Sights of Tbilisi - the most complete overview and marks on the map. Gamarjobat, Tbilisi! Fascinating journey to the ancient capital of Georgia G tbilisi georgia

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

The whole appearance of the city, its layout, architecture, cultural objects is a kind of mosaic, from which you can piece together a picture that is amazing in terms of 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 calculation of the history of Tbilisi begins in the 5th century AD. and 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 a 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 the city and give it the name Tbilisi - "warm spring". Until the middle of 1936, it was called Tiflis, under this name it appeared in Greek literature.

The very place where it is located is also unusual - in fact, the capital stands at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and is crossed by the Kura River along its entire length. This determines the unique flavor of the city, an incredible mixture of styles, the proximity 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 epochs the city was ruled by representatives of other states - Arabs, Tatars, Persians. In addition, according to 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 approached 90%. This happened as a result of the destruction of the area and the extermination of its Georgian inhabitants by the Persian king Aga-Mohammed Khan in 1795. Another nationality, constituting a significant part of the population, at different times up to 30%, were Russians.

And also Azerbaijanis, Turks, Greeks lived here. Only since the middle of the 19th century, as a result of migration flows, the proportion of ethnic Georgians has been steadily increasing here, and now it is 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 of it.

Ancient artifacts of the Old City

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

Old Tbilisi is called that part of the city, which 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 closely coexist.

The most significant sights of Tbilisi:

• Narikala Fortress is one of the symbols of the city. This is a defensive citadel built on top of the rock of the Sololak Range and towering over the entire city. According to some reports, 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 century AD .

The fortress was practically impregnable, it is believed that in the entire history of its existence, no one has been able 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.

• Sulfur baths are undoubtedly one of the main and favorite sights 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 repeat the Roman baths, they do not have only rooms for heating water. They are simply not required - healing water spouting from underground can reach temperatures of 50-70 degrees Celsius!

In the Middle Ages, baths were built in the Persian tradition with roofs resembling domes, which have survived to this day. During the heyday of bathing culture, their number exceeded 60 units, they worked around the clock and cost very moderately. The most famous surviving baths, which are still operating today, are the VIP Bath, Bath No. 5, the Royal Bath and the Orbelian Bath.

The healing process of visiting the bath is to take a hydrogen sulfide bath for the recommended 15-20 minutes, after which the bath attendants rub your body with a special hard mitten, and then a massage follows using a pillowcase stuffed with soap balls. A very plentiful 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 believed that this is the XII century. By the middle of the 19th century, the church was completely destroyed. It began to be restored only many years later - by 2004. It was possible to save only the old foundation.

• The Artsruni caravanserai built in 1818 is the oldest surviving building, it 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 erected in the 6th century, it was repeatedly destroyed by Muslim conquerors - Arabs in the 7th century, Khorezmians in the 13th century, Persians in the 16th and 17th centuries. In addition, it was significantly damaged by an earthquake in 1668, and by a fire in 1795. The temple has been rebuilt and restored at different times in history, and now it is an unusual combination of various modern and more ancient elements.

• Anchiskhati Temple - Church 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, Dachi Gorgasali. The temple survived the invasions of the Byzantines, Arabs, Mongols without significant losses to its appearance. This can be explained by its small significance for that time. Several times it was repaired and some elements were completed by order of the Georgian Patriarch Katholikos Domentiy in 1675, and by the Soviet authorities in the 1960s.

• The Armenian churches of Surb Gevork, Surb Gevork 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 XV-XVI century by the Armenian Sadat. Subsequently, it also underwent modifications several times, and to our time has retained the architecture characteristic of the 18th century.

Since the beginning of the 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 denominations 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 being renovated.

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

• Two active synagogues - Akhaltsikhe synagogue, built with the money of Georgian Sephardic Jews from Akhaltsikhe. And the Synagogue of Ashkenazi Jews, immigrants from Russia. Both of them were built in the late XIX-early XX centuries.

To list all the temples and historically significant buildings on the territory of Meydan and the Old City is a difficult task. In addition to those indicated by us, there are also the Museum of Jewish Culture, the Museum of History, Kolkhoznaya Square, Palace Square, Khlebnaya Square, Gudiashvili Square, Pushkin Square, the Church of St. Stephen, Church of Our Lady of Bethlehem (Upper Betania), where, according to legend, the mother of Vakhtang Gorgasali is buried.

In the old part of the city there is also Mother Kartli - a statue of Mother Georgia, built in honor of the 1500th anniversary of Tbilisi, in 1958. The monument with a height of 20 meters was originally wooden, after 5 years 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, indicated by a cup filled with wine for friends, and militancy for enemies, which is symbolized by the sword in her hand.

In this part of the city there is also the Tbilisi National, created on the basis of the royal gardens in the middle of the 19th century. It occupies an area of ​​about 130 hectares, on its territory the Tsavkitsiskali River flows with a beautiful waterfall, 3 bridges are thrown over it.

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

Street life of the hospitable capital

The streets of Tbilisi are full of people, small companies always sit at shops, hairdressers, in 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 friends of each other. This is generally a distinctive feature of Georgians - to be keenly interested in the lives of other people, and to be aware of all the events.

This, by the way, is partly due to the peculiarities of urban architecture. The entire old part of the capital still consists of the so-called "Italian courtyards" - one can say that this is the real heart of the city, in which its pulse beats. People live in 2-3-story private houses with several owners, built in the shape of a square.

From the outside, only calm facades are visible, with finishes corresponding to the century in which they were built. There are wooden houses with carved balconies, there are brick houses, typical of the XVIII-XIX 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 focus of all public life in the city. There were friendly gatherings, holidays, even bridesmaids. 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, happy and sincere to help you in any situation. The Russian language is very common here, they love tourists and guests, they will always readily suggest what sights to see, and often they will even go with you, leaving all their business and conduct 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 exact opposite of the old narrow streets of the Old Town. One of the most grandiose structures is the Bridge of Peace, built on the initiative of President Saakashvili and designed by the Italian architect Michele de Lucca. The opinions of Tbilisi residents about this structure are divided, some residents are dissatisfied with its too eccentric and unusual design.

