{"id":12980,"date":"2026-03-04T22:36:41","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T21:36:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ilupin.com\/en\/?page_id=12980"},"modified":"2026-04-07T12:03:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T10:03:20","slug":"2025-04-01-mtskheta-uplistsikhe-gori","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ilupin.com\/en\/travels\/asia\/georgia\/2025-04-01-mtskheta-uplistsikhe-gori\/","title":{"rendered":"Mtskheta, Uplistsikhe &\u00a0Gori"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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  1. Jvari<\/a> is the first domed church in Georgia and dates back to the early 7th<\/sup> century. Still good.\n<\/li>\n\n
  2. Heart of Georgia.\n<\/li>\n\n
  3. Soul of Georgia.\n<\/li>\n\n
  4. Strength of Georgia.\n<\/li>\n\n
  5. Mtskheta<\/a>, the ancient capital of Iberia, was founded in the 5th<\/sup> century BC (the first settlements appeared here as early as the Bronze Age). \n<\/li>\n\n
  6. The 11th<\/sup>-century Svetitskhoveli Cathedral<\/a> in Mtskheta is the second largest after the golden-domed Trinity Cathedral. But it\u2019s not about the size.\n<\/li>\n\n
  7. Cathedral courtyard.\n<\/li>\n\n
  8. Divine light.\n<\/li>\n\n
  9. Flame of faith.\n<\/li>\n\n
  10. The grapevine cross<\/a> was brought to Mtskheta by St. Nino, and then wandered here and there for a long time (now resides in the Sioni Cathedral).\n<\/li>\n\n
  11. Beautiful branches won\u2019t trim themselves! \n<\/li>\n\n
  12. An archaeological museum in a reconstructed cinema building with a monumental ceramic panel from the Brezhnev era.\n<\/li>\n\n
  13. Lanterns, too.\n<\/li>\n\n
  14. The Transfiguration Church in Samtavro Monastery<\/a> in northwest Mtskheta. Founded in the 4th<\/sup> century, revised and updated in the 11th<\/sup>.\n<\/li>\n\n
  15. The Small Church of St. Nino in the monastery courtyard.\n<\/li>\n\n
  16. I wish it were like this everywhere.\n<\/li>\n\n
  17. The rock-hewn town Uplistsikhe<\/a> was founded 3,000 years ago and developed until the 13th<\/sup>-century<\/span> Mongol invasion with fire and sword.\n<\/li>\n\n
  18. The stone walls reliably protected from the wind, and the mild climate made it easy to warm the premises even in winter.\n<\/li>\n\n
  19. Architectural excesses in the so-called<\/span> Queen Tamar Hall (which she may not have even visited).\n<\/li>\n\n
  20. Long before the Mongols, the first Christians readily killed and burned local pagans. The Uplistsuli Church was built much later, in the 11th<\/sup> century.\n<\/li>\n\n
  21. Meanwhile, Japanese quince fruits are used to make delicious jam, and they can also be added to tea for a fragrant sourness. \n<\/li>\n\n
  22. The natural and structural transformation of sandstone in Uplistsikhe leaves room for the pareidolia<\/a>. Here\u2019s a caiman, for example.\n<\/li>\n\n
  23. An elephant.\n<\/li>\n\n
  24. A ducky.\n<\/li>\n\n
  25. A dolichocephalic man with an annular cranial deformation<\/a>, characteristic of many ancient cultures. All coincidences are random.\n<\/li>\n\n
  26. Caucasian agama, too.\n<\/li>\n\n
  27. Neighboring Gori: \u201cRequiem<\/a>\u201d by Giorgi Ochiauri (a memorial to war heroes \u2014 corpses and amputees), the cathedral, and the ghoul\u2019s museum.\n<\/li>\n\n
  28. Warriors sit at the foot of a medieval citadel<\/a>, over which Georgians and Persians fought fiercely for centuries. Free entry.\n<\/li>\n\n
  29. From the walls, another view of Gori opens up, with the bionic Public Service Hall<\/a> in the center. Like in Tbilisi, it embodies lightness and openness.\n<\/li>\n\n
  30. And on the modest street of Amilakhvari, opposite the city hall, lies an incredible ceramic panel \u201c1001 ornaments<\/a>\u201d by artist Irina Shotadze.\n<\/li>\n\n<\/ol><\/div>\n\n\n\n