Georgia. What is the city of Tbilisi Population in Tbilisi

In the southeast and Russia in the east and north. The territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are not controlled by the Georgian government and are regarded by both the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the European Commission as part of Georgia occupied by Russia.

Flag of Georgia

The current flag was adopted in 2004 by a special "Flag Law". On the second page of this law, a diagram of the flag is given with an indication of its proportions. The ratio of length to width is 3: 2. The width of the cross is equal to 1/5 of the width of the panel.

The coat of arms of Georgia is the state symbol of Georgia. The modern coat of arms was adopted on October 1, 2004. It is a red shield with the image of a silver figure of the patron saint of Georgia - St. George on a horse, striking a dragon with a spear. The shield is crowned with a golden crown, held by two golden lions. Under the shield is a ribbon with the motto "Strength in Unity". The coat of arms is partially based on the medieval coat of arms of the Georgian royal house of Bagrationi (Bagrationi).

During the existence of the Georgian Democratic Republic, the coat of arms was a seven-pointed star framed with a golden ornament. In the center was a Georgian shield with the image of St. George on a white horse with golden hooves. In his right hand, he holds a gold spear with a silver tip, ready for battle, and in his left - a shield (on the elbow, on the left side of the horse). An eight-pointed golden star shines directly over the head of Saint George; to the left of the star is the month, and to the right is the sun. Below the moon and the sun are two more eight-pointed stars. The horse rests with its hind legs on a mountain peak. The author of the coat of arms is the famous Russian artist Yevgeny Lansere (since 1922 - Professor of the Academy of Arts of Georgia). After the restoration of independence in 1991, the coat of arms of 1918 was adopted anew. After the Red Army entered Georgia on February 28, 1922, a new coat of arms was adopted by the decree of the Revolutionary Committee of the Georgian SSR. The coat of arms of the Georgian SSR consisted of a round red field, in the upper part of which is depicted a luminous five-pointed star with rays extending throughout the field. Below is a blue snow ridge. On the right side there are golden ears and on the left there are golden vines with bunches of grapes. The ends of the ears and vines are intertwined at the base of the ridge in the lower part of the field. Most of the middle is occupied by the image of a golden sickle and hammer, which abut against a luminous star, below - against the top of the ridge, and on the sides - against ears and vines. Around the field there is an inscription in Georgian, Abkhazian and Russian languages: "Workers of all countries, unite!" The coat of arms of the Georgian SSR was bordered with a pattern of ornaments in the Georgian style.

Anthem of Georgia

The music of the Georgian anthem is taken from two operas by Zakharia Paliashvili (1871-1933) - "Daisi" ("Twilight") and "Abesalom and Eteri", the author of the text is the modern Georgian poet David Magradze, who used quotes from the poems of the classic Georgian poets - Akaki Tsereteli , Vazha Pshavela, Grigol Orbeliani and Galaktion Tabidze.

History of Georgia, chronology of historical events

BC

• 1.8-1.6 million years. BC e. Homo erectus georgicus lived on the territory of present-day Georgia - one of the subspecies of the extinct species Homo erectus, Homo erectus georgicus was not the ancestor of modern people.
• XII-VIII centuries BC e. Diaokhi and Kolkhida (Kolkha), the first state formations on the territory of modern Georgia, were created.
• VI century BC e. The Colchis state was formed on the territory of present-day western Georgia (existed until the 4th century BC).
• IV-III centuries BC e. The Iberian Kingdom (Kartli) was formed on the territory of what is now eastern Georgia (existed until the 6th century AD).
• 229 BC e. The beginning of the reign of the royal dynasties of Iberia, which ruled from 299 BC. e. to 580 AD e.
• 95 to 55 AD e. Georgia as part of Greater Armenia
• 65 BC e. The Roman general Pompey invaded the Iberian kingdom with an army.