But nevertheless, we must pay tribute - the bridge is very spectacular, especially at night, when it is illuminated by 30 thousand light bulbs and seems to be floating in the night air. Not far from the Bridge of Peace is the Presidential Palace, also built on the initiative of Saakashvili. Nearby are also the Theater of Music and Drama 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 places to sit in the most incredible forms. It is pleasant to relax here with the whole family - there are several comfortable and safe playgrounds, an amphitheater for performances by creative groups, a singing and dancing fountain with holograms. A part of the Rike Park is also a stylish and laconic embankment, from which you can also get to the Bridge of Peace.

Metro stations here also surprise with their modern look. The city acquired a subway even under the USSR. The metropolitan 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 sights, places of recreation and prices for various services, but also about how to get to the capital can be gleaned from the Eagle and Tails program, one of the episodes of which was filmed in this beautiful and ancient city.

Objects of culture and art in Tiflis

The museums of Tbilisi 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 objects of art and other rare gizmos, you should definitely visit the Dry Bridge, which can be reached through Lesilidze Avenue. Here, just eyes run up from the abundance of goods, and all this piece, 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 Theatre. Mardzhanishvili, State Academic Theatre. Rustaveli, the oldest Armenian Drama Theatre, which is over 160 years old, the Opera and Ballet Theatre, several drama theatres, 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 of 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. Any person visiting this ancient beautiful city will forever be fascinated by its architecture, atmosphere, its character, warmth and dignity.

And at the same time, you will not 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 daytime images. 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 trendy music and bright neon light.

Be sure to plan a vacation in 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, locals 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 regular flights to Tbilisi are made by planes and buses. If you drive your own car, you will need to cross the border at the Upper Lars checkpoint.

The surroundings of the city are also full of interesting places. For example, the famous city of Mtskheta, in which the main Orthodox shrine of Georgia, the Svetiskhoveli Temple, is located, is only a forty-minute drive from the capital. Every guest of the capital is obliged to visit this absolutely 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 moment of 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.

History of Tbilisi is a sequence of events on the territory of the city of Tbilisi from its foundation in the 5th century to the present day. Approximately 1500 years old. This is a really big and rich story, and it left many traces behind. There are cities whose rich history exists on its own, without reflecting on the present, but this is not the case in Tbilisi. A lot has changed in 1500 years, a lot has died, and modern Tbilisi is 90% Soviet buildings, but still there are some hints of the past in it - and there are many of these hints. We do not know much - for example, we do not know what Tbilisi looked like in the 10th century. But it is already possible to draw some conclusions about its condition in the XII - XIII centuries.

Tbilisi before its founding

Many cities in eastern Georgia were founded during the late Bronze Age, immediately after maps tribes settled on the plains from the Borjomi Gorge to the Gombori Range. But Tbilisi is an exception, it arose in the era of late antiquity. On its territory, even before the moment of foundation, someone definitely lived. An ancient settlement was found in the Didube quarter and some settlements were excavated in the southern part of the Digomi region. There is an opinion that someone lived on the Metekhi rock in ancient times.

Tbilisi before its foundation is just a narrow gorge. The Sololak ridge (a spur of the Trialeti ridge) stretches here to the east and rests on the Kura River with its tip, on which the Narikala fortress now stands. From the north, the foothills of the Caucasian ridge gently descend and one spur of this ridge - Mount Makhata - also rests against the river with a rock known as Metekhi. Between the Metekhi rock and the Sololak ridge there is a narrow gorge through which the Kura River once broke through to the east. This is a kind of gate to the interior of the country, and this gorge-gate was previously strengthened by the canyon of the Tsavkisistskali River. To get through this bottleneck, the traveler had to make a loop around the canyon, cross it in the area of ​​the modern entrance to the Botanical Garden, and then go around the mountain on which the Narikala fortress stands. Therefore, the appearance of the city in such a strategically important place is quite understandable. Another thing is not clear: why it appeared so late.

Founding of Tbilisi

It is believed that Tbilisi appeared in 458, during the reign of King Vakhtang Gorgasal. In addition to Tbilisi, Vakhtang founded several more cities, but all in Kakheti. History did not save the details. Chronicles write briefly: he built a city. People's consciousness has preserved a more vivid picture of what is happening: there is a well-known legend about how King Vakhtang hunted a pheasant here and discovered sulfur springs. This story is so famous that it even entered the bestseller of the early twentieth century, Kurban Said's novel "Ali and Nino":

Once upon a time in ancient times, a certain padishah releases his falcon into the sky. He pounces on the black grouse. The padishah waits, but the falcon does not return. Then he starts looking for his bird and wanders into a small forest. And in this forest beats a sulfur spring. The padishah sees that both the falcon and the black grouse are drowning in the water. As soon as the padishah saw this source, he immediately decided to found Tiflis on this place. The grouse bath is here, and now Tiflis stands instead of the forest. Tiflis began with sulfur, and it will end with sulfur.

Bulat Okudzhava wrote a verse about this in 1988:

The beast of prey fought and writhed under your arrow.
Eternal darkness has risen to eyes.
The star lit up. The hunting day is over.
And then a pheasant appeared from the bushes.

Oh, how brightly his plumage burned!
But the arrow sang - extinguished the fire ...
And then, as if on the first night of creation,
"Let Tbilisi arise!" You extended your hand.

This story has many visual implications. At the sulfur baths there is now a statue of a falcon with a pheasant in its claws. The pheasant can be seen on the Tbilisi logo and on street hatches. The restaurant "Maidani" has a signature dish "Pheasant Gorgosali". In 1961, an equestrian statue of Vakhang Gorgasal was erected on the Met rock in 1961, which, as it were, makes a decision on the founding of the city. Restaurant "Gorgasali" near the baths with its name hints at the same events.

Unfortunately, the dating of this event is somewhat arbitrary and we do not know against what historical background this happened. Therefore, it is difficult to guess what exactly Vakhtang was thinking about when creating a new city. He could, for example, build it as a fortification on the outskirts of Mtskheta. And he could strengthen an already existing settlement that arose on sulfur springs.

The first buildings of the new city appeared, apparently, on a rocky shore, on a cape between Kura and Tsavkisistskali. Now on this place stands the temple of the Forty Sebastian Martyrs, and on the site of the Tsavkisistskali canyon, Aliyev's square is green. In 2012, foundations were found near the temple of the martyrs, which were identified as the remains of the palace of King Vakhtang.

