Most of the hotels are checked by our team.
Contact us:
+370 (5) 2761188, +370 (6) 8790424
I-V: 10.00-19.00 VI-VII: by appointment
Most of the hotels are checked by our team.
Contact us:
+370 (5) 2761188, +370 (6) 8790424
I-V: 10.00-19.00 VI-VII: by appointment

Tbilisis

Tbilisi, the capital of the Republic of Georgia, on the Mtkvari (Kura) River, at the intersection of the Trialetsky and Kartliysky (Kartliysky or Kartalinian) ridges. Founded in 458 (some sources say 455), when the capital of the Georgian kingdom was moved from Mtskheta, the city occupied a strategic position, controlling the road between western and eastern Transcaucasia. It was frequently occupied and plundered, and had many masters: Persians in the 6th century, the Byzantine Empire and Arabs in the 7th century. In 1122, King David IV (the Builder) of Georgia captured Tbilisi and restored it as his capital, but it fell to the Mongols in 1234 and was sacked by Timur in 1386. The city was repeatedly occupied by the Turks and burnt to the ground by the Persians in 1795. In 1801, Tbilisi was captured by the Russians, who improved communications by building the Georgian military highway across the Greater Caucasus from Vladikavkaz to Tbilisi. In 1872, Tbilisi was connected by rail to Poti on the Black Sea and in 1883 to Baku on the Caspian Sea. In 1921 it became the capital of the Republic of Georgia.

Modern Tbilisi is an attractive city: the Mtkvari, bordered by a boulevard on the right bank, flows partly through a steep gorge and is widened by the city's Ortakhtalskaya hydroelectric power station. Alongside the river, the old town, with its narrow, winding streets, is dominated by the ruins of an old fortress and a large symbolic Georgian figure on the ridge above it. The Old Town is home to the 5th-century and often reconstructed Sioni Cathedral, the Metek Palace of the Georgian kings and the 6th-century Anchikhati Church. The newer parts of the city are located under Mtatsminda Hill, which is reached by a funicular railway. To the north of the town there is a large reservoir fed by irrigation canals. Tbilisi is an important cultural and educational centre, with a university, several other higher education institutions and more than 100 research facilities. The city is the main industrial centre of the region. Its engineering services are important in the manufacture of electric locomotives, machine tools, agricultural machinery and electrical equipment and in the repair of locomotives and rolling stock. Other industries include textiles, leather goods and footwear, furniture, beer, wine and spirits, and various foodstuffs. An underground railway opened in Tbilisi in 1966. Population (2017) 1 114 600.