Category: ATTRACTIONS

Settlement of Arukhlo (Region of Kvemo Kartli)

Settlement of Arukhlo (Georg. არუხლოს გორა)(V – IV millennium BC). Neolithic Settlement and Ritual Place in Georgia. This is one of the earliest agricultural settlements and possibly the oldest inhabited place in all of Georgia. The study of the settlement of Arukhlo began in the 70s of the last century. Excavations have resumed since 2005. A joint international expedition discovered residential and household buildings dating back to the 6th millennium BC, working tools made of stone, bone and horn, which confirms that cattle breeding, agriculture and craftsmanship were already developed here in this period. Especially noteworthy are the strange-shaped canals in the ancient settlement, the purpose of which, due to their location, is unknown to specialists at this stage.

The stone industry is represented by numerous products. Among them are artifacts made of flint and obsidian: scrapers, chisels, piercers, numerous knife-shaped plates, there are also stone axes, chisels, anvils, hammers with a grooved interception, oval and round grain grinders. There were also found metal agricultural objects, a patterned tool made of a forked deer horn, a small figurine, in the form of a woman’s head, made of gravel, clay figurine of a bull, bronze arrowheads, stone coffins, ruins of a bathhouse and residential buildings, various colored and ordinary ceramic dishes.

Sioni of Ateni (Region of Kartli)

Sioni of Ateni (Georg. ატენის სიონი)  is an early 7th-century Georgian Orthodox church in the village of Ateni. It stands in a setting of the Tana River valley known not only for its historical monuments but also for its picturesque landscapes and wine. Near the church there are the ruins of the medieval fortified town of Ateni (modern-day villages of Didi Ateni and Patara Ateni). The name “Sioni” derives from Mount Zion at Jerusalem. Sioni is an early example of a “four-apsed church with four niches domed tetraconch (between the four apses are three-quarter cylindrical niches which are open to the central space).

The church’s cruciform interior measures 24m x 19.22m, and its façades are faced with carved rectangular greenish-gray stones, richly decorated with ornaments and figurative reliefs. The church is not dated but is very similar to the Jvari Monastery at Mtskheta, which is generally held to have preceded it. The walls of the church contain the first inscriptions in Nuskhuri or Nuskha-Khutsuri, one of the versions of the early Georgian alphabet, dating from 835. The first examples of Mkhedruli, a currently used Georgian script, are also found in the Ateni Sioni church and date back to the 980s. One of the inscriptions at the church commemorates Adarnase, the first documented Georgian Bagratid nobleman who was the father of Ashot I, the founder of the new royal line of Georgia.

Atskuri fortress (Region of Samtskhe-Javakheti)

Atskuri fortress (Georg. აწყურის ციხე) belongs to the oldest period of Georgian history. On the South slope of the rock where the fortress was built are the remains of ancient dwellings. In historical sources the fortress is first mentioned in the XI century as one of the most important strategic buildings of historical Meskheti. The extant remains of the fortress belong to the middle Ages. Builders of fortress mastered the most difficult relief of the rocks and created a complex-structured facility.

Entrance to the fortress passes through a narrow cut in a rock tunnel. The internal structure was so inaccessible that it was difficult for an invading enemy to conquer it even after passing the tunnel. In XVI century, the fortress was captured by the Ottomans amd Atskuri fortress became a springboard from which the Turks attacked eastern and western Georgia. At present, the unity of the fortress buildings is destroyed. Here one may see building layers of different times. 

Avranlo Megaliths (Region of Kvemo Kartli)

Avranlo Megaliths (Georg. ავრანლოს მეგალითები) – megalithic fortification located in the Tsalka municipality in the Kvemo Kartli region and dates back to the III-II millennium BC. It closes a narrow exit in the middle of the mountains where the only road passes, which connects Trialeti with the Borjomi gorge. Avranlo is a megalithic complex consisting of three tiers of terraces overlooking the river canyon. The lowest tier, at the base of the hill, is a semicircular wall about 80 meters long, the height of which reaches 3 meters in places. Between this wall and the mountain there is a small medieval Christian church and several caves nearby, collectively referred to as the monastery of Abibos.