Name

Why was the city called "Tbilisi"? It is easy to guess the word თბილი in its name ( tbili) meaning "warm". But this is a late-formed word, in Old Georgian it looked like ტფილი ( tpili), and the city was called Tpilisi. Moreover, this name is found in the XIX century.

Coin of the era of Nicholas I with the inscription TPILISI

It is believed that the word TPILI comes from the proto-Kartvelian root TEP, which in turn comes from the Nostratic language, from which it also got into the Indo-European ones. Hence, by the way, the Slavic "Heat" and "Heat". So the initial letter "T" in the words "Warm" and "Tbilisi" is not a coincidence.

The name Tpilisi turned out to be unpronounceable for the Greeks, who do not have TP combinations in their language. They remade it for their own convenience, inserting the letter "I", and so the Greek "Tiflis" was obtained. From Greek it got into Arabic, where it turned into "Tiflis". A direct transformation of Tpilisi into Tiflis is unlikely, since the Arabs have no problem pronouncing the sounds TP or TB. They still officially call the city Tbilisi (تبليسي). The name "Tiflis" remained in the Turkish language, which, like Greek, does not allow combinations of TB.

It is interesting that instead of the word "warm" they could take the word "hot" (tskheli) as a basis and the city would be called Tskhelisi. And if Mingrelians or Lazians lived here, it would turn out to be Tubulsi. And if the Svans had lived, it would have been Tebidsi.

Dark Middle Ages

Vakhtang died in 502, and his kingdom perished even earlier, and synchronously with the deposition of the Roman emperor Odoacer and the end of the history of the Ancient World. In those years, the Middle Ages began in Europe, and in Georgia, the gloomy era of Persian occupation. Vakhtang was succeeded by his son Dachi or Darchil (522-534), who lived mainly in the fortress of Ujarma. It was he who committed a historic act: he finally moved the capital from Mtskheta to Tbilisi. For what? Nobody remembers anymore. It is significant that in principle he did not live in Mtskheta. Maybe the Persians destroyed Mtskheta, or maybe there were too many Persian observers there.

Dachi did something else important: he built in Tbilisi (or near Tbilisi) the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (Anchiskhati), which to this day remains the oldest surviving building in the city. Little has survived from this temple: both the vaults and columns were rebuilt in later eras, and only the walls in some places are still the same, remembering Tsar Dacha.

After Dacha, several more kings lived in Tbilisi: Bakur II, Farsman V, Farsman VI and Bakur III, but the latter lived in Ujarma, and at that time there was already a Persian garrison in Tbilisi. In 580, Bakur died, and the Persians abolished royal power as such.

Just during the years of the crisis of royal power, the Assyrian fathers came to Iberia and settled near Mtskheta. From there, they then dispersed throughout the country, and David, the future David of Gareji, settled in a cave on a mountain (Mtatsminda) near Tbilisi. Once a week, he went down the mountain along the path (now Besiki Street) to approximately the modern Marriott Hotel, and from there the city went for food. At that time, quite a lot of Zoroastrian Persians already lived in Tbilisi. The conflict with them led to the well-known story of the trial of David and the appearance of the temple of Kashveti on the site of the court. After that, David went to Gareji, but his cave on the mountain and the spring near the cave remained sacred and revered places. And even the path to the cave itself has become something of a pilgrimage trail.

At this time, the endless Iranian-Byzantine wars dragged on and the Iranian armies probably often passed through Tbilisi. In 591, the Byzantine-Iranian Peace Treaty (Ctesiphon) was concluded. Part of Iberia, with its capital in Mtskheta, went to Byzantium, and part, with its capital in Tbilisi, went to Iran and became the center of Iranian-controlled Iberia. It was probably at this time that a Zoroastrian temple appeared in Tbilisi, which has come down to us in a heavily rebuilt form and is known in the city as "Ateshga".

As early as 588, the emperor Mauritius sent to Iberia as a ruler a certain Guram, a descendant of Vakhtang Gorgasal. Guram died in 590 and his son Stephanoz became the ruler, who ruled Iberius at the time of the conclusion of the Treaty of Ctesiphon. Mtskheta was probably his capital, but then Stefanoz made friends with Iran and moved the capital back to Tbilisi. This man went down in history by building the famous Jvari temple over Mtskheta.

Stefanoz's reorientation led to the invasion of the Byzantine army under the personal leadership of Emperor Heraclius II. The Khazar army came to the aid of the emperor, and the Persians sent a detachment of 1000 people to the aid of Iberia. The Byzantines laid siege to Tbilisi and the siege lasted about two months. Then Heraclius left towards Iran, and the siege lasted for some more time and as a result the city was taken. Stefanoz was removed, and Adarnase, a distant descendant of Vakhtang Gorgasal, was put in his place. He died in 642 and his son Stefanoz II became the ruler, during which, in 645, the army of the Caliphate approached Tbilisi. The Arabs concluded a treaty of friendship with the city and left.

Emirate capital

The treaty of 645 made Iberia part of the Arab Caliphate. At first, kings still lived in Tbilisi, who paid a small tax to the Arabs. This went on until 735, when the Arabs suspected Georgia of collaborating with the Khazars, and Mervan the Deaf passed through the country as a punitive expedition. Tbilisi was burned to the ground - this is the first recorded case of its complete burning. Mervan established the Tiflis emirate in Transcaucasia and left. The kings still existed as pale shadows, imperceptible to history, until they disappeared in 775. Tiflis emirs began to rule the city. How exactly power passed from the kings to the emirs is unknown.

Under the Arabs, Tiflis became part of the Arab single economic space and rapidly grew into a large trading center. It became a big city with mosques, baths, palaces, madrasahs and caravanserais. But the emirs decided to show separatism, and in 853 another punitive invasion took place. The commander Bugha Al-Kabir turned the flourishing city into a heap of ashes. For the second time in its history.

Tbilisi remained the capital of the emirt until the end of the 9th century, and the entire X, and the entire XI, and the beginning of the XII. In the 10th century, the relics of St. Shushanik were reburied on the Metekhi rock - right on the most prominent place in the Muslim city. Apparently, the Tbilisi Christian community had many rights. Would like to know how much.

