styles.

Tbilisi Academic Theater named after K. Marjanishvili is one of the leading drama theaters in Georgia, located in Tbilisi.

Tbilisi Academic Drama Theater named after Sh. Rustaveli is one of the leading drama theaters in Georgia, located in Tbilisi on Rustaveli Avenue.

The Tbilisi State Armenian Drama Theater named after P. Adamyan is the only state theater in the world that operates outside of Armenia. One of the oldest theaters in the world. It is over 150 years old.

Tbilisi State Theater named after S. Akhmeteli.

Tbilisi Musical Comedy Theater named after. V. Abashidze - the theater was founded in Tbilisi in 1934 by Mikheil Chiaureli and D. Dzneladze on the basis of the Georgian traveling music and drama theater “Cooptheater”, which existed since 1926.

Tbilisi Azerbaijan Drama Theater named after Heydar Aliyev - the theater was founded in Tbilisi back in tsarist times in 1909. During the Soviet period in 1922 it received the status of the State Theater.

Tbilisi Theater of the Royal Quarter.

Tbilisi theater basement.

Georgian Opera and Ballet Theater named after. Paliashvili is an opera and ballet theater in Tbilisi, the largest musical theater in Georgia. The theater was founded in 1851. Located on Rustaveli Avenue.

Tbilisi Puppet Theater by Rezo Gabriadze.

The Tbilisi Theater for Young Spectators is one of the first children's theaters in the Caucasus. Founded by Nikolai Marshak in 1927.

Tbilisi Russian Drama Theater named after. A. S. Griboyedov is a drama theater in Georgia, located in Tbilisi on Rustaveli Avenue. The theater was founded in 1932.

Veriko Theater, created by Kote Makharadze and Sofiko Chiaureli.

ATTRACTIONS OF TBILISI

Anchiskhati is the oldest surviving structure; Orthodox church, the creation of which dates back to the 6th century.

Sioni, or Zion Cathedral (სიონი) - named after Mount Zion; consecrated in the name of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It stands on the banks of the Kura River in the historical center of the city. Before the construction of the Tsminda Sameba Cathedral (2004), the chair of the Georgian Patriarch-Catholicos was located here.

The Sameba Cathedral (Church of the Holy Trinity) with a complex of other church and administrative buildings is the residence of the primate of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Narikala (Georgian: ნარიყალა) is a fortress complex of various eras in Old Tbilisi. The exact time of the founding of the fortress is unknown, but in the 7th century it already existed and was called Shuris-Tsikhe.

Park named after Heydar Aliyev (Tbilisi)

children's railway in Mushtaidi Park (1935).

Freedom Square with the statue of St. George the Victorious, built by Zurab Tsereteli.

Tbilisi TV tower (1972) on Mount Mtatsminda.

The Tbilisi Botanical Garden with a four-hundred-year history and a waterfall is located at the foot of the ancient Narikala fortress.

Monument of late Soviet architecture - The building of the Ministry of Highways of the Georgian SSR (Tbilisi).

Monument to Mother Georgia.

Monument to Shota Rustaveli.

Monument to King Vakhtang Gorgasali.

Monument to King David the Builder.

Monument to Akaki Tsereteli and Ilya Chavchavadze.

Monument to Sofiko Chiaureli: in the center of the composition is her bust, on four sides are her greatest roles.

Monument to the pomegranate tree (film by Sergo Parajanov).

Monument to the poet Ietim Gurji *(Efim the Georgian).

Monument to architect Shota Kavlashvili.

Monument to the poet Galaktin (Tabidze).

Monument to the Georgian "David".

Monument to A.S. Pushkin.

Monument to the poet Nikoloz Baratashvili (Georgian Lermontov).

Monument to the writer, poet, artist Taras Shevchenko.

Monument to the President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev.

Monument to the Unknown Soldier with the Eternal Flame.

Monument to Victory in World War II.

Monument “Mimino” (sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, 2011).

Monument to Colonel General Konstantin Nikolaevich Leselidze. A marble bust of General K. N. Leselidze by sculptor Ya. I. Nikoladze was installed in the city of Tbilisi in the park on Leselidze Street. In 1990, the bust was damaged by a crowd of rampaging vandals.

painting, Garden in the vicinity of Tiflis City of Tbilisi

Narikala Fortress (“Impregnable Fortress”) is the most famous and ancient monument of antiquity; Tbilisi residents call it “the soul and heart of the city.” The fortress is located on the ridge of Mount Mtatsminda and the entire city lies in front of it in full view. The emergence of this citadel dates back to the 4th century. n. e. The fortress was expanded and completed several times. At the beginning it was called by its name Shuris-Tsikhe (“Enviable Fortress”), and during the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars it was known under the name Naryn Kala (“Small Fortress”). Historical sources claim that Narikala, which was located on the Great Silk Road, was the most fortified and impregnable fortress in the fortification system of Tbilisi. A unique type of stone masonry was used in its construction. At that time, the walls of the fortress descended to the Kura River, and thus the citadel controlled the trade routes passing along the river bank.

In the 13th century, the Church of St. Nicholas was erected on the territory of the fortress. During the period when Georgia joined the Russian Empire, services were no longer held in the cathedral and its building began to be used as a gunpowder warehouse. The building gradually fell into disrepair and collapsed. They say that the cathedral was struck by lightning, and only after that, taking it as a sign from God, the cathedral was rebuilt. 1990s - it was during this period that a new cathedral was erected on the ruins of the old building, inserting into the walls fragments preserved from the premises of the 13th century. When you are near it, you will not hear the sounds of the city; there is amazing tranquility all around.

In the 19th century, the lower bastions of the fortress were demolished, and the earthquake of 1827 destroyed the fortress, and since then the citadel has not been fully restored. But even those towers of the Narikala fortress that have survived remind contemporaries of the history of the city.

Metekhi Temple

Metekhi Church of the Mother of God (XII-XIII centuries). A majestic temple in the heart of the Old City. On the rocky left bank of the Kura River in the 12th century, Metekhi Castle was built - an ancient citadel and residence of the Georgian kings. Next to the palace, presumably in the 12th century, a temple of the Holy Mother of God was built; according to legend, Queen Tamara prayed there. Metekhi has been mentioned in historical sources since the 13th century.

In 1235, during the Mongol invasion, Tbilisi was set on fire, and the Metekhi temple and palace were destroyed. The temple was destroyed and rebuilt many times. In the 17th century, the Georgian kings rebuilt Metekhi, and it came to us in a slightly different form with walls made of brick. The temple was renovated again in the mid-19th century, and a radical reconstruction was carried out in 1987.

Under the arches of the temple on the right side of the altar is the burial place of the first Georgian great martyr, Queen Shushanik Ranskaya, who died at the hands of her fire-worshipping husband in the 5th century.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the old fortifications around the temple were dismantled and a prison was built in their place. Before the revolution, A.M. also served his sentence in Metekhi Castle. Bitter.

In 1959, due to the improvement of the city, Metekhi Castle was demolished. Now Metekhi Temple, as a monument of ancient Georgian culture, is under state protection.

Palace "Sachino".

A little to the left of Metekhi, on a rock covered with ivy, rises the castle of Queen Darejan “Sachino”, which means “prominent” in Georgian. The castle lives up to its name both literally and figuratively. The palace was built in 1776. It is a castle-estate with a house church and courtyard services. The round tower of the palace stands at the edge of the abyss. A round wooden balcony surrounds the entire perimeter of the tower, from which a stunning view of the Old Town opens.

Tbilisi sulfur baths.

On Banotubani Square in the old part of the city near the Kura embankment there are the famous Tbilisi sulfur baths, also called the baths of King Rostom. The baths are built on the hot sulfur springs that flow in this place. The date of construction of all baths is different; they were built approximately in the 17th - 19th centuries.

The oldest is the Irakli bathhouse, the ownership of which was fought over by members of the royal family and Georgian princes back in the 16th century. The baths are built in the classical style of oriental architecture. These are low, squat buildings, covered on top with semicircular domes with large glass openings in the center, which served as windows illuminating the interior, since the baths themselves are below ground level.

Orbelianovskaya bathhouse

The most beautiful - the Orbelianovskaya (Blue) Bath with minarets on the sides and a pointed facade, was erected in 1840. The pointed facade is decorated with blue tiles, which is why it received the name Blue Bath. The inside of the bathhouse is also very beautiful, the walls are mosaiced with green and white ceramic tiles.

There are also Bebutovskaya, Kazennaya and Sumbatovskaya, Zubalovskaya baths. All baths in Tbilisi are named after their previous owners. The baths were built in oriental style. These are low, squat buildings, covered on top with semicircular domes with large glass openings in the center, which served as windows illuminating the interior, since the baths themselves are below ground level.

In the old days, people not only washed here, but also communicated, staying up until dawn, and the city matchmakers organized bridesmaids on special days. Dinner parties were held in the baths and trade deals were concluded.

Alexander Dumas spoke with delight about these baths, who visited them on his trip to the Caucasus, as well as Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, who wrote in 1829: “I have never seen anything more luxurious than the Tiflis baths either in Russia or in Turkey.” He described them in detail in his work “Journey to Arzrum”.

Tbilisi baths were destroyed and rebuilt many times. With minor architectural changes in the 19th century, these baths have survived to this day.

Today, Tbilisi sulfur baths are very popular not only among tourists, but also among local residents, as they have an effective healing effect. Inside the baths there are separate rooms with a small pool filled with hydrogen sulfide water. If you sit in such water, your bad health and bad mood will go away. And after a special massage you will feel reborn. Today, the baths have been turned into hydropathic clinics and still evoke a feeling of admiration among all visitors.

Anchiskhati Church.

This is the name of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, the oldest surviving church in Tbilisi. The church is located in the Old Town on the banks of the Kura. It was erected in the 6th century. immediately after the transfer of the capital of Georgia to Tbilisi by the son of Vakhtang Gorgasal - Dacha Udzharmiysky. The church was built in the form of a basilica, which is typical for the architecture of early Christianity. The basilica is an oblong, rectangular building with a flat ceiling and a gable roof. The church was destroyed and rebuilt several times from the 15th to the 17th centuries due to Georgia's wars with the Persians and Turks. But the temple came back to life again - it was restored and rebuilt in the 17th century. On the western wall, the facade of the temple, a medallion with a cross is carved from stone, which has been preserved from the earliest part of the building.

