A traveller's reflection: Caucasus 2018: 11 Tbilisi, Georgia

"Your mind is a powerful thing. When you fill it with positive thoughts, your life will start to change..."

(Abanotubani Bath House in Old Tbilisi)

Day 11: 25 April 2018 (Wednesday)
Route: Tbilisi City Tour
Hotel: L Plaza Hotel Tbilisi, Georgia

Today we started our day-tour of Tbilisi a little late.

Tbilisi is protected by Narikala, an ancient fortress overlooking the city 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.

(Narikala Fortress overlooking the city of Tbilisi)

(Narikala from St Nicholas Church)

(A part of the Fortress wall next to the Cable Car Station)

(Dangerous climb on the ancient wall for a better view of Tbilisi)

The fortress was established in the 4th century as Shuris-tsikhe or Invidious Fort and it was a Persian citadel. It was considerably expanded by the Umayyads in the 7th century and later, by King David the Builder. The Mongols renamed it ‘Narin Qala’ or ‘Little Fortress’.

(St Nicholas Church perched on the rocky hill)

(Another view of the Metekhi church)

On the lower court there is the recently restored St Nicholas church. 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 view of Narikala and the city from Metheki Cliff)

(The Monument of King Vakhtang Gorgasali)

(Foreign pilgrims visiting St Nicholas Church)

We visited the Old Tbilisi which is an administrative district in Tbilisi. The term ‘Old Tbilisi" has long been used to denote a historical part of the city. Old Tbilisi is principally centered on what is commonly referred to as the Tbilisi Historic District, which, due to its significant architectural and urban value.

(A visit to the historical Tbilisi)

(The buildings of old Tbilisi)

(Intricate carvings of wooden balconies)

(Wooden houses built on rocky cliff in Old Tbilisi)

The Old Tbilisi district is located on both sides of the Kura River and is dominated by Mount Mtatsminda, Narikala fortress and the Kartlis Deda monument. The district houses churches, museums, sulphur bathhouses, and peculiar wooden houses with open, carved balconies.

(The Fig Gorge with walled embankment)

(Leghvtakhevi or 'fig gorge' is located behind The Sulphur Baths)

The Bath District of the city that holds the sulphuric water is called Abanotubani located underneath Narikala fortress and is quickly identifiable by the the sulphur smell and dome shaped bath houses.

(There are many Bath Houses in Old Tbilisi)

(Old Tbilisi dome-shaped Bath Houses)

(Dome-shaped bathhouse roofs and elaborately tiled entrances)

(Country and Western musicians at the Bath House)

The weather was clear and sunny. It was a nice day for a stroll to Leghvtakhevi Waterfall. The waterfall is surrounded by cliffs situated in the very center of the old city. On the other side of the ridge, in the Botanical Garden.

(A small bridge and a circular staircase at the Fig Gorge)

(A morning stroll along the Fig Gorge)

(A short walk to the waterfalls)

We had to climb the steep narrow streets of Old Tbilisi to visit the Central Mosque, the first Shiite mosque in Tbilisi. It was constructed in the 16th century on the place of the devastated Christian church with the wish of the shah- Suleiman. The eight angled Minaret of the brick mosque draws the attention even from the far distance and is perceived in a different ways from the various sides. The mosque, located at the end of the Botanical garden is the only functioning one at present, and serves the Shiite as well as the Sunnite Muslims.

(The Central Mosque could be access by the circular staircase)

(The eight angled Minaret of the mosque)

(The mosque is made of red bricks)

(The interior of the Shiite Mosque)

After visiting Old Tbilisi we drove pass Freedom Square, named after Ivan Paskevich, the Count of Erivan, a Ukrainian general of the Russian Imperial Army. Under the Soviet Union, the square was renamed, first Beria Square, and then Lenin Square. Freedom Square has been the site of various mass demonstrations including those for Georgia's independence from the Soviet Union. In 2005 Freedom Square was the location where there was an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate U.S. President George W. Bush and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili while they were addressing a crowd in celebration of the 60th anniversary marking the end of World War II.

(The Freedom Monument at the centre of the square)

From Freedom Square we drove up the steep road to Kartlis Deda or Mother of a Georgian, a statue erected on the top of Sololaki hill in 1958, the year Tbilisi celebrated its 1500th anniversary. Prominent Georgian sculptor Elguja Amashukeli designed the twenty-metre aluminium figure of a woman in Georgian national dress. 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. We took a scenic walk along the Sololaki ridge for a panoramic view of Tbilisi.

(Signage to the many attractions)

(The Mother of Georgia Statue)

(The statue on top of Sololaki Hill)

(The statue from below)

(Tbilisi city from the top of of Sololaki Hill)

(Cable cars operating from the hilltop)

Rustaveli Avenue, formerly known as Golovin Street, is the central avenue in Tbilisi named after the medieval Georgian poet, Shota Rustaveli. The avenue starts at Freedom Square and extends for about 1.5 km in length, before it turns into an extension of Kostava Street. Rustaveli is often considered the main thoroughfare of Tbilisi due to a large number of governmental, public, cultural, and business buildings that are located along or near the avenue. We drove around town and captured the many sights, buildings and modern structures around Tbilisi.

(Holy Trinity Cathedral)

(The Presidential Palace)

(The Philharmonic Building)

(Central Bank of Georgia)

(Public Service Hall building)

(Vultmore Hotel Tbilisi)

(The Pedestrian Bridge of Peace)

(Heroes Memorial in Heroes Square)

(The nine-figure Statue of Clocks)

Lunch was at a Halal New York Burger, a franchise of Mohamad Ali the boxer. We skipped going to Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia, one of the main history museums in Tbilisi as most in the group wanted to go for last minute shopping at The East Point Shopping Mall, a new modern open-concept shopping centre.

(A huge delicious mushroom NY Burger)

(Last minute shopping at East Point Mall)

By 9:30 pm, we packed our bags and checked out. The van transferred us to the airport for our J29226 0120/0230 Buta Airlines flight to Baku, Azerbaijan. When we arrived in Baku Heydar Aliyev International Airport we were transferred by van to Hotel Atlas in Baku.