Mtskheta Gori Uplistsikhe
- Today we must Discover Mtskheta – one of the oldest towns and the cultural and religious centre of Georgia. The former capital of Georgia has some outstanding examples of mediaeval religious architecture. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The site is believed to have been settled since around 3000-2000 BC. Its mild climate and its fertile soil together with its strategic location at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers made it an ideal home for human habitation. It also became an important stopping point on the ancient trade routes and was a significant site of early Christian activity. Mtskheta was the capital of the early Georgian Kingdom of Iberia, from the 3rd century BC until the 5th century AD. At the beginning of the 6th century, King Dachi I Ujarmeli moved the capital from Mtskheta to Tbilisi, in accordance with his father’s will. You will see Jvari Monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral.
- Next is Joseph Stalin’s Museum in Gori, established as a local history museum but clearly intended to become a memorial to Stalin. The main building of the complex is a large palace in Stalinist Gothic style. Enshrined within a Greco-Italianate pavilion is a small wooden hut, in which Stalin was born in 1878 and spent his first four years.
- Next stop is Uplistsikhe (literally, “the lord’s fortress”) -Spend a day exploring some of the most fascinating attractions in Georgia, starting with the ancient town of Uplistsikhe, considered once of the oldest urban settlements in all of George and dating back to the 200 B.C. The ancient rock-hewn town, on the list for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage program, contains a bulk of rock-cut structures and is connected to the southern part via a narrow rock-cut pass and a tunnel, with narrow alleys and sometimes staircases radiating from the central “street” to its various structures. Transfer back to hotel.