The old name of the church is unknown, but the church received its current name in the 17th century, in honor of the famous icon of the Savior transferred from the Anchi Cathedral. “Anchis hati” translated means “Anchi icon”.

There are two versions of its origin. Many believers believe that the icon of the Savior is not made by hands, that is, the face displayed on it is not painted, but appeared on the canvas after Jesus Christ applied it to his face. Therefore, the icon is from the 1st century. However, academician and art critic Shalva Amiranashvili proved that the icon of the Savior was made using the encaustic technique (painting with hot wax paints), which arose in Byzantium no earlier than the 6th century.

The Icon of the Savior from Ancha originally belonged to Queen Tamara and became widely known in the 12th century, when the court goldsmith made a silver frame with gold inserts for it. In the 17th century, the icon ended up with the Amilakhvari family, who donated it to the Church of St. Mary in Tbilisi. The icon of the Savior was in Anchiskhati for more than 200 years. At the end of the 19th century, at the insistence of the exarchs of the Georgian Orthodox Church, who feared for the safety of the national heritage, it, along with several other ancient icons, was placed in the Church Museum, which until 1936 was part of the Museum of Art. Currently, the icon is kept in the Golden Fund of the State Museum of Art of Georgia

From 1958 to 1964, restoration work was carried out, which returned the church to its 17th-century appearance. It was originally built from yellow tuff blocks; brick was used during the restoration in 1958-1964. The building has exits on three sides, but nowadays only the western exit is used. All icons date from the 19th century, except for the altarpiece, created in 1683.

In 1989 the church became active again

Zion Cathedral

Zion Cathedral is a large temple in the Old City, which until 2006 was the cathedral and the main temple of the country. It is named after the Zion Temple in Jerusalem, and consecrated in the name of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In Georgia it is simply called Sioni. It stands on the banks of the Kura River in the historical center of the city.

The founding of the temple is attributed to Vakhtang Gorgasal. But this original church did not survive; it was destroyed by the Arabs who captured the city. It is not known what this temple looked like, but it was contemporary with the Jvari temple, so it could have been similar to it.

In 1112, David the Builder, having liberated Tbilisi from the Arabs, erected a new cathedral in the city, but it was also destroyed and restored more than once. The cathedral suffered especially after the earthquake of 1668. In 1795, the cathedral was severely burned down during another invasion. As a result, the cathedral in its modern form is the creation of different people and different eras.

The general design of the temple was preserved from XI-XII, later only little things changed. Some parts of the temple are older, some are newer.

In 1795, all the frescoes of the temple burned out. In 1850-1860, the temple was re-painted by Grigory Gagarin, who tried to work in the Georgian style, but still his style differs from the local one. The paintings near the entrance are generally very strange, they have some kind of modernism.

In 1980-1983 The Sioni temple was restored and, despite its complex construction history, they managed to preserve its medieval appearance. The temple looks quite modest and restrained. The only decoration of the cathedral is a high tower with a pointed hipped dome, rising above the central part of Sioni. At a distance from the cathedral there are two bell towers - one is an ancient, three-tiered one, built in the 15th century, destroyed by the Persians and restored in the 20th century, the other is a typical example of Russian classicism (built in 1812).

The first place among the temple relics is occupied by one of the most sacred relics for Georgia, the very ancient cross of St. Nina, who brought Christianity to Georgia. It is woven from a grapevine and fastened with her hair, and she baptized Georgia with it.

Caravanserai Artsruni.

Since ancient times, the main occupation of the inhabitants of Tiflis was trade and crafts. Caravanserais, traditional for the city, served as shopping centers, hotels and inns. For wealthy merchants there were richly furnished rooms and special services. Major deals were concluded here and negotiations were conducted.

One of the first was the Artsruni caravanserai on Oruzheynaya Street, near the Zion Cathedral, built in 1818. It was a large three-story building, on the top floor of which there were 33 residential premises, on average - 25 shops and stores where you could buy goods wholesale and retail; on the ground floor there were storage basements - one large and 24 small. There was also a swimming pool in the courtyard of the caravanserai. Nowadays, after restoration, the caravanserai opened its doors again; now it houses the Tbilisi History Museum.

Mtatsminda - Holy Mountain,

“Mta” means “mountain” in Georgian, “tsminda” means “holy”. The mountain got its name from St. David, one of the 13 Syrian fathers - educators of Georgia (IV century). St. David of Gareji settled in a cave on the mountainside. He led a semi-reclusive life, spending six days in prayer, and on Thursdays he went down the curved path into the city and preached Christianity. Until now, although the face of the city changed, houses were built, centuries passed, but the Path of David was never built up. And now you can see the street curved like a bow, which is called the Path of David, and climb along it to the Church of St. David.

Once upon a time there was an ancient temple near the cave. For several centuries there was a monastery there, but the temple fell into disrepair, and at the beginning of the twentieth century it was dismantled and a new large church was built on this site.

The mountain is the main landmark of the center of Tbilisi; its height from the foot is more than 200 m. In 1905, the Tiflis funicular began operation - one of the largest and most beautiful structures of this type in the world, designed and built by the Belgian engineer Alphonse Roby. Tbilisi city

The oldest park in the city, Mtatsminda, is located on the mountain, a favorite vacation spot for Tbilisians. On hot evenings, climbing Mtatsminda, you get the long-awaited coolness. The observation deck offers a fantastic view of the city.

Now there is a recently opened children's park full of rides and a variety of entertainment. The park resembles a fairyland, full of wonderful places and mysterious corners.

Mtatsminda Park has many restaurants, cafes, and amazingly beautiful fountains.

Here on the mountain there is a television tower, built in 1972 to replace the old television tower. The tower has an unusual shape - the main trunk of the tower, together with two “supports”, forms a triangle in the projection. The height of the tower is 274.5 meters above the surface of the mountain; the height from sea level is 719.2 meters.

Church of St. David. Pantheon on Mtatsminda.

In 1829, near the Church of St. David was buried by Alexander Griboyedov, and the graves of his family are also located here. Griboedov's wife, Nina Chavchavadze, was the daughter of the famous Georgian writer Alexander Chavchavadze. Her words are carved on Griboyedov’s tombstone: “Your mind and deeds are immortal in Russian memory, but why did my love survive you!”

After Griboyedov, it became customary to bury famous people near the Temple of David. In 1929, this place was officially declared a Pantheon. The greatest figures of Georgian science and art are buried in the Pantheon: the great Georgian poet of the 20th century Vazha Pshavela, poets, writers and public figures Akaki Tsereteli and Ilia Chavchavadze, national and public education figure Yakov Gogebashvili, actress Veriko Andzhaparidze, People's Artist Sergo Zakariadze, dancer Vakhtang Chabukiani, academicians, leading Georgian mathematicians Muskhelishvili and Vekua and many others. The tombstone of Ilya Chavchavadze was created by the largest Georgian sculptor Yakov Nikoladze (a student of Rodin), who is also buried here.

Now on the territory of the Pantheon you can see the same cave of Father David - the Church of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God was built above it. Nearby stands the Church of the Holy Father David - the largest temple with an apse towards the city. A little further south is the Transfiguration Church, similar to a bell tower. All buildings are brick. Near the temples there are three holy springs.

Monastery of Lurgi (Blue Monastery),

named because of the blue glazed slabs on the roof. This is one of the oldest churches in Tbilisi, it was built in the 12th century, during the reign of Queen Tamara. The temple acquired its current appearance in 1873.

MAIN ATTRACTIONS OF TBILISI

Cathedral of Tsminda Sameba (“Holy Trinity”).

In the center of Tbilisi stands the most grandiose temple in Georgia - the Sameba Cathedral; in its monumentality and grandeur it is compared to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. The cathedral can accommodate 15,000 people at a time. Its height reaches 78 meters, so the temple is perfectly visible from anywhere in the city. Sameba amazes with the beauty and grandeur of its grandiose architecture, splendor of style and external decor. The white stone building of the temple, as if in giant tiers, rises to a huge golden dome. And at night, illuminated, the cathedral appears in all the splendor of its splendor. Tbilisi city

The construction of the new cathedral was planned in 1989 in connection with the celebration of the 1500th anniversary of the Georgian church. Tsminda Sameba was founded on November 23, 1995 on the left bank of the Kura Hill of St. Ilya Construction was carried out “by the whole world”, with donations from ordinary citizens and large businessmen. The temple was consecrated in 2004 on St. St. George the Victorious - the heavenly patron of Georgia. After the consecration of the cathedral, the chair of the Catholicos of Georgia was transferred to it from ancient Sioni. The cathedral has nine chapels, and at some distance from it stands a belfry.

“The building of the century” is what Georgians themselves call Sameba.

Shota Rustaveli Avenue is the central street of the city, named after the medieval Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli. The avenue starts from Shota Rustaveli Square, where there is a monument to the author of the world-famous poem “The Knight in the Skin of a Tiger” and ends at Freedom Square, the total length of the avenue is about 1.5 km.

Until 1918, the avenue was named Golovinsky in honor of one of the Russian generals - E. A. Golovin. The avenue is very beautiful and shady, plane trees are planted on both sides of the street. On the avenue there are a large number of government, public, and cultural buildings, including the Parliament of Georgia, the Kashveti Church, the Georgian Academy of Sciences, museums, theaters, and hotels.

On the avenue there are many cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, boutiques; townspeople love to stroll along the avenue in the evening.

Vorontsov Palace.

The oldest building on the entire Rustaveli Avenue was built in 1868 as the palace of the royal governor in the Caucasus, “Vorontsov Palace”. It was erected on the site of the former governor's palace and partially preserved it. The style of the palace is a Renaissance palazzo. He is impressive and restrained, impressive, elegant and aristocratic in the best sense of the word. The private life of the Vorontsov family took place here and daily work was carried out: business meetings were held, official ceremonies were held, dinners, balls, etc. were given. This explains the considerable size of the palace, the carefully thought-out layout and variety of interiors. Spacious halls are interspersed with formal enfilades, cozy living rooms and formal workrooms. The palace is surrounded by a luxurious garden, unique in its diversity of flora.