The second and third tiers are true “Cyclopean” structures, characterized by large stones, dry stonework and an unusual way of arrangement. The third, topmost tier covers the mount. It has a rectangular plan, 25 m long and 18 m wide. The walls are 3-4 m thick. The structure is significantly damaged, many of its parts are destroyed. Archaeological excavations in the adjacent fields to the north of the megalithic fortress led to the settlement of the Kuro-Araks culture and the necropolis of the 12th-11th centuries BC. The fortress is included in the list of monuments of history and culture of national importance in Georgia.

Museum of Mayakovsky (Region of  Imereti)

Museum of Mayakovsky (Georg. მაიაკოვსკის სახლ-მუზეუმი). The territory of Baghdati is mainly mountainous, a small part is occupied by a plain-lowland.  Baghdati municipality is distinguished by its beauty and abundance of cultural monuments. Medieval castles and temples located in the area are an important part of Georgian culture. Baghdati is also famous for its beautiful nature and an abundance of interesting monuments, which, together with the resorts, is due to its tourism potential. The area is visited by many nature and travel lovers.

Vladimir Mayakovsky was born in Baghdati. The father of the future poet served as a forester of the third category in the Baghdati forestry, Kutaisi province. The house where the family lived until the death of Vladimir  Mayakovsky was turned into a museum, and the city itself was renamed Mayakovsky. The museum was founded by personal order of Stalin in 1940, at the same time Baghdati was renamed Mayakovsky and was called that way for the next 50 years. The sisters and mother of Mayakovsky donated items and personal belongings that have survived from the time when they lived here, and the furniture they sold when they left was found and bought from the townspeople. The literary section contains copies of letters, drawings, books and posters by Mayakovsky.

Ancient Bagineti (ArmazTsikhe) (Region of Mtskheta-Mtianeti)

Bagineti(ArmazTsikhe) (Georg. ბაგინეთი (არმაზციხე)) On the right bank of the Kura (Mtkvari) river, on a mountain promontory, was located on the way to the capital of the roads, the Armaztsikhe acropolis, now called Bagineti. The walls of the acropolis, following the relief, outlined an irregular figure in plan and occupied an area of about 30 hectares. The walls (2.6-4 m thick), which had quadrangular towers and buttresses, were erected directly on the rock in a hollowed-out furrow. The lower part of the walls is built of well-hewn stone; the masonry was dry, the quadras (size 0.5 x 1 m) were connected with iron clips in the form of dovetail.

A mud wall ran over the stone foundation (the total height of the walls reached 6 m). For the masonry, earthen mortar and earthenware were applied, as a result of which the wall looked like a monolithic mass; for greater reliability, it was also reinforced with transverse oak beams. The frames of the entrances and windows were made of stone. The towers appear to have been covered with red tiles (flat and grooved). In terms of location and construction technique, the Armaztsikhe acropolis has many features in common with the defensive structures of Western Asia, in particular Urartu and Achaemenid Iran.

Bagrati  Cathedral (Region of Imereti)

The Cathedral of the Dormition,  Bagrati (Georg. ბაგრატის ტაძარი) , is the 11th-century church in the city of Kutaisi. The cathedral, now in ruins, has gone down as a masterpiece in the history of medieval Georgian architecture.A distinct landmark in the scenery of central Kutaisi, the cathedral rests upon the top of Ukimerioni Hill. It was built in the early years of the 11th century, during the reign of King Bagrat III due to which it was called “Bagrati” Cathedral, i.e., Bagrat’s cathedral. An inscription on the north wall reveals that the floor was laid in “chronicon 223“, i.e., 1003.