In 1795, the last destruction of Tbilisi took place: on September 12, the army of Aga Muhammad Khan razed the city to the ground as a punishment for Georgian-Russian negotiations. Stone buildings were almost not damaged, but all private buildings burned to the ground. From this devastation, the city was then restored for thirty years.

Capital of Tiflis Governorate

In 1802, the Kingdom of Georgia was liquidated and Tbilisi became the capital of the province and the main base of the Russian army. Since the anti-Russian uprisings did not reach Tbilisi, the situation in the city was stable. We started building something. Count Knorring, the first "chief in Georgia" built the first simple house for the commander in chief. They built an arsenal and a gymnasium. In 1802, the fortress walls and towers began to be demolished, so the modern streets of Pushkin and Dadiani began to form. In 1804, the royal baths were converted into a mint.

In 1807, 16,000 people already lived in Tbilisi.

Tbilisi recovered very slowly after the defeat of 1795. The Russian administration built little. In 1816, General Yermolov demolished the royal Metekhi castle and began to build a prison in its place. In 1824, the building of the Headquarters of the Caucasian Corps was built. In 1827, lightning struck the Narikala fortress and the explosion demolished the church of St. Nicholas, built under Tamara, if not earlier. Only by 1818 local merchants were able to build a large stone building: the Artsruni caravanserai.

In May 1829, Pushkin arrived in Tbilisi. It was something like the arrival of a fashion blogger in a still unhyped resort. For the first time in Russian history, someone other than the military learned about Tbilisi. Pushkin lived in house number 5 on Pushkin Street, in a house with windows on the headquarters of the Caucasian Corps and could see the construction of the Zubalashvili caravanserai, which began back in 1827. There seem to be no photographs of his house, but a drawing from about 1895 is known:

Capital of the Confederation

In January 1918, the Bolsheviks dispersed the Constituent Assembly, which in the end did not have time to decide the fate of Transcaucasia, so the entire region was left to its own devices. Transcaucasia has become an independent federation, and Tbilisi has become its capital. The Transcaucasian Seim in the building of the Vorontsov Palace became something like the parliament of a new federal republic. Tbilisi maintained this status throughout January, February, March, April and May. In May, the federation collapsed. On May 26, Georgia declared its independence. Tbilisi has become the capital of the Republic of Georgia. The pen used to sign the declaration of independence is now on display at the National Museum.

On June 10, the allied German army entered Tbilisi. Rustaveli hosted a joint Georgian-German parade. On the same day, the Turks tried to break through to Tbilisi, but were stopped by the Germans. In December 1918 the Germans left and in January 1919 the British army entered the city. But in July the British also left.

Visually, nothing has changed in Tbilisi, the events took place exclusively in the political sphere. In May 1920, the Bolsheviks decided to seize Georgia: on May 3, the Bolsheviks mutinied in Tbilisi and seized the officers' school. But the war with Georgia was lost near Kiev: on May 7, the Poles took Kyiv and on the same day the Bolsheviks signed a peace treaty with Georgia. But this only delayed the war for one year.

Battle for Tbilisi

In February 1921, the Red Army entered Georgia from three sides, in particular, from Baku in the direction of Tbilisi. On February 18, the 11th Army approached the outskirts of Tbilisi: on the left bank of the Kura to the village of Karadzhala and on the right to the village of Soganlug.

On February 19, the first attacks began in the area of ​​​​the Soganlug station and near the Shavnabad monastery. The left flank of the Red Army began to bypass the city from the west and attacked the Kodzhor heights. All of these attacks were repulsed. On February 24-25, a second offensive began with the involvement of tanks and aircraft. The defenders of Tbilisi managed to repel all attacks on the Kodzhor and Shavnabad heights, but the Red Army detachments bypassed the Georgian positions farther and farther. On the night of February 25, Soviet tanks broke through to the Navtlug station.

On the morning of February 25, it was decided to surrender the city. Soviet armored trains entered the Tbiissky railway station. The infantry units occupied the Kodzhor Heights and entered the city, descending along Sololakskaya Street to Freedom Square. On the same day, the Bolshevik government from Shulaveri moved to Tbilisi.

Capital of the Republic

The first years of Soviet power changed little in Tbilisi. The Soviet leadership gathered in the same Vorontsov Palace, the Metekhi prison remained a prison, and perhaps it added more work. Until 1931, the Soviet Georgian leaders were not radical enough and they would all be shot in 1937. But in November 1931, Beria headed Georgia, and here the appearance of Tbilisi began to change: so Tbilisi experienced not only Vorontsovization, but also "Bereization".

The last days of the Soviet era were remembered by a terrible catastrophe: on June 1, 1990, a break occurred on the cable car line (Rustaveli-Mtatsminda), the lower station was damaged, and one cabin fell on a residential building. About 20 people died.

On October 28, 1990, a milestone event took place. In the elections to the Supreme Council, the Communist Party won only 64 seats out of 155. On November 14, the chairman of the Supreme Council, Irakli Abashidze, left the post and Zviad Gamsakhurdia was elected in his place. The Soviet era in Georgia is over.

dogwood flag

In November 1990, Zviad Gamsakhurdia became president of the country, and for a whole year nothing happened in the history of the city, and then a terrible thing happened: in December 1991, the National Guard rebelled and besieged the president in the Parliament building. The month of fighting for parliament began. Nearby neighborhoods burned almost all. The Oriant Hotel burned down. The First Gymnasium burned to the ground. The Marriott also burned down. Almost burned down "Communication House". Miraculously, the Kashveti temple survived, although it was covered with traces of bullets. A few years after that, the city center looked like Stalingrad after the surrender of Paulus.

On January 6, Parliament fell. The triumvirate Kitovani-Ioseliani-Sigua came to power in Tbilisi. But the provinces turned against Tbilisi: in this case Megrelia. Thus, for the first time, the split of Georgia into Tbilisi and the province began. This war with fading continues to this day. Tbilisi in this war took the thankless role of the capital of the post-Soviet dictatorship. Samegrelo revolted in January, March and July 1992. And again in September 1993. Tbilisi won the first war with the province.