Kashveti Church.

The church is located on Rustaveli Avenue opposite the Georgian Parliament building. It was built in 1910 on the site of the Church of St. George of the 16th century, by the architect L. Bielfeld, who took as a model the masterpiece of Georgian medieval architecture, the Samtavisi Church of the 11th century. The frescoes of the church were painted in 1947 by Lado Gudiashvili.

Both the 16th century church and the new church are called “Kashveti”. The name comes from two words: “kva” - stone, “shva” - gave birth. According to legend, during the life of St. David, one of the nuns found herself in a situation and, at the instigation of the fire worshipers, called the saint a seducer. David was forced to appear before the spiritual court and prove his innocence. David predicted that her wrongness would become apparent when she gave birth to the stone. After this happened, the place received the name “k(v)ashveti”.

The painting of the altar apse brought glory to the church; in the church there is a miraculous image of St. David.

Melik-Azaryants House (Tiflis Passage)

This is the first apartment building in Tbilisi, built at the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries. Tbilisi residents still call it by the name of the owner.

The Melik-Azaryants apartment building is one of the symbols of Tbilisi; this beautiful monumental building occupies an entire block. The house was built in 1912-1915 according to the design of St. Petersburg architect N. A. Obolonsky, commissioned by the city’s famous geologist, philanthropist and public figure Alexander Melik-Azaryants. The difficult terrain and the proximity of the ravine required special structural strength. Specially baked bricks were used during construction. Piles were driven into the rock to prevent the house from moving towards the ravine. 4-5 floors were complemented by 4 basement floors. To prevent groundwater from seeping into the basements, a unique technology was used during construction - the foundation was placed in a lead frame. The house has two facades facing Rustaveli Avenue and Elbakidze Descent

The facade of the house is decorated with stone with numerous carvings and bas-relief inserts on the bay windows. The first floor and part of the second are finished with “wild” stone. There are small turrets on both sides of the façade.

The philanthropist had a very hard time with the death of his only daughter, who died in 1904. In this regard, mourning wreaths are “stretched” along the entire façade of the building, and four windows in the corner part are made in the shape of tears.

Shops were located on the ground floor of the building, and the basements were used for storing goods.

Unlike other millionaires who managed to emigrate, Melik Azaryants remained in Tbilisi. His house was nationalized, and he was given a room under the stairs in the entrance of his own house. There he died in complete poverty...

Waterfall in the botanical garden

Central (Tbilisi) Botanical Garden of the Georgian Academy of Sciences. Few people know that the city has an amazing Botanical Garden - one of the oldest botanical gardens in the Caucasus. It is located in the southern part of the historical center of the city in the deep gorge of the Tsavkisis-Tskani River, between the Tabor and Sololaki ridges and on their slopes. Here, where plants of extraordinary beauty bloom all year round, a waterfall falls from a height of 40 m, and a bridge overgrown with amazing flowers spans the river.

The garden was created on the basis of the palace ("fortress") garden that existed since 1636, which in 1845 was transformed into the Tiflis Botanical Garden.

By the end of the 19th century, the territory of the garden covered only the southern slopes of the Sololaki ridge and was no more than 6 hectares. Gradually the territory expanded, and now the botanical garden spreads over 128 hectares.

The local flora is exceptionally rich, including about 700 species, including rare and endangered species. And the garden’s collection includes more than 3,500 species of plants and varieties, including about 1,000 species of trees and shrubs.

This is a wonderful vacation spot.

Streets of TBILISI

In order to perpetuate the memory of the outstanding commander of the Red Army, Colonel General K. N. Leselidze, the Council of People's Commissars of the Georgian SSR decided on February 25, 1944 to rename the street. Industrial cooperation in the city. Tbilisi on Leselidze street.

Sakrebulo Tbilisi - a representative body in the city government of Tbilisi, on December 29, 2006, decided, in accordance with the instructions of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, to name Konstantin Leselidze Street in Tbilisi Kote Abkhazi. Tbilisi city

Notable natives and residents

Abashidze, Leila Mikhailovna - Soviet and Georgian film actress, People's Artist of the Georgian SSR.

Abdullah Shaig is an Azerbaijani poet, prose writer, playwright, translator and teacher.

Agalarov, Hasan-bek - Russian military leader, lieutenant general. The first Azerbaijani to be awarded the Order of St. George.

Ambartsumyan, Viktor Amazaspovich - an outstanding Armenian and Soviet scientist, one of the founders of theoretical astrophysics.

Baratashvili, Nikolai Melitonovich - an outstanding Georgian romantic poet.

Behbudov, Rashid Majid oglu - Soviet Azerbaijani pop and opera singer. People's Artist of the USSR (1959).

Alexander Mikhailovich - Grand Duke, fourth son of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich and Olga Fedorovna, grandson of Nicholas I.

Bletkin, Pyotr Mikhailovich (1903-1988) - Soviet and Georgian artist, painter, graphic artist, Honored Artist of the Georgian SSR.

Brusilov, Alexey Alekseevich (1853-1926) - Russian military leader, cavalry general.

Vezirov, Firidun-bek Jamal-bek ogly - Russian, Azerbaijani and Soviet military leader, major general.

Witte, Sergei Yulievich - count, Russian statesman, Minister of Finance of Russia (1892-1903), chairman of the Committee of Ministers, chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire (1905-1906).

Gverdtsiteli, Tamara Mikhailovna (1962) - Soviet, Georgian and Russian singer, actress, composer.

Gaibova, Khadija Osman-bek kyzy - Azerbaijani pianist.

Danelia, Georgy Nikolaevich - Soviet, Georgian, Russian actor, film director and screenwriter.

Dorofeev, Anatoly Vasilievich (1920-2000) - Hero of the Russian Federation, 1951-1959. Colonel, senior staff officer of the ZakVO

Javakhishvili, Ivan Aleksandrovich - historian, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences, founder of Tbilisi State University.

Dumbadze, Nodar Vladimirovich (1928-1984) - Soviet Georgian writer.

Kikabidze, Vakhtang Konstantinovich - Soviet and Georgian pop singer, film actor, screenwriter, film director, songwriter, actor.

Bregvadze Nani Georgievna is a Soviet Georgian singer and pianist, formerly a soloist of the Orera ensemble. People's Artist of the USSR (1983). People's and Honored Artist of Georgia (1974 and 1968).

Kikaleishvili, Mamuka Andreevich - Soviet and Georgian theater and film actor, film director.

Kondratenko, Roman Isidorovich - Russian military leader, lieutenant general, hero of the defense of Port Arthur.

Mamedova, Shovket Hasan kyzy - Azerbaijani opera singer and teacher. People's Artist of the USSR (1938).

Mantashev, Alexander Ivanovich - the largest oil magnate of the Russian Empire. Maecenas and philanthropist.

Meskhi, Mikhail Shalvovich - famous Soviet football player, striker. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR.

[[Narimanov, Nariman Karbalai Najaf ogly][ - Azerbaijani writer and politician, People's Commissar of Foreign Affairs (1920-1921) and chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Azerbaijan SSR (1920-1922).

Parajanov, Sergei Iosifovich - an outstanding Armenian and Soviet film director and screenwriter. People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR

Petrosyan, Tigran Vartanovich - 9th world chess champion from 1963 to 1969, international grandmaster (1952), Honored Master of Sports of the USSR

Piraev, Mikhail Yakobovich - outstanding football player, goalkeeper of the USSR national team, Dynamo Tbilisi, Spartak Moscow, Air Force. USSR champion, the most titled Assyrian football player in the world

Polak, Alexey Filippovich - scientist, inventor, Doctor of Science, laureate of the USSR State Prize.

Pushkina, Margarita Anatolyevna - rock poetess.

Tagizade-Hajibeyov, Niyazi Zulfugar oglu - an outstanding Soviet Azerbaijani conductor and composer. People's Artist of the USSR (1959).

Tariverdiev, Mikael Leonovich - an outstanding Soviet and Russian composer of Armenian origin, People's Artist of the RSFSR and Russia, author of music for many films.

Tatishvili, Anna - tennis player

Tovstonogov, Georgy Aleksandrovich - Soviet theater director and teacher, People's Artist of the USSR, Georgia and Dagestan, Doctor of Art History, laureate of the Stalin, Lenin and State Prizes of the USSR.

Tovstonogova, Natela Aleksandrovna - public theater figure, younger sister of G. A. Tovstonogova.

Topchibashev, Alimardan-bek - Azerbaijani public and statesman, lawyer and journalist, deputy of the First State Duma of Russia (1906).

Khabelov, Leri Gabrelovich - Soviet, Russian wrestler, champion of the Olympic Games in Barcelona, ​​multiple world and European champion. Honored Master of Sports in freestyle wrestling (1986)

Khachaturian, Aram Ilyich - Armenian Soviet composer, conductor, teacher, musical and public figure, People's Artist of the USSR (1954), academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR (1963)

Tsereteli, Zurab Konstantinovich (1934) - artist, sculptor, president of the Russian Academy of Arts, People's Artist of the Russian Federation and Georgia.

Chabukiani, Vakhtang Mikhailovich - Soviet ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher, laureate of the Stalin (1941, 1948, 1951) and Lenin (1958) prizes, People's Artist of the USSR.

Chkhaidze, Omar (1944) - famous Georgian, Russian artist.

Chiaureli, Sofiko Mikhailovna (1937-2008) - Soviet and Georgian actress, People's Artist of the Georgian SSR (1976), People's Artist of the Armenian SSR (1979).

Shaumyan, Stepan Georgievich - revolutionary and political figure, one of the leaders of the revolutionary movement in the Caucasus, journalist, literary critic. Member of the RSDLP since 1901. Head of the Caucasian Bolsheviks (1917)

Yushchkevich, Mikhail Kupriyanovich (1899-1952) - Soviet military leader, Major General (1941).

In astronomy

The asteroid (753) Tiflis (English)Russian, discovered in 1913 by a native of Tbilisi, Russian astronomer Grigory Nikolaevich Neuimin, was named in honor of Tbilisi.

