Tuši's blog: 14142

Georgia: Exploring Tbilisi: Day 9

For our first day in Tbilisi, Baki, Nada and me decided to explore the oldest part of the city called Kala. Additionally we visited the National Botanical Garden of Georgia and Narikala fortress.

The original settlement of Tbilisi, like other fortress towns throughout Georgia such as Kutaisi and Ujarma, developed below the walls of an elevated citadel and continued down to the river. The town and citadel were protected by fortifications. The area known today as the Old Town is also called Kala. It is the original settlement on the right bank of the Mtkvari (Kura) River that developed below the walls of the Narikala Fortress when Vakhtang Gorgasali established his capital here in the fifth century.

Previous days of our Georgia trip: Day 8, Day 7, Day 6, Day 5, Day 4, Day 3, Day 2 and Day 1.

We started the tour next to the old city wall

Statue in front of Tbilisi Puppet Museum, founded in 1937 by the initiative of Tinatin Tumanishvili, children’s writer and teacher. Nada took some detailed photographs of Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theater tower.

Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theater tower and the tower of the residence of the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Presidential Administration of Georgia

Russian IZh Planeta 3 motorbike

Caucasian and Oriental Carpets Gallery opened in 1990. It is in the historic district of the city where, in the 18th and 19th centuries from Asia, camel caravans laden with carpets used to stop on their journeys from Asia towards the Black Sea.

Local chicks in front of Sioni Cathedral

Many balconies in Tbilisi look like this

Little Jvaris Mama stands on a site where a church has stood since the 5th century. The current incarnation dates from the 16th century and its interior is covered in recently restored frescoes in striking reds, golds and blues.

City, where old and new meet all the time

Lunch time - Baklava

Left: Konka (horsecar) appeared in Tbilisi 1883. First it was used for carrying goods, but later it was used for common ordinary people. In 1904 it was replaced by a tram, but people could not part with it. Now it's standing as a cafe in the street. Right: The sculpture of a man holding a horn in Tbilisi is modeled on an ancient Colchian statuette and is affectionately known as ‘Tamada’ (Georgian: თამადა) – toastmaster at Georgian feasts.

Tuši in Median Bazaar

According to history, Median Bazaar has always been a commercial square, although under different names – Shaitan Bazaar, Tatris Moedani, Tsikhis Moedani.

Meidan Bazar is a souvenir shop in old town and what you can bring from Georgia as a souvenir? Firstly, of course the well-known Georgian wine or Chacha and beautiful drinking horns for the wine. Here you can also buy good Georgian tea or honey and churchkhela. Churchkhela is the sausage-shaped traditional Georgian sweet made from concentrated fresh grape juice and walnuts.

Over the Mt’k’vari river we visited the statue of Vakhtang I Gorgasali, overlooking Europe square and Bridge of Peace.

The extant Metekhi Church of Assumption, resting upon the top of the hill, was built by the Georgian king St Demetrius II circa 1278–1284 and is somewhat an unusual example of domed Georgian Orthodox church.

View from the cliffs to the Narikala fortress and Kura river.

Abanotubani is one of the most attractive neighborhoods in Tbilisi. It's famous of its public sulfur baths, and very spectacular views.

The Sulphur Baths in Abanotubani, in the midst of the old town in Tbilisi are famed to be the source of the city’s existence. When the city was contained within walls, visiting merchants along the spice route were ordered to use one of the 64 baths before they were allowed to enter. The name Tbilisi comes from the Georgian word for warm ‘თბილი—tbili’ so the site of the city was probably dictated by the location of the hot, sulphurous springs. Legend has it that in the 5th century, King Vakhtang Gorgasali’s hunting falcon brought back a pheasant which had been poached in the warm water and ordered his capital moved there.

The Georgian capital of Tbilisi has long been a crossroads for many different faiths, and a unique example of this religious openness can be seen at the Jumah Mosque.

Local band

The Tsavkisistskali River gorge is commonly referred to as “Leghvtakhevi” (Georgian: ლეღვთახევი) – fig gorge. It created the Leghvtakhevi waterfall at the end of the path through the gorge.

We visited the National Botanical Garden of Georgia.

Selfie in a garden that occupies the area of 161 hectares and possesses a collection of over 4,500 taxonomic groups.

The gardens 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.

It’s easy to wander for a while in these tree-filled and waterfall-dotted gardens, which stretch more than a kilometre up the valley beneath the cliffs of Narikala Fortress.

Narikala (Georgian: ნარიყალა) is an ancient fortress overlooking Tbilisi and the Kura River.

View from the fortress to Kura river, Bridge of Peace, Metekhi Church of Assumption and Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi.

Photo that almost costed us a fortune and Kartlis Deda (Mother of a Georgian). She symbolizes the Georgian national character: in her left hand she holds a bowl of wine to greet those who come as friends, and in her right hand is a sword for those who come as enemies.