With this victory, the most eventless era in the history of the city began. Something was rebuilt: for example, the Parliament, the Gymnasium and the Marriott. But everything else gradually fell apart. The restaurant on Mtatsminda was closed and was completely abandoned. On June 21, 2000, the funicular fell into disrepair due to a cable break. Hotels "Adzharia" and "Iveria" in 1995 were given to refugees and turned into terrible slum skyscrapers.

In November 2003, Tbilisi's second war against the provinces began: protests began in the city against electoral violations. Residents of Megrelia and Imereti came to the aid of the protesters. The main protest rally took place on Freedom Square. A parallel rally of loyalists gathered in front of the Houses of Parliament. On November 20, Shevardnadze fled parliament. The province defeated Tbilisi. This event went down in history as

The content of the article

TBILISI(until 1936 in Russian transcription Tiflis), the capital of Georgia, the largest city in the country, an industrial and cultural center. Population - 1082 thousand people (according to the results of the 2002 census.). It is located in eastern Georgia, in the Tbilisi basin, on the banks of the Kura River, at an altitude of 380–750 m above sea level. Total area - approx. 140 sq. km. The city is divided into five administrative districts.

Tbilisi has a complex natural relief. On three sides, mountain slopes and hills adjoin its quarters, so the city is stretched along the river for 30 km. Its central districts are located on terraces on both sides of the Kura.

Winter is moderate, summer is hot. The average annual temperature is about 13 ° C. In January -1 ° C, in July - 24.5 ° C. The annual rainfall is 560 mm.

The Kura crosses the city from northwest to southeast. Within the city there is the Tbilisi reservoir, Lisskoe and Turtle lakes. The natural historical forests around the city have long been cut down, the slopes of mountains and hills are covered with artificial forest plantations.

Tbilisi is a multinational city. Georgians make up 84% of the population (2002), Armenians - 7.6%, Russians - 3%, Kurds - 1.8%, Azerbaijanis - 1%, Ossetians - 0.95%, Greeks - 0.35%, Ukrainians - 0 .3%, Jews - 0.2%, others - 0.8%. The religious composition of the population of Tbilisi is also very diverse. The vast majority of Georgians, Russians, Greeks and Ossetians profess Orthodox Christianity, Armenians are Gregorian Christians. Only 0.2% of Kurds are Muslims, the rest are Yezidis. Azerbaijanis are Sunni Muslims. There are communities of Jews (Jews), small Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, Hare Krishna and other communities.

Historical essay.

According to archaeological data, the territory of Tbilisi was inhabited as early as the 4th millennium BC. It is believed that the city was founded by King Vakhtang I Gorgasali in the 5th century. AD, but the first chronicle mention of Tbilisi dates back to the 4th century AD. The legend says that King Vakhtang was hunting in this area, his falcon chased a pheasant, caught him, but fell into a hot sulfur spring with him. The king liked the place so much that he decided to start extensive construction here. It is believed that the name of the city came from these warm springs (the word “tbili” in Georgian means warm). The son of Tsar Vakhtang I, Dachi, in the beginning. 6th c. moved the capital from Mtskheta to Tbilisi.

In the middle of the 7th c. Arabs invaded Georgia. From the 30s of the 8th c. Tbilisi is the residence of the Arab Emir. In the 9th-11th centuries. the city was subjected to invasions of the Khazars, Persians, Seljuk Turks, remaining under the rule of the Arab Emir. Only in 1122 did the Georgian king David IV, nicknamed the Builder, defeat the Seljuk Turks and throw off their yoke, thereby completing the unification of Georgia. He again made Tbilisi the capital of Georgia.

In the 12th century, during the heyday of the unified Georgian feudal state, Tbilisi turned into one of the largest trade, craft and cultural centers of the Middle East. It was at this time that a special way of life and way of life, a special culture began to take shape here, which ultimately formed the unique face of the city, which, despite all subsequent upheavals, it has preserved throughout its history. Since the 20s of the 13th century, with the emergence of new powerful enemies - the Mongols, difficult times have come for Georgia. Tbilisi was captured and plundered several times both by the Mongols themselves and by the Khorezmian prince Jalal-ed-Din, who was persecuted by them. Late 14th and early 15th centuries. Timur Leng (Tamerlane) made several devastating raids on the city.

From the end of the 15th century until the first half of the 17th century. Tbilisi, inclusive, was conquered several times by Persia and Turkey. In 1795, the city survived the last terrible conquest, when the ruler of Iran, Agha Mohammed Qajar, literally razed Tbilisi to the ground, capturing the city, he burned it and slaughtered or took away the population. Only the approach of Russian troops to Tbilisi in 1796 forced Agha Mohammed to leave Georgia.

In 1801, after the annexation of eastern Georgia to Russia, the Tbilisi province was formed, the city became its administrative center and the residence of the commander-in-chief of Russian troops in the Caucasus. Since 1845 Tbilisi has been the residence of the tsar's governor in the Caucasus. From the end of the 19th century the rise of the revolutionary movement in the Russian Empire did not bypass Tbilisi. In 1892, the first social democratic organization in Georgia, Mesame Dasi, was established here.

After the February Revolution of 1917, the Mensheviks came to power in Georgia, they declared its independence from Russia, and Tbilisi became the capital of the new republic. But already on February 25, 1921, units of the Red Army entered the city, Georgia was transformed into the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, Tbilisi remained its capital.

From the second half of the 80s of the 20th century. Tbilisi has become the center of the movement for the independence of Georgia, which has become especially active since the end of 1988. On April 9, 1989, a multi-day rally on Rustaveli Avenue in front of the building of the Supreme Council of the Republic with a call to leave the USSR of the year ended with the dispersal of the protesters, which resulted in human casualties. This led to the defeat of the Communist Party of Georgia in the autumn parliamentary elections. The overwhelming majority of votes was received by the union of nationalist forces called "Mrgvali Magida" ("Round Table") led by Zviad Gamsakhurdia.

After the declaration of independence on April 9, 1991, Tbilisi became the capital of the Republic of Georgia. However, soon political disagreements began in the ranks of the ruling bloc, which led to civil confrontation and armed conflict, the main arena of which was again Rustaveli Avenue (Sept. 1991 - Jan. 1992.), Which led to fires and destruction in the center of the capital. In subsequent years, Tbilisi remained the center of all political events taking place in Georgia, including the so-called "Rose Revolution" (November 2003).