HISTORY OF TBILISI

The history of Tbilisi as the capital of Georgia begins around the 5th century. Over its 1,500-year history, Tbilisi has been an important cultural, political and economic center in the Caucasus. It was located at the crossroads of important trade routes and was occupied about twenty times by external enemies. From 1918 to 1921 - the capital of the Georgian Democratic Republic, later the capital of the Georgian SSR. Since 1991, the capital of independent Georgia.

Early history

If you believe the legends, the city’s territory was covered with forests back in 458. When King Vakhtang I Gorgasal was hunting in the forests, his hunting falcon wounded a pheasant (according to another version, a deer). The wounded animal ran to the sulfur spring, was healed by its water and ran away. Surprised by this event, the king ordered a city to be built on this site. The name Tbilisi (Tiflis) comes from the Georgian “tbili”, meaning “warm”, due to the warm sulfur springs on its territory.

According to archaeological data, the territory was inhabited by people back in the 4th millennium BC. e.. The first documented signs of human presence date back to the 2nd half of the 4th century, when a fortress was built during the kingdom of Varaz-Bakur (363 - 365). At the end of the 4th century, the fortress was captured by the Persians, then, in the middle of the 5th century, it returned to the hands of the kings of Kartli. King Vakhtang I Gorgasal most likely did not found the city, but restored it and expanded it. Presumably, the city of the Gorgasala era was located in the area of ​​modern Metekhi Square.

Tbilisi as a capital

King Dachi, who succeeded Vakhtang Gorgosal, moved the capital from Mtskheta to Tbilisi in accordance with the will of his father. At that time, Tbilisi was the capital of the exclusively eastern part of modern Georgia. Under Tsar Dachi, the walls around the city were completed. Further, throughout the 6th century the city grew and developed due to its favorable location on the trade route between Europe and Asia. It is believed that it was under King Dachi that the Anchiskhati temple was erected in the city.

And after him Dachi Ujarmeli reigned, and Samovel was the Catholicos. Under him, people began to settle in Tbilisi and built the [Church of] St. Mary, and Peter was the Catholicos.

In 626, Emperor Heraclius, during his second Persian campaign, appeared in the Caucasus. The Khazar army allied with Heraclius came from the east. The Allies besieged Tbilisi and, after several months of siege, captured the city. “And the commander of the Tbilisi fortress, Kala, called King Heraclius a goat. And he stopped, took [the book of the prophet] Daniel and found the following word: “The goat of the West came and crushed the horns of the ram of the East.” And the king said: “Let this word be fulfilled, I will reward you what you deserve.” And, leaving Eristav Jibgo (Turkic Jabgu Kagan) to wage the siege, he himself went to Baghdad to fight with King Khuasro (Khosrow Anurshivan).” The construction of the Zion Cathedral in Tbilisi dates back to this moment.

In 653, the Arab army of the commander Habib ibn Maslama came to Transcaucasia. The King of Georgia (in Arabic documents Bitrik al-Jurzan) invited the Arabs to conclude an agreement. Habib ibn Maslama agreed, and soon the agreement was signed in Tbilisi. Maslama guaranteed the safety of the city's residents, temples and religion "subject to recognition of their humiliation and a jizya of one dinar from each family."

In this semi-independent state, the city existed for just under a hundred years. In 736, it was conquered by the army of the Arab commander Merwan II ibn Muhammad, nicknamed “Kru” (“deaf”), who founded the Tbilisi Emirate. The city was ruled by the Shuabid dynasty, and then the Jaffarid dynasty. Tbilisi (El Tefelis) was the capital of the emirate and the only Muslim city in the region. The city was rebuilt on the model of other cities of the caliphate and in terms of population among the cities of the Caucasus it was second only to Derbent. The emirate spread over almost all of Eastern Georgia, but its territory gradually decreased. By the beginning of the 9th century, only the Kartli region was subordinate to the emirate. In the middle of the 9th century, the Tbilisi emir tried to break away from Baghdad and stopped paying tribute to the caliph. In response, the Abbasids sent a punitive expedition under the leadership of Ghulam Buqi al-Kabir and in 853 Tbilisi was devastated. The Christian population began to migrate to the Abkhazian kingdom, and the territory of the emirate continued to shrink. In the 11th century, only Tbilisi and its suburbs were subordinate to the emir.

In the spring of 1046, Tbilisi was briefly occupied by the king of the united Georgia, Barat III. The chronicle of Kartli tells about it like this:(|

He headed to Tbilisi and on the Digomi field he was met by the elders of the city, court servants, horsemen and all the people on foot, lined up in Umedeuli and many fathers and mothers were in the square and on both sides powerful sounds of trumpets and kettledrums thundered and from the sounds of those the earth shook, and there was wonderful joy everywhere. They brought him and drove him around the city, threw drachmas and drakhkans, brought him the city keys and led him into the emir’s palace. King Bagrat began to take care of things. He cleaned up the towers above the gates (with all) people, occupied the city fortress of Darijel, both towers of Tskalkini and Tabori and placed his warriors and eristavis in them. Only the Isanis destroyed the bridge and did not surrender Isani; They placed battering guns at her and threw arrows at Isani.

After 1080, mentions of the Tbilisi emir disappear. According to Georgian sources, the city was ruled by a council of elders. In 1122, King David the Builder triumphantly entered Tbilisi, making the city the capital of the Bagratid state. From this moment on, Tbilisi becomes the capital of united Georgia.

Capital of united Georgia

Mongol invasion and period of instability

The golden age lasted in Tbilisi for a little over a century. In 1226, the city was devastated by the troops of the Khorezm Sultan Jalal-Ad-Din. In 1238, the city was captured by the Mongols, who established their power here for a hundred years. The people retained their statehood, but strong Mongol cultural and political influence was established.

In 1327, King George V the Brilliant expelled the Mongols. Tbilisi began to revive. The Georgian king maintained diplomatic relations with Pope John XXII. At the direction of the pope, the diocesan center of the Catholic Church was moved from the city of Smyrna to Tbilisi.

In 1366, the Great Plague, which devastated almost all of Europe, reached Tbilisi.

From the 14th to the 18th centuries, the city experienced several foreign invasions and was destroyed to the ground several times. In 1386 it was captured by Timur's army.

In 1444, Tsar Alexander I refused to pay tribute to Jahanshah and in March of that year Jahanshah invaded Georgia with an army of 20,000 men and destroyed Tbilisi. In 1444 he undertook a second campaign in Georgia. From 1477 to 1478 the city was in the hands of Uzun-Hasan, the Ruler of the Ak-Koyunlu state. The invasions intensified the processes of decentralization and in 1490 the country finally split into three kingdoms. Tbilisi became the capital of the Kingdom of Kartli. In 1522, Shah Ismail I invaded Kartli. The Georgian army defeated the advance detachments of the Persians, but was then defeated, and Tbilisi surrendered to the Shah. In 1524, Shah Ismail I died and David X occupied Tbilisi.

In 1536, when the king was in Mtskheta, the Iranian army of Shah Tamaz came, burned Tbilisi and left a Persian garrison in the fortress. King Luarsab was able to recapture Tbilisi only in 1539.

Upon the accession of Simon I to the kingdom (1556), Tbilisi was occupied by the Qizilbash, and the residence of the king was moved to Gori. The Persians left David (Daudkhan) as governor in Tbilisi, who handed Tbilisi over to the Turks in 1578. “And the Ottomans captured Kartli, turned Tbilisi into a pashalyk, restored Gori and made it a sanjak, destroyed the domed church in Samshvilde, since they caused a lot of harm to the Ottomans there, and fortified Samshvilde and Dmanisi.” In 1583, King Simon I drove out the Turks and again made Tbilisi the capital of the country.

Tbilisi as part of the Russian Empire

After the October Revolution (coup), the Transcaucasian Commissariat was convened in Tbilisi (November 28, 1917), which decided to convene the Transcaucasian Sejm as the highest legislative body of Transcaucasia. On April 22, 1918, the Seimas proclaimed the formation of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic with its capital in Tbilisi. In May 1918, the republic collapsed. In Tbilisi, the creation of independent Georgia was announced, and two days later - the independence of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

ANCIENT FORTRESSES OF TBILISI AND HISTORY OF RUSSIAN WRITERS

Two fortresses in Tbilisi look at each other across the Kura River - these are the remains of the Metekhi castle and the ruins of the stately Narikala, founded, as some researchers suggest, by Alexander the Great. History itself looks out from their narrow loopholes, and these formidable guards remember a lot. Carefully preserves the legends about the emergence of Tbilisi and the people's memory. The Georgian chronicler L. Mroveli tells the following about the hunt of King Parnavoz (302-237 BC).

On this day, the king went hunting and chased deer on the Digom field. And the deer ran over the bumps and ruts of Tbilisi. Parnavoz pursued them, shot an arrow and hit the deer... The deer ran a little more and fell at the foot of the rock.

This passage from the chronicle has common roots with a Georgian folk legend, which tells how the Georgian king, while hunting one day in a centuries-old forest in the place where Tbilisi is now located, wounded a deer. Bleeding, the deer fell while running into a warm sulfur spring and, having washed the wound in the water, quickly jumped up and disappeared into the forest. The king explored this source and, finding it warm and healing, ordered the area to be populated.

There is another version of this ancient legend. Once the king was hunting in the gorge of the Kura River, near Mtskheta, the then capital of Georgia. The king managed to shoot a pheasant, and the killed bird fell into a dense thicket, where the hunters were not immediately able to find it. Imagine the king’s surprise when, after a long search, the pheasant was found almost cooked! The bird lay in a hot spring, and the king decided to found a city in this wonderful place.

This is how ancient legends, known to every Georgian, tell about the founding of the city. From the very beginning of its existence, the city was called Tbilisi (from the word “tbili” - warm), which is recorded not only in legends and traditions, but also in numerous historical documents, starting with ancient chronicles. The dry lines of the chronicle “Kartli Tskhovreba” say that “Vakhtang Gorgasali built the city of Tbilisi and laid the foundation of its stronghold, and his son Dachi completed the walls of Tbilisi and, as Vakhtang bequeathed, made the city a royal residence.”