Early AD

• 35 years old. The army of Kartli invaded Armenia. The brother of the king of Kartli Farsman, Mithridates, reigned on the Armenian throne.
• 63 years old. Colchis became part of the Roman Empire.
• The year 326. Through the labors of Saint Nina, Christianity was declared the state religion of Iberia.
• IV-VI centuries. The Kingdom of Laz was founded on the territory of present-day Western Georgia.
• 482-484. King Vakhtang I Gorgasal (canonized) rebelled against the Sassanids.
• Year 542. The beginning of the "Great War" between Iran and Byzantium.
• 562 year. The end of the "Great War" between Iran and Byzantium.
• 608 year. There was a church split between the Georgian and Armenian churches.
• 627 A.D. The Byzantine Emperor Heraclius began the siege of Tbilisi.
• 628 year. Tbilisi was taken by the Khazars.
• 654 year. A treaty was signed with the Arab Caliphate - "Certificate of Protection".
• 735 A.D. The Arab commander Marwan II ibn Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf) attacked Georgia.
• 853 A.D. Tbilisi was captured by Arab troops under the leadership of Bug-Turk.
• The year 914. Emir Abul-Kasim invaded southern and eastern Georgia.
• 979 year. With the help of David Kuropalat, the revolt of Barda Sklir against Basil II was suppressed.
• 1010 year. Bagrat III annexed Kakheti and Hereti.
• 1021 year. George II fought at Shirimni with Emperor Basil II.
• 1023 year. A peace treaty was signed between Georgia and Byzantium.
• 1028 year. Byzantine attack on Georgia.
• 1032 year. Tbilisi Emir Jafar is captured.
• 1064 year. The first Seljuk campaign to Georgia.
• 1068 year. The second campaign of the Seljuks to Georgia.
• 1073 year. The uprising of the feudal lords against George II.
• 1083 year. George II began to pay tribute to the Seljuks.
• 1099 year. David IV the Builder stopped paying tribute to the Seljuks.
• 1104. David IV the Builder convened the Ruiz-Urbnis Cathedral.
• 1106 year. The construction of the Gelati Monastery began.
• 1110 Samshvilde is freed from the Seljuk Turks.
• 1115 year. Rustavi is freed from the Seljuk Turks.
• 1117 year. Gishi was freed from the Seljuk Turks.
• 1118 Lore is freed from the Seljuk Turks.
• August 12, 1121. The Seljuk army was defeated by the Georgians in the Battle of Didgori.
• 1122 year. Tbilisi is liberated from the Seljuk Turks.
• 1123 year. Dmanisi was freed from the Seljuk Turks.
• 1185 year. Queen Tamara married Yuri Bogolyubsky, later exiled from Georgia.
• 1188 year. Queen Tamara married David Soslan.
• 1210 year. Georgia undertook a military campaign to northern Iran.
• 1220 year. First Mongol invasion of Georgia.
• 1226 year. Tbilisi was taken by Jalal ad-Din.
• 1266 year. The Samtskhe principality separated from the united Georgia.
• 1386-1403. Tamerlane undertook eight destructive campaigns against Georgia.

XV century

• 1403 year. Tamerlane and George VII signed a peace agreement.
• 1416 year. The attack of Kara-Yusuf on Samtskhe.
• 1462 year. Imeretian Eristav Bagrat rebelled against George VIII.

XVI century

• 1520 year. Shah Ismail's invasion of Kartli.
• 1535 year. Victory in the Battle of Murdzhakheti over the Turks.
• 1578 year. Division of the Caucasus between Turks and Persians.
• 1597 year. Shah Abbas expels Turks from Georgia and the Caucasus.
• 1599 year. Liberation of the Gori Fortress from the Ottomans.

17th century

• 1625.03.25. Iranian troops defeated Georgian troops led by Georgy Saakadze.
• 1626-1629. Nikifor Cholokashvili headed the embassy to Europe.
• 1629 year. The first Georgian book was published in Europe.
• 1639 year. The Kakhetian tsar Teimuraz I took an oath of allegiance to the Russian tsar.
• 1660 year. Bidzina Cholokashvili and the Ksani Eristavs Shalva and Elizbar revolted in Kakheti.

XVIII century

• 1709 year. The first printing house was opened in Georgia.
• 1714-1716. Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani's embassy has been sent to Europe.
• The year is 1752. The Persians were defeated by Tsar Heraclius at Yerevan.
• 1757 year. In the battle of Khresil, Solomon I defeated the army of the Ottoman Empire.
• 1758 year. Teimuraz II, Heraclius II and Solomon I signed an agreement.
• 1765 year. A feudal conspiracy against Heraclius II is revealed.
• 1770 year. Heraclius II defeated the Turks at the Battle of Aspindza.
• 1774 year. The Kyuchuk-Kaynardzhi peace treaty was signed between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, according to which Imereti and Guria were freed from Turkish troops.
• 1774 year. Heraclius II created the first regular army - "morige".
• The year is 1783. Heraclius II signed the Treaty of St. George.
• 1795 year. The Krtsanis battle took place: the troops of Heraclius II and the Imeretian king Solomon II fought against the Persian army of Aga Mohammed Khan.