In 1692 it was devastated in an explosion by the Ottoman troops, which had invaded the Kingdom of Imereti.  The incident caused the cupola and ceiling to collapse leaving the cathedral in its present state. The conservation and restoration works, as well as archaeological studies, which began in 1952, are still underway.  In 2001, the cathedral was restored to the Georgian Orthodox Church.  It is now of limited use for worship services, but attracts many pilgrims and tourists. It is also frequently used as a symbol of the whole city of Kutaisi, being one of its maintourist attractions.

In 1994, the Bagrati Cathedral, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

Bakuriani resort (Region of Samtskhe-Javakheti)

Popular mounting skiing and health resort of Bakuriani (Georg. ბაკურიანი) is situated in Borjomi gorge, on the Northern slope of Trialeti range, and is surrounded by unique fir-tree and pine-tree groves and alpine meadows. In 1910 on the Western slope of Kokhta-Gora mount Botanical garden was founded. The purpose of setting up Botanical garden was introduction and acclimatization of high mountain vegetation. It was a chief of Botanical garden, Kozlovski, who hosted first skiers visiting the settlement.

Later on Giorgi Nikoladze, the son of a Georgian public figure, Niko Nikoladze, who had a degree from European education institution and should be credited for the development of Georgian sports, started promotion of winter sports and trial and usage of Bakuriani slopes. In the 30-ies Bakuriani already had skiing base and several children’s sanatoria. In several years two 45- and 75-meter ski-jumps were erected, cable lifts constructed, and skiing trails for professionals and amateur  skiers laid.

In Soviet times Bakuriani hosted winter sport competitions of various levels. Members of the Soviet Olympic teams gathered there for training sessions. Fascinated by location and scenery of the resort, guests called Bakuriani “Capital of Soviet skiing sport” and “Soviet Davos”.

Canyon of Balda (Region of Samegrelo)

Canyon of Balda (Georg. ბალდას კანიონი), in terms of beauty and splendor, may well compete with the neighboring Martvili Canyon, especially since they are washed by the same river – Abasha. The natural monument is a canyon cut through the limestone rock, in the southern part of the Askhi massif. The length of the canyon is 1400 m, the width is 5-10 m, the depth of the cut is 25-30 m. The most beautiful place, covered with tropical thickets and with many waterfalls. The best way to see the canyon is by rafting down the river.

The most picturesque views open inside the canyon. The water has a truly enchanting hue, especially beautiful in hot weather, when bright rays of light illuminate the water surface with a dazzling radiance of the sun, making the seething water of this charming canyon sparkle with all the colors of the rainbow. Despite its unsurpassed originality, the Balda Canyon is not yet very popular among travelers, which is due solely to the low popularity of this canyon among tourists.

Batonis Tsikhe (King Erekle II  Museum) (Region of  Kakheti)

Batonis Tsikhe (King Erekle II  Museum) (Georg. ბატონის ციხე). It served as the residence of Kakhetian Kings of the 17-18th centuries. Its territory embraces: the fence (constructed under the king of Kakheti Erekle II in 1753), Royal Palace (constructed in the 60-ies of XVII century by king Archil; in 1865 women’s college of St. Nino opened in this building and the Palace was remade into a three-level building; today – Telavi museum), bath (in southern part bathing room and boiler are preserved; walls of the bath were painted), and two churches (Small Church and Church of the Court of Erekle II, built in 1758, the latter being simultaneously a defence facility – it has gun emplacements).

To the south-west from thr citadel, in tens of meters there is a big abutment (diameter – 14 m). Up to the forties of the XIX century a big 7,5 m length cannon stood on it. At present there is established house-museum of King Erekle II, the Ethnographic Museum and the Picture Gallery. The museum houses King Erekle’s belongings and along with them: numismatic collection, early medieval sarcophagus, late medieval armor, and collections of XVII-XIX c.c. cooper household objects, weapons, Khevsuretian (East Georgian mountainous region) clothes. It is said that King Erekle II was born and died in the south-east part of the castle.