Tbilisi's pedigree began on the right bank of the Kura - in the area of ​​the sulfur baths, approximately between the current Metekhi Bridge and the "300 Aragvinians" dam. Many baths have been preserved in Tbilisi from ancient times, and among them is the oldest Irakli bath, the ownership of which was fought over by members of the royal family and the princes of the church back in the 16th century.

All bathhouses are now below ground level; they are covered with round vaults and are illuminated through a glass lantern above the dome of the bathhouse. In the old days, the time for bathing in the baths was not limited, and people who had already washed could stay in them even until the morning. Tbilisi baths were a kind of “club” where the townspeople loved to spend their leisure time, business meetings were scheduled here and even dinners were served. On special days, city matchmakers often held bride-shows in the bathhouses.

A.S. wrote with delight about the Tbilisi sulfur baths. Pushkin, who arrived in Tbilisi in 1829: “I have never seen anything more luxurious than the Tiflis baths either in Russia or in Turkey.” 100 years after the poet, the writer A. Tolstoy also enthusiastically asserted that “sitting in a marble pool, a person feels either Pompey or Lucullus.”

The earliest written mention of Tbilisi dates back to the second half of the 4th century, when Iran strengthened its political influence in the eastern part of Georgia. The ancient chronicle says that around 368, the pitiakhsh (viceroy) of the Persian Shah, having chosen the fortified city of Tbilisi as his residence, began building additional fortifications on Sololaki Mountain. This was done in contrast to Mtskheta, the ancient capital of the Georgian kings, whose actions the pitiakhshi were supposed to observe.

Throughout its centuries-old history, Tbilisi has experienced many difficult trials. Since ancient times, trade routes from West to East passed through the city, and whoever fought with Tbilisi took it by storm. From century to century, Iranians and Turks, Khazars and Arabs, Byzantines and Khorezmians, the armies of Genghis Khan and Tamerlane went to war against it, plundering and destroying it. Forty times during its existence, Tbilisi was subjected to devastating enemy invasions, during which its population was exterminated, royal palaces and homes of ordinary citizens were burned, treasures were plundered, and priceless monuments of Georgian culture were destroyed. But the city never bowed to the hordes of conquerors and each time rose from ruins and ashes even more beautiful.

King David IV, nicknamed David the Builder for his creative activities, became famous for his measures to strengthen the political unity of the country and the rise of its economic and cultural life. He restored the independence of Georgia from the Seljuks, fought against large feudal lords, and created a permanent army. During the reign of this king (1089-1125), hospitals and charity houses were founded in Tbilisi, new buildings, water pipelines and caravanserais were constructed. Crafts and trade were further developed: forty young people were sent to Constantinople to receive higher specialized education. According to Iranian historians, the then Tbilisi was a rich and populous city, replete with gardens; it had 68 baths, in which “hot water flowed without fire.”

Tbilisi artisans made beautiful inlaid bridles, saddles and quivers; weapons and artistic products made of ceramics, precious metals, enamel and leather enjoyed good fame in all countries of Western Asia and even in distant India. In Tbilisi, they produced glass and crystal products; mercury and wax, beavers and otters were sold in city markets. Caravans of camels and horses with rich goods came to the bazaars of medieval Tbilisi, huge wineskins with wine were unloaded from carts, there were trading rows with copper utensils (basins and trays) and rows with clay jugs, bowls and plates.

Behind the shopping rows with bundles of silk fabric, brocade and cloth, one could feel the sharp spicy aroma from the shops with pepper, ginger, saffron and cloves; then the pungent smell of leather emanating from the saddlery rows and warehouses, littered with horse harnesses, saddles and soft Asian boots. Special rows were fragrant with rare balms, among which one could find valuable potions - castor or rose oil, rhubarb or green bath clay, which instantly removes hair.

At the Tbilisi bazaar they shoed horses, shaved their heads, sewed cloaks and hats, played backgammon... Multilingual speech - Georgian, Armenian, Persian, Turkish, Jewish, Russian - mixed with the shouts of the drivers, the songs of ashugs, the clicking of hammers in the minters' workshops, the breathing blacksmith's bellows. And nearby they were grilling kebabs and a crowd of idle people, excitedly raising the stakes on cockfights and ram fights.

The periods of peaceful development of Tbilisi were relatively short-lived. In order to escape from a difficult situation and find an ally in the fight against new enemies, in the 18th century Georgia turned to Russia for help. But political and cultural ties between Georgia and Russia began much earlier: the first Georgian ambassadors appeared at the court of the Moscow Tsar back in the 15th century. They sought rapprochement with their powerful northern neighbor, and Tsar Ivan the Terrible then sent a detachment of Cossacks to Georgia. Russian-Georgian relations became even stronger in the 18th century, when in 1722, during the Persian campaign of Peter I, a military alliance was established between the Russian Tsar and Vakhtang VI.

Medieval Tbilisi was also famous as a city of wonderful poets; the genius of Sh. Rustaveli, I. Shavteli, M. Khoneli and others flourished here. Science, literature and art have achieved great success; in the cells of monks, at poetry competitions in the royal palaces, famous poets exchanged shairi (quatrains), spiritual and secular literature flourished here.

Many great names of Russian literature are associated with Tbilisi. “Russian poets inevitably pass through Georgia in terms of their hearts,” said N. Tikhonov. This city has always been attractive to Russian poets, writers and artists; they linked their fate with him, and when leaving Tbilisi, they always mentally returned to him. A.S. called this city a “magical land”. Pushkin, who was deeply moved by the reception he received in Tbilisi. “I don’t remember a day,” the poet wrote, “in which I would have been more cheerful than this; I see how I am loved, understood and appreciated, and how this makes me happy.”

Decembrist writers V. Kuchelbecker, A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky, A. Odoevsky, poets of the Pushkin galaxy - D. Davydov, A. Shishkov, V. Teplyakov lived in Tbilisi and Georgia. M. Lermontov, a cornet of the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment, served in Tbilisi, exiled to the Caucasus for the poem “On the Death of a Poet” and dedicated his “Demon”, “Mtsyri”, “Gifts of the Terek” and other works to Georgia. From Tbilisi, the poet wrote: “If it weren’t for my grandmother, then, in all honesty, I would willingly stay here.”

14 years after M. Lermontov left, L. Tolstoy came here. Preparing to join the Caucasian Army, he settled in the house of a German colonist and kept diaries about his stay in Georgia. Here L. Tolstoy wrote his first work, “Childhood,” and decades later, the story “Hadji Murat,” which reflected many of his Tbilisi impressions.

Russian playwright A. Ostrovsky visited Tbilisi more than once. In 1883, having seen the actress M. Salarova-Abashidze in the Georgian theater in the role of Polina from the play “Profitable Place,” he told her: “As long as you are alive, my Polina will not die.” Young Alexey Peshkov published his first story “Makar Chudra” in the Tbilisi newspaper “Caucasus” and for the first time signed it with the name “Maxim Gorky”. The poem "The Girl and Death", sketches for the legend "Danko", several stories - all this is the Tbilisi period of M. Gorky's work. At different times, the literary routes of G. Uspensky, A. Bely, D. Furmanov and other writers and poets ran through Tbilisi. V. Mayakovsky, S. Yesenin, B. Pasternak, O. Mandelstam, K. Paustovsky found good friends in Tbilisi. The names of the artist I. Aivazovsky and composer P. Tchaikovsky, V. Nemirovich-Danchenko and F. Chaliapin are associated with Tbilisi; A. Chekhov, I. Repin, A. Rubinstein, M. Balakirev, artists V. Vasnetsov and V. Vereshchagin visited here...

Russian writers and other prominent figures of Russian art had many friends in the “warm” city of Tbilisi. Many stayed in the hospitable house of Prince Alexander Chavchavadze, a romantic poet and the most educated man of his time. Contemporaries said about him: “Everything that came from St. Petersburg, decent and dignified, young and old, belonged to the prince’s living room. His charming family ... was the only one in Tbilisi in which visiting guests from the North and West found the beginning of holy Georgian hospitality in full agreement with the conditions of an educated European society."

The fate of A. Griboyedov was closely connected with Tbilisi and the family of Prince A. Chavchavadze, who, according to one of his contemporaries, “loved Georgia so passionately, so purely, as few people even love their homeland.” At his father-in-law's house22 he met with leading representatives of Georgian society and, together with them, actively participated in resolving issues related to the improvement of Tbilisi, the establishment of a public library, and the founding of the Tiflis Gazette newspaper. Even before the comedy "Woe from Wit" was released, it was staged on the Tbilisi stage by amateurs. Contemporaries recognized A. Griboedov's unfinished tragedy "Georgian Night" as worthy "to decorate not only Russian, but also all European literature."

The pantheon of Georgian writers and public figures is located halfway to the holy Mount Mtatsminda, which hangs over Tbilisi from the west like a bristly ridge. And on an artificial terrace at the foot of a rocky slope, the Mamadaviti Church was built. In the 6th century, when there were still impassable forests here, this place was chosen by Saint David, one of the 13 missionary fathers who returned from Syria to Georgia. At first, there was a chapel and prayer room for an ascetic monk on this site; later, a small temple was erected, which was destroyed during the medieval wars. The current domed Church of St. David was built over a period of 10 years, from 1861 to 1871. One ancient belief is associated with a church spring flowing from a cleft in the rock: a woman who has conceived a secret desire must moisten a pebble in the spring water and apply it to the church wall. If the pebble holds, it means that the Almighty has heard the prayer and the lucky woman’s wish will come true.

Near the church, on two terraces of different heights, the Pantheon is located, where great Georgian writers and poets are buried - I. Chavchavadze, N. Baratashvili and G. Tabidze, playwright D. Eristavi and others. In the southern part of the terrace there is one of four large black labradorite stones stacked in steps with the inscription in Georgian: “Akaki”. The beloved poet of the Georgian people, A. Tsereteli, is buried here. Nearby is the grave of the mountain singer Vazha Pshavela, and above it is a rough block of stone brought from his home region.

In the rock on the lower terrace, in a small grotto with a stone arch, two graves are visible. An inscription in Georgian is carved on the arch: “Here lies the ashes of Griboyedov. This monument was erected by his wife Nina, daughter of the poet Alexander Chavchavadze, in the year 1832.” His wife is also buried next to him.

