ABOUT GEORGIA - Capital

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

established

V-VIc

capital

Tbilisi

OTHER INFORMATIONS

Tbilisi is one of the ancient cities of the world. The several legends are connecting to the arising of the city. According to one of them the king Vakhtang Gorgasali ("Gorgaslan" – "wolf-headed", 452-502) was hunting in this vicinity. The royal falcon (Georgian kings were famous as the experts and lovers of the hunting with falcons) flied up and caught the pheasant then the both birds disappeared from the sight of view. After long time search, the hunters found the falcon and its prey in the spring and they both were boiled, as the spring was hot. After the amazed king had examined the picturesque vicinities, he ordered to build a city here.

But it is just a legend. Actually the small settlement had already existed in the district of hot springs in the South part of the modern city 1300 years BC before; the settlement was inhabited with numerous Georgian tribes – Kartlelebi (Iberi). The Georgian appellation of the country – "Sakartvelo" is derived from it.

Where does the appellation of the city take its origin? There are the various suppositions bought forth by the scientists. According to one of them, the name – Tbilisi – is connected with the ancient ancestors of Georgian nation – Tubal (from it is – "Tubal-isi" – Tbilisi). Another one is that the city gained its name from warm springs. As the word "Tbili" means "warm" in Georgian.

The capital located in the mountainous valley of the river Mtkvari, had controlled the main caravan ways from Black sea to Persia and India, to North Albania (Azerbaijan), to the South in Byzantine, Aravia, Armenia, to the North in Russia during the many centuries even before the epoch of great Geographical discoveries. The great Silk Way passed here on the right bank of the river Mtkvari. The idea of its revival has begun to perform in 90 s of XX century and still continues in XXI century.

Tbilisi – an important strategic point, economical and political center of the country was always the target for the conquerors. That's why the history of Tbilisi is the endless history of wars, destruction and revival, defeat and victory. Though the respites between the wars lasted for a short time, the city was reconstructed from the ruins every time. The builders treated the soul of the ancient city too carefully, trying not to derange its harmony; so they were constructing the new buildings and structures according the old city system.

Tbilisi gained the fame in the medieval centuries producing weapons and artistic things made from precious metals, ceramics, enamel, leather, silk textiles.

The stone Royal Palace was built on the left bank of the river Mtkvari – that was the grandiose construction in the medieval centuries.

The cruelty of the East conquerors was indescribable: the population had being destroyed physically; the city had being burnt till ashes. Georgia was looking for the strong ally and at last in 1801, the kingdom of the East Georgia joined Russia, later the other regions of the country enter the Russian empire too. This fact had the great progressive importance despite the great- power purposes of tsarizm.

Tbilisi became the principle town of province in the beginning of XIX century, and it became the residence of the Russian king's deputy in Caucasus in 1845.

There were designed the projects of "exemplary" houses for various layers of the society that were different on scale and wealth of the external decorating . However, the attempt to introduce facades on confirmed above "sample" came across on centuries-old local tradition, founded on particularity of the climate and urbanism.

As a result the peculiar, so called Tbilisian dwelling-house was formed combining classical and Georgian national elements. Its essential attributes were the big balconies decorated with wetted poles, caps patterned with thread, rims and banisters.

Old part has a short territory – 90 ha in modern Tbilisi. The main three parts of the old city were: Kala, Seidabad and Isani (The name - Isani has been changed and it has been called as Avlabari since XIV c. that in translation from Arabic means: "vicinity around the palace").

The old city had been reconstructed several times, but it always maintained its elaborated web-plan of its narrow, twisted streets and lanes running down to the river Mtkvari. They had been repeating the direction and size of medieval structures from century to century.

Though almost all of them pertain to XIX century (In 1795, Shah Abas-Mohammed Khan arrived with his army in Tbilisi and turned the city into the ruins only in 8 days, the enemy burnt two-third of buildings in Avlabari and Kala districts, the all royal palaces, houses and other structures, the bridges over the river Mtkvari etc. were destroyed), this part of the city has preserved the coloring and the soul of antiquity. There you can find the cobbled paving streets starting or finishing with stairs, variegated, open and not large yards with the balcony-galleries hanging over them on the three sides, the streets are so narrow that the balconies of the opposite houses almost touch each other.

The territory of the old city is under the State protection. Fortunately the borders of the old city do not coincide with the administrative-cultural center of the capital, these old buildings are somehow falling out off the city circulation, and represent comparatively silent dwelling houses with architectural monuments, studios of national arts and craftsmen and wine cellars.

The street-lines were divided according to the occupations of the inhabitants and they had the corresponding names in Kala district: Smith line, Bath line, Cotton line, Silver line etc.

Traditionally Tbilisi is the city with unusually various nationalities. The characteristic feature of Tbilisi has always been a tolerance towards other religious and nations through its whole history.

Christianity was declared as an official religion in 337 in Georgia, but the heterodoxies have always had their own schools, mosques, churches, sanctuaries etc. The sight of Sioni, Mosque, Synagogue and Armenian church is opened from Metekhi plateau.

Like the sparrow nests, the old houses are located on the top of the rock to the South of the Metekhi church; the merchants and craftsmen had lived there before; it seems, as if the balconies of these houses are hanging in the air over the river Mtkvari.

The small part of "Sachino" Palace is preserved in Avlabari district to the North-East of the Metekhi plateau. "Sachino" in translation means "visible", you can see the small church and tower with balcony.

narikala"Abanotubani" – the district of sulfur baths is located in Seidabad, on the left-bank of the river Mtkvari, in the opposite of the Metekhi plateau. "Oh, these Eastern baths!"

Tbilisi has been famous for its hot sulfur springs coming from Tabori mount since immemorial times. All bath premises are located below the land level, they are overlapped with semicircular codes, and they have a natural illumination through glass torch under the dome.

The bathing time was not limited in old times, after bathing people could remain there till morning, there was arranged the dinner parties. The special days were conducted for women: Tuesday and Wednesday. The town matchmakers often chose the brides here.

The ruins of ancient Narikala Fortress are erected in the opposite of Metekhi Fortress. Narikala in translation means "Impregnable". "Tsikhis-Moedani" – Fortress Square, now - Gorgasali Square is stretched strait downwards the Fortress. Here the caravans with goods: brocade, pearl, east spices, wineskins with wine etc. passed under protection of the fortresses.

Here the lively trade was arranged under the opened sky; the strict tax collectors were collecting the duties from the brought goods and taking them to the royal treasury.

The Botanical Garden – the most ancient in Europe is located in Tsavkisi gorge, behind Sololaki ridge to the South-West of the Fortress. It was founded in 1845, on the base of the royal garden existed 400 years ago here.

There are a lot of things to tell you about the city that is over 1500 years old, but the best of all is to see all these with your own eyes and enjoy with the magnificent beauty of Georgia.

GEORGIA


Flag	Coat of arms

Capital and largest city		Tbilisi
Official languages		Georgian
Spoken languages		71% Georgian 9% Russian 7% Armenian 6% Azerbaijani 7% other
Ethnic groups (2002)		83.8% Georgian 6.5% Azerbaijani 5.7% Armenian 1.5% Russian 2.5% others
Demonym		Georgian
Government		Unitary semi-presidential republic
Legislature		Parliament
Area		69,700 km² (120th) 26,911 sq mi
Population (2014)		4,935,880 (119th)
Currency		Lari (GEL)
Time zone		GET (UTC+4)
Drives on the		right
Calling code		+995
ISO 3166 code		GE
Internet TLD		.ge