#mtkvari river

Architecture in Tbilisi, Georgia

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Architecture of the Old Town in Tbilisi, Georgia, close to the sulphur baths The Old Town of Tbilisi is a major tourist attraction of the country Editorial Use Only: This image can only be used for editorial purpose.(More…)

The modern architecture strikes not less, than century twisted Tbilisi balconies.(More…)

Tbilisi, Georgia, made TripAdvisor’s top 10 list of global…

Architecture in Tbilisi, Georgia

C O N T E N T S: KEY TOPICS Architecture of the Old Town in Tbilisi, Georgia, close to the sulphur baths The Old Town of Tbilisi is a major tourist attraction of the country Editorial Use Only: This image can only be used for editorial purpose.(More…) The modern architecture strikes not less, than century twisted Tbilisi balconies.(More…) Tbilisi, Georgia, made TripAdvisor’s top 10 list of global…

About Sights – The Baratashvili Bridge in Tbilisi

The Baratashvili Bridge (Georgian: ბარათაშვილის ხიდი) over the Mtkvari River in Tbilisi is decorated with bronze figures and is often referred to as the Bridge of Love, in reference to its name, honoring the Georgian romanticism poet Nikoloz Baratashvili. The Baratashvili Bridge over the Mtkvari River in Tbilisi with the Bridge of Peace in the background. Photo: Tbilisi City Hall The 150 meter…

New Post has been published on http://www.covergap.com/the-bridge-by-johnwright5-2/

New Post has been published on http://www.covergap.com/the-bridge-by-johnwright5/

  It is a hot day in Tbilisi and it getting hotter as the morning advances. Mumtar drives us to the little car park below Metekhi Church. The green Mtkvari River curls lazily at the foot of the crag and we can see most of Tbilisi spread below us. Vakhtang Gorgasalis sits on his horse, gazing at the city he founded. Houses with pretty wooden balconies cling precariously to the hillside. A series of stone steps take us to the top of the hill where the church stands in its little garden.

The Metekhi cliff and surroundings by Russian painter Chernetsov, 1839. Opposite is the “Shah-Abbas Mosque” (1600s) (Wikipedia)

  Georgian King Vakhtang Gorgasali built a church and a fort which served also as a king’s residence on Metekhi Hill in the 12th century. Tradition has that it was also where the 5th-century martyr Saint Shushanik was buried. None of these structures have survived the Mongol invasion of 1235. The Metekhi Church of Assumption was built in 1278.  In 1633, the area around the church was fortified with a citadel garrisoned by some 3,000 soldiers. Under Russian rule, the church lost its religious purpose and was used as a barracks. The citadel was demolished in 1819 and replaced by a new building which functioned as a jail in the Soviet era, and was closed only in 1938.

…the area around the church was fortified with a citadel garrisoned by some 3,000 soldiers…

A volunteer from the Tbilisi Tourist Board offers free help and advice to visitors

Inside the church it is dark, serene and solemn. Candles are lit in front of brightly coloured icons. Women whisper to each other, cross them selves and slowly walk backwards from the altar.

Outside, there are benches in the garden and the cool breeze is divine. Mercifully, there are no beggars to be seen – women or children. We can see the Narikale Citadel on the hill. There is a cable car to the top these days and the station is only a short distance away. We drink a little more water and begin to walk down hill.

  Old Tiflis Hotel

It was late at night when I reach Old Tiflis. My room is on the third floor. The lift works. It is neat and modern and comfortable. There isn’t much of a view but from the roof top terrace where two pretty girls, full of smiles, serve breakfast – fresh fruit, sour yogurt, honey, crumbly and salty Georgian cheese, obligatory cucumbers and huge tomatoes, freshly baked traditional Georgian bread and good Georgian tea, the view is magnificent. Narikala castle to one side dwarfs you and on the other, Metekhi church sits on its little crag. The old underground sulphur bath houses with their rows of brick domes are right next door and the striking 17th century Orbeliani bath with two minarets and a facade of bright blue tiles is across the gorge in front of you. A plaque proclaims that Alexander Pushkin visited it in 1829. It no longer is functional but the others offer a sauna, soak and scrub for about 20 Lari (£10).

Rooftop terrace of the Old Tiflis with view of Narikala citadel

Domed sulphur baths next to the Old Tiflis

Orbeliani baths

Pushkin was here!

The Old Tiflis is surrounded by brightly painted old houses with pretty wooden balconies.

Everything is within walking distance – cafes, restaurants, shops and wine bars.

Past the Orbeliani baths and across a bridge, a path along the gorge takes you to a waterfall! It is cool and shady and birds sing and butterflies flutter. Houses cling to the hillside. It is serene and peaceful and hard to imagine that you are in the centre of a capital city.

A short distance away, over the domes of the bath houses and across the Mtkvari River, the 13th century Metekhi Church glistens on its hill top perch. That’s where I am heading next.

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Practicalities:

Old Tbilisi

ქეთევან წამებულის ქ. 27 Tbilisi

+995 322 77 38 40

www.tiflis.ge/en/projects/hotels/old-tiflis-hotel

My stay in Tbilisi was arranged by Ia Tabagari and Tamara Natenadze of Living Roots. http://www.travellivingroots.com

The Bridge of Peace at Night

The wavy steel and glass canopy of the Bridge of Peace (Georgian: მშვიდობის ხიდი) pedestrian bridge that spans the Mtkvari River in Tbilisi is fitted with thousands of LED lights that are switched on 90 minutes before sunset, illuminating the river and the buildings on both banks.

Tbilisi’s Bridge of Peace and Narikala Castle illuminated at night

The 150 meter (490 ft) bridge was designed by the…