There are many museums in Tbilisi, but it is difficult to determine where the city ends and where the museum begins. The artist and writer of everyday life of the old city was N. Pirosmani. The unique appearance of Tbilisi is largely determined by its location: part of the city is located in a basin, surrounded on three sides by low ridges and hills; the other part is located on the slopes of the Mtatsminda, Taboris-mta, Sololaki ridges and low spurs. Historically, Tbilisi, following the terrain, was built along the slopes of the mountains; houses in the city were located on ledges, crowded and tightly adjacent to each other. Contemporaries noted that in the Old Town, “without touching the pavement with your feet, but only by rising and falling from one roof to another, you could walk around the whole block and open the entrance to any house.”

Old Tbilisi has changed little in its layout for many decades. And the modern city does not have enough space: it stretches along the Kura valley for more than 30 kilometers, and its streets still run up the slopes and turn behind the spurs of the mountains. Natural terrain has always complicated urban planning in Tbilisi, but the city also owes its unique charm to it. The terraced blocks, the changing directions of the streets, the colorful combination of nature and architecture - everything gives Tbilisi a very special beauty.

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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:

Team Nomads.

Tiflis // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional ones). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.

Tiflis - article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia (3rd edition)

Pospelov E. M. Geographical names of the world: Toponymic Dictionary, M., “Russian Dictionaries”, 1998, p. 412 - ISBN 5-89216-029-7

Coat of arms of the capital - displaying the legend of the capital // Tbilisi Municipal Portal

Tbilisi City Seal

District territorial units // Tbilisi Municipal Portal

Location Tbilisi Municipal Portal

Azerbaijani literature, FEB "Russian literature and folklore".

Statistical image of cities and towns of the Russian Empire until 1825. Comp. from the official information under the direction of the Director of the Police Department, Executive Stehr. St. Petersburg, 1829.

Review of the state of the cities of the Russian Empire in 1833 / Ed. at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. - St. Petersburg, 1834.

Wikipedia website.

Abashidze I. Ed. Georgian Encyclopedia. Vol. IX. Tbilisi, Georgia, 1985.

Amiranashvili Sh. History of Georgian art. Khelovneba, Tbilisi, Georgia, 1961.

http://www.georgica.net/o-tbilisi

http://www.jartour.ru/

Tbilisi is the largest city of Georgia, its capital. It’s not easy to describe him - he has too many characteristics and epithets. This is a very ancient, beautiful, with a complicated history, a surprisingly cozy city, fraught with a huge number of attractions and historical places.

The entire appearance of the city, its layout, architecture, cultural objects is a kind of mosaic, from which one can piece together a picture of amazing eclecticism and atmosphere.

City of contrasts and colors

There is not a single Georgian who would not be proud of the beauty and antiquity of his capital. It is believed that the history of Tbilisi begins in the 5th century AD. and it was founded by King Vakhtang Gorgasali. The name, according to an ancient legend, comes from the word “tbili”, which means “warm” in Georgian. In ancient times, the territory of these places was covered with dense forest, in which the king hunted. One day, the game shot by the hunter fell into the water and literally boiled before his eyes.

Realizing the value of thermal springs and the advantageous geographical position of this amazing place, King Vakhtang I decided to found a city and give it the name Tbilisi - “warm spring”. Until mid-1936 it was called Tiflis, under which name it appeared in Greek literature.

The very place where it is located is also unusual - in fact, the capital stands at the intersection of Europe and Asia and is crossed along its entire length by the Kura River. This determines the unique flavor of the city, an incredible mixture of styles, and the juxtaposition of European and Eastern traditions.

Today, the first thing that catches your eye is the urban landscape, represented by an incredible variety of facades of houses and buildings, often completely contradicting each other. The unique architecture is due to the fact that in different historical eras the city was ruled by representatives of other states - Arabs, Tatars, Persians. In addition, according to the testimony of numerous historians and writers, in the 18th century, despite the fact that it was the capital of Georgia, the largest ethnic group in the city were.

They made up more than 2/3 of the city's population, and at the beginning of the 19th century their number was close to 90%. This happened as a result of the destruction of the area and the extermination of its Georgian inhabitants by the Persian king Agha Mohammed Khan in 1795. Another nationality that makes up a significant part of the population, at different times up to 30%, were Russians.

Azerbaijanis, Turks, Greeks also lived here. Only from the middle of the 19th century, as a result of migration flows, the share of ethnic Georgians here began to steadily increase, and now amounts to about 90% of the population.

All these circumstances could not but affect the appearance of the Georgian capital, because each time the city architecture was filled with new forms and elements inherent in the culture of the conquering people. For the history of the Georgian nation, these were most often difficult and even tragic pages. In 1795, the city was actually burned to the ground by the Iranians; by 1801, only a few streets remained from it.

The most ancient artifacts of the Old City

The antiquity and unique character of Tbilisi are visible even from the photo. But a lively walk through the countless picturesque streets of the Old Town gives you the opportunity to soak in the special mood and spirit that sets it apart from all other capitals of the world.

Old Tbilisi is called that part of the city that is located within the fragments of the walls of the Narikala fortress that have survived to this day. The central part is Meydan Square. This is a real concentrate of the richest and most diverse, it is also called the “square of five churches”, since in this area, among other things, the most important temples of the main religions are closely adjacent.

The most significant sights of Tbilisi:

• Narikala Fortress is one of the symbols of the city. This is a defensive citadel, built on the top of a rock in the Sololaki ridge and towering over the entire city. According to some sources, the fortress was built by the Persians even before the founding of the city of Tiflis, long before the arrival of Vakhtang I. And the latest archaeological finds during excavations under the fortress indicate that there was a palace and baths on this site even earlier - in the 1st-2nd centuries AD .

The fortress was practically impregnable; it is believed that in the entire history of its existence, no one managed to take it by storm. Today, fragments of the walls of the fortress, descending to the Kura River, the Upper Fortress and the remains of the Lower City, the bastions of which were destroyed in the 19th century, have been preserved.

• The sulfur baths are undoubtedly one of the most important and favorite attractions of the capital. There are literally legends about them, the most important of which is that Tbilisi appeared thanks to them. Now this oldest district is called “Abanotubani”.

Structurally, sulfur baths almost completely replicate Roman baths; they only do not have rooms for heating water. They are simply not required - the healing water gushing from underground can reach a temperature of 50-70 degrees Celsius!

In the Middle Ages, baths were built in the Persian tradition - with roofs resembling domes, which are still preserved. During the heyday of bath culture, their number exceeded 60 units, they worked around the clock and were very moderately expensive. The most famous surviving baths, still in operation today, are the VIP Bath, Bath No. 5, the Tsar's Bath and the Orbelianovskaya Bath.

The healing process of visiting a bathhouse consists of taking a hydrogen sulfide bath for the recommended 15-20 minutes, after which the bath attendants rub your body with a special hard mitten, followed by a massage using a pillowcase stuffed with soap balls. A very rich foam is formed, which not only cleanses the skin, but also gives a lot of pleasant sensations. After the procedures, you should rinse with hot water and, if desired, use the services of a classic oil massage.

• Church of St. Nicholas - located inside the Narikala fortress on Mount Mtatsminda. The exact date of construction of the Temple is not known for certain; it is generally accepted that it is the 12th century. By the middle of the 19th century, the church was completely destroyed. It began to be restored only many years later - by 2004. Only the old foundation was saved.

• The Artsruni Caravanserai, built in 1818, is the oldest surviving building and now houses the Tbilisi History Museum. Previously, there was a kind of inn there - with several dozen hotel rooms, stables, taverns and trading shops.

• Sioni Cathedral - until recently, was the main temple of the capital; it houses the cross of St. Nino, with which she brought Christianity to Georgia. It began to be built in the 6th century, but was repeatedly destroyed by Muslim conquerors - the Arabs in the 7th century, the Khorezmians in the 13th century, and the Persians in the 16th and 17th centuries. In addition, it was significantly damaged by an earthquake in 1668, and a fire in 1795. The temple has been restored and restored at different periods of history, and now it represents an unusual combination of various modern and more ancient elements.

• Anchiskhati Temple - Temple of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, the oldest temple in the city and the second oldest in all of Georgia. It was built in the middle of the 1st century AD, by the son of Vakhtang I, Dacha Gorgasali. The temple survived the invasions of the Byzantines, Arabs, and Mongols without significant losses to its appearance. This can be explained by its low significance for that time. It was repaired several times and some elements were added by order of the Georgian Patriarch Catholicos Domentius in 1675, during the years of Soviet power in the 1960s.

• Armenian churches Surb Gevorg, Surb Gevorg Mughni and the largest of them, Norashen - the Armenian Gregorian Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin. It is assumed that Norashen was built around the 15th-16th centuries by the Armenian Sadat. Subsequently, it was also modified several times, and to this day it has retained the architecture characteristic of the 18th century.

Since the early 1990s, when churches began to be returned to communities before the collapse of the USSR, a serious conflict arose around this temple between the Georgian Orthodox and Armenian Gregorian churches. Each of these faiths considers the temple to be their own and wants to take it for themselves to conduct services. At the moment, the issue has not been resolved, the temple is not functioning, it is undergoing renovation.

• Juma Mosque is the only Islamic temple here today, built in the 18th century according to a sketch by the Italian architect Giovanni Scudieri. The mosque is unlike any other in the world; it combines neo-Gothic and traditional oriental elements. Today, representatives of two Islamic schools – and the Shiites – come to pray there, but until 1996 they were separated from each other by a special screen.

• Two operating synagogues are the Akhaltsikhe Synagogue, built with money from Georgian Sephardi Jews from Akhaltsikhe. And the Synagogue of Ashkenazi Jews, immigrants from Russia. Both of them were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Listing all the temples and historically significant buildings on the territory of Meydan and the Old Town is a difficult task. In addition to those indicated by us, there are also the Museum of Jewish Culture, the Museum of History, Kolkhoz Square, Palace Square, Khlebnaya Square, Gudiashvili Square, Pushkin Square, the Church of St. George, the “fire temple” of Ashtega, the Monastery of the 40 Martyrs of Sebastia, the Virgin Monastery of St. Stephen, Temple of Our Lady of Bethlehem (Upper Bethania), where, according to legend, Vakhtang Gorgasali’s mother is buried.