Economy.

The economic development of Tbilisi in the Middle Ages was due to the fact that the city was located at the crossroads of trade routes throughout the South Caucasus, connecting Georgia with Eastern Transcaucasia, Iran, Syria, Armenia, one of the branches of the Great Silk Road passed through it. After joining Russia, he retained this function. From the second half of the 19th century. the first enterprises of the capitalist type began to appear in the city, at the beginning of the 20th century. there were already about 600 factories and factories in Tbilisi. The most significant of these were the cotton-spinning, plywood, felt, match and tobacco factories, tanneries, breweries and oil mills. The city traded mainly in manufactory, tea, iron, porcelain and glass products, its turnover reached 40-45 million royal rubles. in year. The Transcaucasian railway connected Tbilisi with Baku, Batumi and Kars, there was also a railway to Russia and a “wheel track” - the Georgian Military Highway, going through the Cross Pass to Vladikavkaz.

During the years of Soviet power, along with food and light industry, heavy industry began to develop here. By the beginning of the 80s, the share of Tbilisi in the industrial production of the republic was more than 30%. There were electric locomotive, aviation, machine-tool, instrument-making plants, textile, meat and dairy, wine and other enterprises.

After the collapse of the USSR and the collapse of the system of a unified Soviet economy, an economic crisis set in Georgia, almost all industrial enterprises stopped. This fate did not escape Tbilisi either. In the late 80s, only commercial enterprises operated in the city, trading mainly in imported goods and domestic agricultural products. Since the mid-1990s, there have been the first signs of a revival of the industry, primarily in the production of food products, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

The process of revival of the economy proceeded and proceeds very difficult. The main reasons for this are the lack of own financial resources, unfavorable conditions for attracting foreign investment (incompetence and weakness of power structures, inconsistency and half-heartedness in carrying out economic reforms, the dominance of crime, etc.), as well as the inability of entrepreneurs to work in new, market conditions. Tbilisi is at the forefront of the development of the Georgian economy, according to official statistics, in 2004 the share of the capital in the production of goods and services was more than 56% (about 1 billion US dollars).

Plants and factories in Tbilisi produce approx. 49% of all industrial output. Pharmaceutical enterprises operate in the capital, building materials are produced, and in recent years, commercial construction of housing, as well as hotels, has expanded significantly. Today in the city, along with several dozen guesthouses and small hotels, there are three four-star hotels. As a rule, the leading enterprises have a significant share of foreign capital.

The metro has been operating in the city since 1966. The current authorities are making significant efforts to revive land municipal transport and streamline traffic.

Attractions.

Three epochs of its development are clearly distinguished in the architecture of Tbilisi: the period from ancient times to the beginning. 19th century, the period of Georgia being a part of the Russian Empire and the last, Soviet period. Over time, the city grew from east to west and north, its oldest part is located in the southeast on both sides of the Kura. Winding streets and low, mostly two-story houses with picturesque balconies rise on the steep right bank of the river, they literally grow out of the rock and seem ready to fall off the cliff. The end of the rocky ridge is crowned by the Metekhi Temple (a 17th-century building erected on the site of the oldest church in the city of the 5th century) and the palace of Queen Darejan, the wife of the penultimate king of independent Georgia, Heraclius (Erekle) II.

At the beginning of the Wine Rise, along which you can get to this part of Tbilisi, there is a monument to the famous Georgian poet of the era of romanticism Nikoloz Baratashvili (sculptor Boris Tsibadze). From here you can see the much lower right bank of the Kura. The city smoothly spreads along it and rises in ledges to the foot of the Narikala fortress, the walls of which in ancient times protected the inhabitants of the city from enemy invasions. Not far from the fortress rises a multi-meter statue by the sculptor Elgudzhi Amashukeli - Mother Georgia. A woman in national Georgian attire holds a cup of wine in one hand, and a sword in the other, in order to adequately meet friends and enemies.

Here, next to each other, are the Sion Church (6th century, the last reconstruction dates back to the 19th century), which until recently was the cathedral of the Georgian Patriarchate, a Jewish synagogue, a Muslim mosque, Gregorian and Catholic churches. There is also a well-known area of ​​sulfur baths (Abanotubani), which is a favorite vacation spot for citizens and guests of Tbilisi to this day. Along the street of Konstantin Leselidze, the famous Georgian commander of the Second World War, you can get to the central square of the city (now Freedom Square), where the building of the city hall, one of the newly built high-class hotels, the Courtyard Marriot and Pushkin Square are located. Pushkin Street descends from it down to the embankment. Here is the house where the great Russian poet stayed when he was in Tbilisi. Rustaveli Avenue starts from Freedom Square. It, like the Agmashenebeli Avenue, located on the right bank and running almost parallel to it, was built up mainly from the beginning of the 19th century. The architecture of many buildings that have survived to this day vividly reminds of this era.

These two avenues are the center of the spiritual and cultural life of the capital to this day. Most of the theaters, museums, scientific institutions and administrative buildings are located here. On Rustaveli Avenue, the palace of the royal governor in the Caucasus (now the Palace of Schoolchildren) was also built, next to it was the building of the Georgian parliament (mid-20th century), the building of the gymnasium, where many famous figures of Georgia studied for two centuries. The theater is also located here. Rustaveli, the State Historical Museum of Georgia, the State Art Gallery, a little further - the Opera and Ballet Theatre. The building of the State Conservatory is located on one of the upper streets adjacent to the avenue. On Agmashenebeli Avenue there is a modern building of the concert hall of the Georgian Philharmonic, on the street named after the Georgian director Kote Marjanishvili crossing it - the Marjanishvili Drama Theater.

As already noted, the western and northwestern districts of the city were built up mainly in the Soviet era. The Vake district on the right bank begins with the avenue named after the Georgian writer and public figure 19 - early. 20th century Ilya Chavchavadze. The building of the Tbilisi State University opens the avenue. At the end of it on the left side is one of the largest parks of culture and recreation in the city. The main road from it rises uphill and leads to the favorite summer vacation spot of the townspeople - the village of Tskneti. Despite its proximity to Tbilisi (approx. 15 km.), this place has a much more favorable climate due to its higher location above sea level (950 m).

