CITY DESTINATION: Tbilisi in Georgia, the Country
By Jorge Jefferds April 2, 2016
The journey along the ex-Communist countries is endless in
the eastern corner of Europe. There is a country called Georgia, whose
landscapes and history are far from being similar to those of Georgia State in
the USA. In this territory of approximately 69,700 square kilometers
(26,911 sq mi), and with a population of about 3.75 million, Tbilisi
is the point of start of an amazing tour through the capital of various
Georgian kingdoms and republics. Under the Russian rule, from 1801 to 1917
Tiflis was the seat of the Imperial Viceroy governing both sides of the entire Caucasus.
Located on the southeastern edge of Europe, Tbilisi's
proximity to lucrative east-west trade routes often made the city a point of
contention between various rival empires throughout history and the city's
location to this day ensures its position as an important transit route for
global energy and trade projects. Tbilisi's varied history is reflected in its
architecture, which is a mix of medieval, classical, and Soviet structures.
Historically, Tbilisi has been home to people of diverse
cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, though it is overwhelmingly Eastern
Orthodox Christian. Notable tourist destinations include cathedrals like Sameba
and Sioni, classical Freedom Square and Rustaveli Avenue, medieval Narikala
Fortress, pseudo-Moorish Opera Theater, and the Georgian National Museum.
Let’s take a look at some of the many interesting sights.
Narikala is an ancient fortress overlooking Tbilisi, and
the Kura River. The fortress consists of two walled sections on a steep hill
between the sulphur baths and the botanical gardens of Tbilisi. On the lower
court there is the recently restored St Nicholas church. Newly built in
1996–1997, it replaces the original 13th-century church that was destroyed in a
fire. The new church is of "prescribed cross" type, having doors on
three sides. The internal part of the church is decorated with the frescos showing
scenes both from the Bible and history of Georgia. The fortress was established
in the 4th century as Shuris-tsikhe (i.e., "Invidious Fort"). It was
considerably expanded by the Umayyads in the 7th century and later, by King David
the Builder (1089–1125). The Mongols renamed it "Narin Qala" (i.e.,
"Little Fortress"). Most of extant fortifications date from the 16th
and 17th centuries. In 1827, parts of the fortress were damaged by an
earthquake and demolished.
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| The Narikala Fortress |
The Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi, commonly known
as Sameba, is the main cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church.
Constructed between 1995 and 2004, it is the third-tallest Eastern Orthodox
cathedral in the world and one of the largest religious buildings in the world
by total area. Sameba is a synthesis of traditional styles dominating the
Georgian church architecture at various stages in history and has some Byzantine
undertones.
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| Sameba Cathedral |
The National Botanical Garden of Georgia, formerly
the Tbilisi Botanical Garden, stands
in the Tsavkisis-Tskali Gorge on the southern foothills of the Sololaki Range
(a spur of the Trialeti Range). It occupies the area of 161 hectares and
possesses a collection of over 4,500 taxonomic groups. Its history spans more
than three centuries. It was first described, in 1671, by the French traveler Jean
Chardin as royal gardens which might have been founded at least in 1625 and
were variably referred to as "fortress gardens" or "Seidabad
gardens" later in history. The gardens appear in the records by Joseph
Pitton de Tournefort (1701) and on the Tbilisi map composed by Prince Vakhushti
(1735). Pillaged in the Persian invasion of 1795, the garden was revived in the
early 19th century and officially established as the Tiflis Botanical Garden in
1845. From 1888 on, when a floristic center was set up, Yuri Voronov and
several other notable scholars have worked for the Garden. Between 1896 and
1904, the Garden was expanded further westward. Between 1932 and 1958, the
territory around the former Muslim cemetery was included in the botanical
garden. Several graves have survived, however, including that of the prominent Azerbaijani
writer Mirza Fatali Akhundov (1812-1878). The central entrance to the Garden is
located at the foothills of the Narikala Fortress. The other, cut through the
rock as a long tunnel in 1909-14, had been functional until the mid-2000s when
the tunnel was converted into Georgia’s largest nightclub "Gvirabi".
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| Tbilisi Botanical Garden |
The Anchiskhati Basilica of St Mary is the oldest
surviving church in Tbilisi, belongs to the Georgian Orthodox Church, and dates
from the sixth century. As a three-span basilica, the building was divided by
two abutments forming horseshoe shaped conches, which indicates the antiquity of
its construction. Originally constructed of blocks of yellow tuff stone, the
1958-1964 restoration made extensive use of brick. The structure has entrances
on three sides, but today only the western entrance is in use. Besides the altarpiece
that was painted in 1683 by the order of Catholicos Nikoloz Amilakhvari, all of
the remaining paintings in the church date back to the 19th century.
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| Anchiskhati Basilica of St. Mary |
Even though, time is so short to visit the wholeness of the tourist
places, you might be interested in finishing your day riding the Tbilisi Funicular. In 1900 the city
government commissioned the Belgian engineer, Alphonse Roby, to perform the
construction. The 500 meters long line was opened in March 1905. It consisted
of three stations, the lower on today’s Chonquadze Street in the city, the
"Pantheon" stop near the Mtatsminda Pantheon, and
"Mtatsminda", at the top of mountain. It was closed in 2000 following
an accident, but reopened in 2012 after a comprehensive reconstruction project
that renovated the stations and replaced the drive mechanism, rails, cars and
safety equipment. A single ride is 2 Lari (approximately 1 dollar), but you
also need to purchase a rechargeable card (valid for Mtatsminda Park, as well).
This one in particular costs
2 Lari, but is not refundable. Cars run every 10 minutes from 11:00 to 19:30.
For more information about this amazing city, visit http://www.info-tbilisi.com.
