Vardzia
The remarkable cave city of Vardzia is both a cultural symbol and a spectacular natural phenomenon with a special place in Georgian hearts. King Giorgi…
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Southern Georgia
Georgia's southern flank is a diverse and highly scenic region whose biggest attractions are the spectacular cave city of Vardzia, the important religious centre of Mtskheta and the stunning mountain landscapes of the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park. Historically much of the region was part of Tao-Klarjeti, a cradle of medieval Georgian culture that extended well into what’s now northeast Turkey. Tao-Klarjeti fell under Ottoman rule from the 1550s to the 1870s, was briefly part of independent Georgia after the Russian Revolution, and was then divided between Turkey and Bolshevik Georgia in 1921. This is in many ways Georgia's heartland: St Nino passed through on her way to bring Christianity to Georgia and national bard Shota Rustaveli was born here. More recently, the town of Gori was the birthplace of one Joseph Stalin, who also did his bit to put the area on the map.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Southern Georgia
This extraordinary (and for its time, enormous) building dates from the 11th century, early in the golden age of Georgian church architecture. It has an…
Gori
This once enormous cave city sits 10km east of Gori above the north side of the Mtkvari River. Between the 6th century BC and 1st century AD, Uplistsikhe…
Gori
This impressively designed museum makes no serious attempt to present a balanced account of Stalin's career or deeds. It remains, much as when it opened…
Southern Georgia
Visible for kilometres around on its hilltop overlooking Mtskheta from the east, Jvari is, to many Georgians, the holiest of holies. It stands where King…
Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park
Borjomi
The ranges of the Lesser Caucasus in southern Georgia are less well known and much lower than the Great Caucasus, but they still contain some very…
Southern Georgia
Rabati Castle has been comprehensively renovated from the perilous, semi-ruined state it was left in a decade ago, and while it was a much-needed…
Gori
This impressively ancient church has a beautiful setting above a bend of the pretty, grapevine-strewn Tana valley, 12km south of Gori. Ateni Sioni was…
Guidebooks
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