From the end of Vake, a separate road leads to Turtle Lake. In the vicinity of the lake there is an open-air Museum of Folk Architecture and Life. Here visitors can get acquainted with the ethnography of the inhabitants of all regions and corners of Georgia. In the north of the city there is an artificial reservoir, the so-called Tbilisi Sea, which is a popular vacation spot for citizens in the summer heat. Of the recreation areas, it is also worth mentioning the Tbilisi Botanical Garden, located in the old part of the city, between the Sulfur Baths and Freedom Square, on a mountainside. More than 5,000 species of various plants are represented here. The garden was founded in the 20s of the seventeenth century and in recent years, with the assistance of patrons, it has been enriched with many new rare specimens. To the west, also on the slope of the mountain, there is a pantheon of writers and public figures. Here is the tomb of A. Griboyedov and his wife Nina, the daughter of the Georgian poet A. Chavchavadze.

Institutions of culture, science and education.

There are more than 30 museums in Tbilisi. In addition to the above, the most significant are the State Museum of Arts of Georgia, which, along with exhibits representing the national fine arts from ancient times to the present day, contains interesting collections of Eastern, European and Russian art; Museum of the History of Tbilisi, which is located in the caravanserai building in the old part of the city next to the Sioni Church. There are 15 theaters in the city, including the State Opera and Ballet Theatre, the aforementioned drama theaters named after. Rustaveli and Marjanishvili, Russian Drama Theatre. A.Griboedov, Armenian theater named after. S. Shaumyan, theaters of Musical Comedy, Pantomime, Puppets, etc. The theatrical life of the city was not interrupted even in the most difficult times of political unrest and continues to develop. In recent years, several dozens of new children's (folklore, etc.) musical and theater groups have been created.

In Tbilisi, approx. There are 300 public general education and specialized schools, along with several dozens of private secondary schools with a fairly high level of education. Of the 12 state higher educational institutions, the oldest is Tbilisi University (the first university in the South Caucasus), founded in 1918 by a group of scientists, the core of which was graduates of St. Petersburg University. The university gave rise to several dozens of higher educational institutions of the country, as well as the Academy of Sciences of Georgia. Along with state higher education institutions, in recent years some private universities have also gained popularity (University of the Black Sea, Caucasus Business School, ESM - International School of Management, etc.).

There are more than 100 libraries in the city. The most significant of them are the State Public Library and the libraries of the Academy of Sciences and the State University. Tbilisi is the center of television and radio broadcasting. There are 9 public and private TV channels. The capital is also the center of publishing activity. Several dozen newspapers and magazines are published in Tbilisi, most of them in Georgian. After a few years of decline, book publishing has revived as well.

However, the difficult economic situation still has a negative impact on the development of culture, science and education. It was especially reflected in the Georgian cinema. Film Studio Georgia-Film, located in Tbilisi, where many outstanding films were created ( Soldier father, Repentance etc.), is currently experiencing significant difficulties. At present, the country is undergoing a reform of the system of science and education, the city authorities are making efforts to attract additional sources of funding to the social sphere as a whole, incl. in the field of science and culture.

Natia Revishvili, Ketevan Amirejibi

Capital of Georgia. The name of Tbilisi was first mentioned in the 4th century; its appearance is associated with the presence of warm sulfur springs in the city (georgian tbili warm). The ancient form of the name Tpilisi, the names of the city adopted by other peoples are formed from it ... Geographic Encyclopedia

Tbilisi- Tbilisi. Kura River and Metekhi Cathedral (founded in 1278). TBILISI (until 1936 Tiflis), the capital of Georgia, on the Kura River. 1283 thousand inhabitants. Railway junction. Metropolitan (1966). Mechanical engineering (machine tools, electric locomotives, appliances, agricultural ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Capital of the Georgian SSR. Known since the 4th century, the capital of Georgia since the 12th century. It is stretched out in a narrow strip for almost 30 km in the valley of the river. Kura and along the adjacent slopes of the mountains. In the southeastern part of Tbilisi is its ancient core, the Old City with narrow streets, ... ... Art Encyclopedia

- (until 1936 Tiflis), the capital of Georgia, on the Kura River. 1283 thousand inhabitants. Railway junction. Metropolitan (1966). Mechanical engineering (machine tools, electric locomotives, instruments, agricultural machines, electrical equipment, etc.), light (textile, ... ... Modern Encyclopedia

- (until 1936 in Russian transcription Tiflis) the capital of Georgia, on the river. Kura. Railway junction. 1279 thousand inhabitants (1991; including settlements subordinated to the city administration, 1283 thousand inhabitants). Mechanical engineering (manufacturing of machine tools, ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Tiflis Dictionary of Russian synonyms. tbilisi n., number of synonyms: 3 city (2765) capital ... Synonym dictionary

- (until 1936 in Russian transcription Tiflis) the capital of the Georgian SSR. A large industrial, scientific and cultural central transport hub. Located in the Tbilisi basin, along both banks of the river. Chickens, at an altitude of 406,522 m. Average ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

TBILISI- GEORGIA Tbilisi (until 1936 in Russian transcription Tiflis), the capital of Georgia, is located in the valley of the Kura River in the Caucasus Mountains. The population of the city is 1353000 inhabitants. The convenient position of the city on one of the mountain routes connecting the Black and Caspian ... ... Cities and countries

- (until 1936 Tiflis) city, capital Gruz. SSR, one of the largest industrial, cultural and scientific. centers of the USSR, located in the valley of the river. Hens. Railway junction, airport, beg. item Military. cargo. roads. As of 1 Jan. 1972 927 vol. (in 1897 160.6 tons, in 1926 294 tons ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

- (until 1936 Tiflis) the capital of Georgia. SSR, industrial and cultural center. 1066 thousand inhabitants (as of Jan. 1979). T. is Ch. city ​​of Georgia from the 5th 6th centuries. Music information. T.'s life is preserved in ancient chronicles and literature. monuments of ancient times. WITH… … Music Encyclopedia

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• Tbilisi is the capital of the Georgian SSR,. Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia. One of the oldest cities in the world, one of the largest industrial, cultural and scientific centers of the Soviet Union. Founded in the second half of the 5th century. Its name…
• Tbilisi. Guide, Georgy Khutsishvili. Georgians say: "When a guest comes to the house, it is a sunrise. When he leaves the house, it is a sunset for the owner." Let's hope the sun never sets for the inhabitants of this ancient...