In the old part of the city there is also the Mother of Kartli - a statue of Mother of Georgia, built in honor of the 1500th anniversary of Tbilisi, in 1958. The 20-meter-high monument was originally made of wood, but 5 years later it was replaced with an aluminum version. After the collapse of the USSR, in the early 90s, the statue was modernized by changing some details of the dress and headdress. Mother Georgia combines , symbolized by a cup filled with wine for friends, and belligerence for enemies, symbolized by the sword in her hand.

This part of the city is also home to the Tbilisi National, created on the basis of the royal gardens in the mid-19th century. It occupies an area of ​​about 130 hectares, the Tsavkitsiskali River flows on its territory with a beautiful waterfall, and 3 bridges are thrown across it.

Getting to the old town is very convenient by cable car. It is quite short, but it saves a lot of effort and energy for tourists and locals who decide to wander the streets of Narikala and its surroundings. In addition, from a bird's eye view, truly incredible, mesmerizing views of the city open up; it is beautiful both day and night.

Street life in the hospitable capital

The streets of Tbilisi are full of people, small companies always sit near shops, hairdressers, and small cafes. The most important value for local residents is communication. Now the population is no more than 1.5 million people, but, despite the rather impressive figure, almost everyone in the city knows each other, or each other’s friends. This is generally a distinctive feature of Georgians - to be keenly interested in the lives of other people, and to be aware of all current events.

This, by the way, is partly explained by the peculiarities of urban architecture. The entire old part of the capital still consists of the so-called “Italian courtyards” - one might say, this is the real heart of the city, in which its pulse beats. People live in 2-3 storey private houses for several owners, built in the shape of a square.

From the outside, only calm facades are visible, with decorations corresponding to the century in which they were built. There are wooden houses, with carved balconies, and there are brick houses, typical of the 18th-19th centuries. But inside, these houses actually form a closed space, with one gate and a common courtyard, in which life is literally in full swing.

The most important unifying factor is the sulfur baths of Tbilisi. In ancient times they were the center of all public life in the city. Friendly gatherings, holidays, even bride viewings took place here. To find out all the news, you just had to come to the bathhouse.

In fact, little has changed in the mentality of Tbilisi residents today. They are still very sociable and friendly, and will happily and sincerely help you in any situation. The Russian language is very common here, they love tourists and guests, they will always readily tell you what sights to see, and often they will even go with you, dropping all their business and conducting the most interesting excursion for you personally.

New Tbilisi – a symbiosis of modernity and antiquity

The center of the capital today is very dynamic and modern - the complete opposite of the ancient narrow streets of the Old Town. One of the most grandiose structures is the Peace Bridge, built on the initiative of President Saakashvili and designed by the Italian architect Michele de Lucchi. The opinions of Tbilisi residents regarding this building are divided; some residents are dissatisfied with its too eccentric and unusual design.

But nevertheless, we must pay tribute - the bridge is very impressive, especially at night, when it is illuminated by 30 thousand light bulbs and seems to float in the night air. Not far from the Peace Bridge is the Presidential Palace, also built on Saakashvili’s initiative. Nearby are also the Music and Drama Theater and the Exhibition Hall, designed in the form of two giant pipes.

At the foot of the bridge in the city center lies the modern Rike Park, full of unusual sculptures and installations. The park has many benches and seating areas of the most incredible shapes. It’s a pleasure to relax here with the whole family - there are several comfortable and safe playgrounds for children, an amphitheater for performances by creative groups, and a singing and dancing fountain with holograms. Part of Rike Park is also a stylish and laconic embankment, from which you can also get to the Peace Bridge.

The metro stations here also surprise with their modern appearance. The city acquired a subway during the USSR. The capital's metro consists of two lines and 22 stations. Traveling by metro is one of the most economical and fastest ways to get to the area of ​​Tbilisi you need.

A lot of useful and interesting information not only about attractions, vacation spots and prices for various services, but also about how to get to the capital can be gleaned from the program “Heads and Tails,” one of the episodes of which was filmed in this beautiful and ancient city.

Objects of culture and art in Tiflis

Tbilisi museums are a huge part of it. There are more than 60 of them, small and large, for every taste. Ethnographic, historical, archaeological, house museums, museums of painting and art, and numerous others.

If you are interested in buying antiques, vintage, paintings, as well as art and other rare items, then you should definitely visit the Dry Bridge, which can be reached through Lesilidze Avenue. Here you are simply amazed by the abundance of goods, and all of them are unique, rare and sometimes very valuable.

The capital of Georgia is known for its ancient theatrical traditions; there are more than a dozen theaters here. Among them is the Georgian Academic Theater named after. Marjanishvili, State Academic Theater named after. Rustaveli, the oldest Armenian drama theater, which is more than 160 years old, an opera and ballet theater, several drama theaters, and others.

It is impossible to count the monuments, there are hundreds of them. Every year the city is decorated with new monuments and sculptures. Among them, of course, monuments to outstanding public and cultural figures of Georgia from different eras prevail - the founder of the city Vakhtang Gorgasali, the famous poet Shota Rustaveli, King David the Builder, as well as numerous writers, architects, artists, etc.

Many poems have been written about Tbilisi and many songs have been sung; this city is imbued with soulfulness and melody. Anyone who visits this ancient beautiful city will forever be fascinated by its architecture, its atmosphere, its character, warmth and dignity.

And at the same time, you won’t be bored here for a minute - Tbilisi is very multifaceted, it is always full of energy and ready to open up from the most unexpected sides. The city at night will amaze you with millions of lights, in the light of which everything seems completely different, completely different from the images of the day. Walking here at night is very pleasant and completely safe. Numerous casinos, nightclubs, restaurants that will amaze you are often located in old houses, this creates an incredible contrast of ancient stone walls with streams of fashionable music and bright neon lights.

Be sure to plan a vacation to beautiful Georgia and be sure to visit its ancient capital, the most beautiful of cities. And then you will say about this city “beloved Tbilisi”, and you will certainly return here to continue discovering its inexhaustible treasures.

How to get to Tbilisi, its environs and regions

The Georgian capital is very welcoming, local residents love tourists and readily open their hearts to guests - a trip here will be unforgettable. There are several ways to get here from Russia - now there are regular flights to Tbilisi by planes and buses. If you drive your own car, you will need to cross the border at the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint.

The surrounding area of ​​the city is also full of interesting places. For example, the famous city of Mtskheta, where the main Orthodox shrine of Georgia, the Svetiskhoveli Temple, is located, is only forty minutes drive from the capital. Every guest of the capital is obliged to visit this completely unique holy place.

Today it is not difficult to get from the capital to Kakheti, a region unique in its beauty, a center of agriculture and winemaking. From the opening of the Gombori Pass, the road from Tbilisi to Kakheti will take no more than 2.5-3 hours

And if you want to go to the sea, then from the capital you can get to the Black Sea coast in 7-8 hours, to the main one - Batumi, or one of its suburbs.

Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia, located in the heart of this mountainous country. Until 1936, this city was called Tiflis: under this name it can be found in literary works of that period.

Territory of Tbilisi

The total area occupied by the city is about 350 square kilometers. It, in turn, is divided into six districts: Old Tbilisi, where the main city attractions are located, including areas with characteristic medieval buildings, as well as the areas of Vake-Saburtalo, Abanotubani, Isani-Samgori, Didube-Chugureti, Gldani-Nadzaladevi and Didgori.

From a geographical point of view, the city is located in the Tbilisi Basin of the same name - an elongated depression in a mountain range, 7 kilometers wide and 21 kilometers long. The physical boundaries of the basin are formed by the Trialeti ridge, the Saguram ridge and the Iori Highlands. The formation of this basin is largely due to the flow of the Kura River, which passes through the city.

Despite the fact that the city lies in a natural depression, its altitude above sea level is still significant: in different areas of Tbilisi it ranges from 380 to almost 800 meters above sea level. The nature of the area in which the city is located determines its high seismic activity, and the absence of large bodies of water in the immediate vicinity of Tbilisi results in a dry subtropical climate.

Population of Tbilisi

The total population of the city today is quite significant - it is more than 1.1 million people. Moreover, more than 80% of the population, in terms of ethnicity, is of Georgian nationality. The second largest ethnic group living within the city are Armenians: their share exceeds 7% of the city's total population. The share of the Russian population in Tbilisi is about 3%.

During the years of the Soviet Union, the share of the population belonging to the ethnic Russian group in the city was significantly higher: it reached its maximum value, about 18%, in the 1960s thanks to the industrialization program, as part of which a large number of qualified specialists moved to the city. However, subsequently this source of replenishment of the Russian population group dried up, and it began to gradually decrease. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a significant part of the Russian population left Tbilisi, reducing the share of this category in its total population to 3%.

Tbilisi (until 1936 Tiflis) is the capital of Georgia, one of the largest metropolises in the country, harmoniously located in the very center of the Caucasus Mountains. Its history goes back more than one and a half thousand years, so it is difficult to find a city on the world map that is more interesting to visit for its culture, architecture and traditions, which have been formed over many centuries.

The city of Tbilisi in Georgia is the most fascinating place that attracts more and more tourists every year. Nestled on the banks of the Kura River, it has become home to 1.5 million people. The streets of Tbilisi are completely crammed with museums, architectural and natural attractions. Its territory is divided into several districts, each of which is attractive and unique in its own way. A developed modern transport network and many hotels and hostels make it easy for tourists with any budget and different tastes to stay and move around.

The founding date of Tiflis, which is now called Tbilisi, dates back to the 5th century BC. If you analyze the 1.5 thousand-year history of Tbilisi, you can understand that it has always been a cultural, political and economic center, located at the crossroads of the most important trade routes, and that is why it was attacked and conquered many times.

Now, according to the census, the population of the city is mainly Georgians, about 5 percent are Armenians and less than 2 percent are Azerbaijanis and Russians, whose number also does not exceed 2 percent.