Tbilisi is not just the capital of Georgia, but also a typical city of contrasts. Here you can especially feel the diversity of buildings, local color and sincerity of people. Tbilisi has a lot within walking distance, beautiful surroundings, good and quite affordable prices. Inside the city, public transport is well established: buses, taxis. Thanks to this, you can easily get to almost any part of the capital.

Despite the many positive aspects, Tbilisi, like any other tourist destination, has its drawbacks. For example, bad sidewalks in some parts of the city, money changers with veiled fees, and suffocating heat during the peak of the summer season. But these little things absolutely do not prevent a huge number of travelers from all over the world from coming and relaxing in it every year.

From a height, Tbilisi no longer seems as diverse as it really is. New buildings are hidden under the more familiar roofs and greenery of the city.

The city is perfect to visit at any time of the year- tourists will always find something to entertain and occupy themselves. More read about the important sights of the capital in our separate article: We will not list all the fascinating places in Tbilisi again, we will only briefly indicate the most exciting for travelers.

Shops in Tbilisi: from a grocery supermarket to a department of technology

Grocery stores, supermarkets and bakeries in some areas of Tbilisi come across often, although not as much as, for example, in Batumi. The prices are affordable and the selection is wide. Those who come to the city for a long time prefer to shop at the market, where it turns out a little cheaper, and you can also chat with the locals. Article for those who are interested cost of products in the capital:

The choice of equipment in stores is very diverse, and the price is slightly higher than in native post-Soviet countries. Therefore, if you urgently need something small, for example, a card for a camera or a flash drive, then feel free to buy it here, you will lose practically nothing. We do not recommend purchasing larger equipment (camera, laptop, etc.) in Tbilisi, as well as in Georgia in general.

How and how to get to Tbilisi

The city has railway stations, bus stations and is approximately 15.5 kilometers from the center of Tbilisi. The most convenient and fastest way to get to the capital of Georgia is by plane. Depending on the chosen month of travel and the city from which you are going to depart, the price can be enormously different.

The main train station is quite far from the city center (see below). Passengers from other cities come here. In addition, from Tbilisi-Passenger travel to Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The first time we traveled to Tbilisi by train from Batumi. It was moderately comfortable (with free Wi-Fi and working sockets) and slightly chilly (with air conditioning on). Tickets were the cheapest (2nd class, according to 23 GEL GEORGIAN LAR RATE:
23 lari = 7.61 euros;
23 lari = 8.74 dollars;
23 lari = 580.06 rubles;
23 lari = 244.72 hryvnia;
23 lari = 19.55 Belarusian rubles.
Rates and prices may not be accurate. per person). The train ran all night. Sitting chairs did not really allow to relax and sleep normally. An option worthy of attention, but not the best in terms of convenience: suitcases stand in certain places of the car all together, you have to get from the station to the hotel or apartment separately (if it’s very early or bad weather, you will have to additionally call a taxi).

Many come to Tbilisi from other parts of Georgia by bus. The main bus station of the city is located in a convenient location, a few hundred meters from it there is a metro station "Didube". From the Tbilisi station, transport runs in different directions (once we traveled from it to). It’s worth keeping in mind that minibuses in Georgia are mostly old and worn out. Some offer passengers extra seats inside - on a side chair, or you can ride standing up for several hours. Often luggage travels on the roof of the bus, tied along with other suitcases and trunks. The schedule is rather conditional: when the minibus is assembled, then it will depart.

Recently, we travel to Tbilisi and other cities of Georgia,. It turns out much more convenient and interesting. Often, along the way, drivers offer to visit nearby attractions. For example, during a trip from Batumi to Tbilisi, we stopped in Uplistsikhe and Gori, and approaching Akhaltsikhe, we stopped in the heart and walked around the territory of the Green Monastery. In the car, each passenger is given a bottle of drinking water, sometimes there are sweets and stronger drinks. Drivers are attentive and sociable. They stop at the request, help with luggage. An indisputable advantage of renting a car with a driver: you will be taken to the specified house, regardless of the time spent on the road and the weather. On our last trip to Tbilisi, ordering a car played into our hands - a terrible storm broke out at the entrance to the city with rain and wind. In some places in Tbilisi, water flowed along the road in a continuous stream up to the middle of the wheel. It's hard to imagine what we would do if we went by train. Probably, I would have to order a taxi for any money. We rent cars with drivers on the Gotrip.ge website.

Transport inside the capital of Georgia

A tourist can move around the city in several ways suitable for him: by minibus, by metro, by or taxi.

For the first two options, it is advisable to purchase a special card and put some money on it. Further, with the help of the card, travelers can ride on the mentioned transport and on the cable car, and at the end of the vacation, hand it over to the cashier and return not only the balance, but also its full cost.

For those who are interested: Details about the features of public transport in Tbilisi and

It is better to negotiate with taxi drivers in Tbilisi through the locals, otherwise you risk spending twice as much as necessary on the fare, or you will simply be driven in “circles”, winding up the mileage.

If you need to order a transfer to or from the airport, it is better. This option guarantees a fixed price without markups, as well as fast and accurate delivery to the right place. In addition, the driver will tell you the best place for, advise on delicious national dishes. You can order a transfer from Tbilisi to the airport using the active link (highlighted in blue).

Accommodation in Tbilisi: hotels and apartments in the city

So that living in the capital of Georgia does not turn into an unpleasant surprise for you, we recommend choosing accommodation in advance, and not at the last moment and not too much chasing after savings. It should be understood that Tbilisi is a rather ancient city with its own specifics. It has both old and new districts, which may not be close to beautiful sights, cheap shops or a huge selection of restaurants.

Our reviews of the capital of Georgia

A few personal impressions about our visits to Tbilisi: how do we remember the city? Is it worth going back there? What did you like the most? We hope that our subjective opinions about the capital of Georgia will help you navigate and decide whether to go to Tbilisi or not.