Climate

The city is located along the river, capturing the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains. The influence of the Black Sea is felt here, so the climate here is mild, characterized by long hot summers, when the temperature on the thermometer can reach +40 degrees. In winter, indicators rarely fall below +1 degree, and in spring and winter warm but rainy weather prevails. Tourists who want to travel the route on foot, walking for a long time along the city streets, are not recommended to plan a trip for April-June, this is when the heaviest amount of precipitation falls.

Nature

This is the pride and main attraction of the Georgian capital. From any point you can see a stunning panorama of the city and mountain ranges. During the warm season, Tbilisi is completely dissolved in greenery and covered with the aromas of flowering plants. In the very center is located, which was part of the royal palace territory in the Middle Ages and received its status after Georgia joined the Russian Empire. The Tsavkisistskali River, which is connected by several beautiful bridges and forms another fascinating viewing spot - a 40-meter waterfall, divides the garden into two parts.

Without leaving the city, you can find yourself at the sea, which was opened in 1952 and has a length of 9 km. Also in the vicinity of Tbilisi, 3 kilometers away at an altitude of 800 meters above sea level, Turtle Lake was founded, fed by underground springs.

And of course it’s worth mentioning the famous thermal springs, as a result of which the capital appeared. Now this is a quarter where baths are located, which have been successfully operating since the 17th century.

Accommodation

Tbilisi (formerly Tiflis) is a popular holiday destination, so to ensure that choosing accommodation does not become a problem for you, you should take care of it in advance. It is not recommended to choose the cheapest place to stay overnight. The capital is a big city with its own specifics, so if you settle in some part of it, no one can guarantee that you will find many attractions on the spot, there will be shops with low prices near your hotel, or the metro will take you right to the main entrance. You need to approach your choice carefully and carefully studying the map and advice from experienced tourists.

The cost of living depends on the city area and conditions. Pay attention to the five-star Tbilisi Marriott hotel, built in the heart of the metropolis on. The interior and staff provide luxurious conditions for senior officials and businessmen. In 2002 it was restored. Room prices start at $150.

The city has many different guest houses and hotels to suit every taste and budget, the cost per room ranges from 30 to 400 dollars.

Map with hotels

Transport

The transport network consists of buses and minibuses, payment for which is possible by card and costs 50 tetri. The metro was created back in 1990 and starts operating at 6 am, carrying passengers until midnight. Tram and trolleybus routes have been eliminated and replaced by road transport, where the fare is 0.15 lari.

All transport moves strictly according to the schedule and disembarks and picks up people exclusively at equipped stops equipped with displays indicating the schedule and time of arrival of the next crew.

Minibus taxis are buses with 16 seats, the fare for which is paid through a cash register or directly to the driver.

The most convenient way to get to the center from the airport is by taxi. Its objective cost is around 30 lari or 12 dollars, but enterprising drivers who make up the cunning population of Tbilisi are trying to “squeeze” the maximum out of tourists, inflating prices several times. If bargaining is not your thing, order a transfer in advance, then in addition to the amount already agreed upon and even paid, you will also be met by a person with a sign right at the exit of the airport building. Also, bus No. 37 goes directly to the center from the airport, for which you need to pay 80 tetri for the trip.

A plastic travel card can be purchased for 2.5 GEL by putting a certain amount on it. It is suitable for travel on the subway and bus. It can be returned within a month if you keep the receipt.

Main areas

Tbilisi is divided into several parts, each of which has its own characteristics, attractions and famous places:

• is a part of the capital located in the south-west direction. Its name is not accidental - this is where most of the historical attractions are located. The area highlights the spirit of ancient Tbilisi, which was completely isolated from the outside world until 1795, when it was captured by the Iranians and burned to the ground. Therefore, modern tourists can observe here those architectural relics that were restored during the designated time. The most convenient way to get here is to use the metro, stopping at the Avlabari station, then walking through Europe Square to the Kura River.

• Avlabar is an area that was completely independent for a long period of time, so it has its own individual history and culture and is in no way inferior in heritage and splendor to the Old Town. The area has been developed immediately behind the Metekhi rocks, on the left bank of the river, 16 kilometers from the airport.

• Vera is a district that was settled in the 19th century, therefore it is the youngest part of Tbilisi. For a long time it was characterized exclusively as a tourist corner of the city, so it has long been a favorite vacation spot for tourists. There are many hotels and inns where you can find accommodation for the night at reasonable prices. The distance from the airport, 18 kilometers, is best covered by metro to the Rustaveli station.
• – there is a metro to this area, traveling by which you need to get off at the “Freedom Square” station. But few people who want to stay here use this type of transport, preferring a comfortable taxi or a rented car. And all because Mtatsminda is the most presentable, most expensive district of the capital, where the best hotels and restaurants of the city are located.

• Chugureti is a remote area of ​​the city, a calm and quiet place, where you can not only find housing at reasonable prices, but also fully immerse yourself in the multifaceted life of the capital. From the airport, tourists who prefer peace and relaxation travel 20 kilometers by metro to the Marjanishvili station.

• Sololaki – is located at the same distance from the airport as the Chugureti region, but you need to get off at the “Freedom Square” stop. The area is full of cafes that offer delicious national food. There are no interesting places here, travelers are surrounded by dilapidated houses and few hotels, but even tourists with an empty wallet can stay here and at the same time, not far from the Old Town. If you want to plunge into the Georgian atmosphere, we recommend walking along the streets of Lermontov and Georgiy Leonidze.

Attractions

The capital itself and its surroundings are dotted with ancient architectural monuments, museums, squares, alcoholic beverage factories, picturesque corners of nature where you can plunge into an atmosphere of peace and quiet, as well as modern entertainment facilities, so tourists of any age and relaxation preferences will find something to do in this area. city ​​of Georgia. It is impossible to count how many interesting places there are in Tbilisi. Each street is a feature and a small attraction in itself. Now briefly about the places you must visit:

• Rustaveli Avenue is rightfully considered the heart of the city and is located in the central part. It is here or nearby that you can contemplate the main attractions, such as the Parliament Building, the Opera and Ballet Theater, a saxophonist mysteriously emerging from house No. 22 and much more.
• Maidan or Vakhtang Gorgasali Square – there is an excellent photo zone with the inscription “I love Tbilisi” in English.

• The theater is an unusual building with a large clock on the front wall. It’s simply not possible to get tickets for the performance during the high season, although all performances are performed exclusively in Georgian with English subtitles. The number of seats is limited to 80, so if you are a theater lover, you will have to take care of tickets in advance.

• Sulfur baths - built in ancient times in the Old Town area and date back to the 17th-19th centuries. If you believe the legends, Tbilisi was formed thanks to them. The baths are functioning and by choosing any of them, you can immerse yourself in spa treatments.

• The fortress is the main attraction of Georgia. Its age is more than 1500 years. Every tourist considers it his duty to climb to it on foot from the Old Town or by cable car from Rike Park. The most beautiful view of the fortress opens from the embankment, especially after sunset, when its facades are illuminated.

• Tbilisi Botanical Garden is located near the sulfur baths and is characterized by a vast territory in which hundreds of species of rare plants grow. It is especially beautiful during the spring-autumn period. Filled with flowering shrubs and surrounded by light green and emerald greenery, it is a wonderful place to relax. Ticket prices are 2 GEL for adults and half GEL for children.

• There is also a zoo in the city. If you come with children, perhaps they will be interested in visiting it and getting acquainted with representatives of the fauna, including a wide variety of representatives. A ticket for an adult will cost 2 GEL, for a child half as much and children under 3 years old have free admission.

• The canyon in Tbilisi is a section of the Tsavkisistskali River, located between the sulfur baths and the botanical garden. It was restored in 2012. There is a beautiful walking area with benches for relaxation and a cafe. This is one of the 10 main attractions of Tbilisi, if only because it is rare to find a real natural 40-meter waterfall in the very center of the city.

• The statue of Mother Kartli is a sculpture towering on the peak of Mount Sololaki, opened in 1958. The figure clearly characterizes the ardent Georgian character - this is a woman who holds a glass of wine in one palm to warmly welcome the friends of the capital, and in the other a sword to subdue the one who has appeared as an enemy.

• Europe Square and Darejan Palace attract tourists with a large flower clock and an alley of tall birches, which, according to Georgians, was planted especially for guests from Russia. Above the square on the hill there is a view of the palace, reminiscent of a mighty fortress.

• The cable car is a must-visit attraction for all tourists, especially since the one-way fare is inexpensive - 1 GEL.

• – this is a much-hyped expensive place, although it’s not worth the money. This is the lift to the Mtatsminda amusement park. Its only advantage over the cable car is that all around you can contemplate views of Tbilisi that defy verbal description, which literally take your breath away. Here you get beautiful panoramic photos that will remind you of an exciting vacation for a long time.

• - an unusual structure consisting of glass and steel and connecting the new part of the city with the old. It is especially beautiful after dusk, when the backlight turns on.

• Dry Bridge is a well-advertised place and, according to local guides, ideal for buying antiques, but essentially all that is sold there is rubbish and junk.

• Presidential Palace - located a few meters walk from the Sameba Cathedral on the main square of Tbilisi. To enter its territory you need to get permission and no one will just let you in, but you can admire its beauty from the outside by taking some interesting photos. It is also interesting to visit it at night, thanks to the bright lighting.

• Turtle Lake is located on the mountain slope of Mtatsminda. People get here by cable car to sunbathe in the summer season or walk through the landscaped green shady area, escaping the heat and watching gorgeous panoramas of the city.

• The Desertirka Market is located next to the train station and is probably the most interesting place for tourists. An original, metropolitan, colorful corner of the capital. Once you enter this market in Tbilisi, you can immediately guess what country it is. Here you can not only plunge into the everyday life of Georgians, but also buy delicious gastronomic souvenirs, such as oriental sweets, ripe fruits, and the most delicate varieties of cheese. Here, local residents warmly welcome you and let you try homemade chacha and wine.

The holy places of the city, which has a rich heritage, should be given a separate subheading.

Temples of Tbilisi

For those who revere the church, are inclined towards religious beliefs, or simply respect spiritual life, there are several temples in Tbilisi:

• Tsminda;