19th century

• 1801 year. Alexander I wrote a manifesto, according to which the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti was abolished.
• 1809 year. The Russian army occupied Poti and Kutaisi.
• 1811 year. The Russian army occupied Akhalkalaki. The autocephaly of the Georgian Church was abolished.
• 1819 year. The uprising against Russia in Imereti.
• 1819 year. The first Georgian newspaper “Sakartvelos Gazeti” (Newspaper of Georgia) began to appear.
• 1832 year. Solomon Dodashvili published the Literaturnaya Chast magazine of Tiflis Vedomosti.
• 1854 year. Victory in a clash between the Russian army and Georgian militias against the Turkish army at the Choloki river.
• 1863 year. Ilya Chavchavadze founded the magazine "Sakartvelos moambe" (Bulletin of Georgia).
• 1870 Serfdom has been abolished in Abkhazia.
• 1871 year. Serfdom was abolished in Svaneti.
• 1876 \u200b\u200byear. Iakob Gogebashvili published the textbook "Deda Ena" (Native Speech).
• 1877 year. The newspaper "Iveria" was founded by Ilya Chavchavadze.
• 1878 year. The Russian army and the Georgian militia occupied Batumi.
• 1885 year. By the decision of the government, the newspaper Droeba was closed.
• 1892 Noah Zhordania chaired the first meeting of the Social Democratic Group "Mesame-dasi" ("Third Group").

XX century

• 1905 year. A peaceful rally was dispersed on Rustaveli Square in Tbilisi.
• 1907 year. Ilya Chavchavadze was killed near the village of Tsitsamuri.
• 1912 year. The first Georgian film - "Travel of Akaki Tsereteli to Racha-Lechkhumi" was shot. Directed by Vasily Amashukeli.
• 1917 year. The National Guard of Georgia was created.
• 1917 year. Kirion II was elected Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia.
• 1917 year. The Writers' Union of Georgia and the Tbilisi Conservatory were founded.
• 1918 year. Petre Melikishvili was elected the first rector of the established Tbilisi University.
• 1918 year. (April 9 Julian) Establishment of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federal Republic is proclaimed.
• 1918 year. The establishment of the Georgian Democratic Republic was announced. Members of the government: Noe Ramishvili - Chairman and Minister of Internal Affairs; Akaki Chkhenkeli - Minister of Foreign Affairs; Grigol Giorgadze - Minister of War; Giorgi Zhuruli - Minister of Finance, Trade and Industry; Giorgi Lashkhishvili - Minister of Education; Noe Khomeriki - Minister of Agriculture and Labor Shalva Meskhishvili - Minister of Justice; Ivane Lordkipanidze - Minister of Railways.
• 1918 year. British troops have landed in Poti.
• 1920 year. The Supreme Council of the Entente announced the recognition of Georgia's independence.
• 1921 year. Sovietization of Georgia.
• 1924 year. Kakutsa Cholokashvili started an uprising against Soviet power.
• 1977 year. Ilia II was elected Catholicos of All Georgia.
• 1978 year. After the mass demonstrations, the Georgian language acquired the status of the state language.
• 1989 year. The bloody dispersal of the April 9 rally.
• 1991 year. Zviad Gamsakhurdia became the President of Georgia.
• 1992 year. Georgia's accession to the UN.
• 1992-1993. Georgian-Abkhaz war.
• 1993 year. Zviad Gamsakhurdia is found killed.
• 1995 year. Eduard Shevardnadze was elected President of Georgia (he was re-elected in 2000).

XXI Century

• 2003 year. After lengthy rallies of protest in connection with the rigged parliamentary elections, President Shevardnadze resigns (later called the "Rose Revolution").
• 2004 year. Mikheil Saakashvili wins in the early presidential elections with an absolute majority of votes (~ 95%).
• 2005 year. Complication of political relations with the Russian Federation (the consequence is a trade embargo).
• 2008 year. Early presidential elections in Georgia were held on January 5, 2008. According to their results, Mikheil Saakashvili won with the result of 53.47% of the vote.
• 2008 year. Loss of control by Georgia over the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia following the armed conflict in South Ossetia.
• year 2013. Presidential elections in Georgia were held on October 27. Giorgi Margvelashvili received an absolute majority of votes (62%) in the first round and became the new president of Georgia.

Political history of modern Georgia

Restoring independence

On October 28, 1990, the first multi-party parliamentary elections in the USSR were held in Georgia, in which the national-political organizations belonging to the Mrgvali Magida - Tavisupali Sakartvelo bloc (Round Table - Free Georgia) (leader - former dissident Zviad Gamsakhurdia: As a result of the elections, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia was formed, headed by Zviad Gamsakhurdia. Parliament proclaimed the creation of the Republic of Georgia, changed all the previous state attributes of the Georgian SSR (Anthem, State Flag and Coat of Arms).

On March 31, 1991, a referendum was held in Georgia on the restoration of Georgia's state independence on the basis of the Independence Act of May 26, 1918, which in fact was a decision to withdraw from the USSR. 90.5% of voters took part in the referendum, of which 98.93% voted for state independence. Two regions of the republic - Abkhazia and South Ossetia - declared their special position, declaring their desire to secede from Georgia. On April 9, 1991, the Supreme Soviet adopted the "Law on the Declaration of State Independence". On the same day, the US Congress recognized the legitimacy of the March 31 Referendum Emergency Resolution, which is de facto recognition of independence from the USSR.

After the collapse of the USSR and the transformation of the Georgian SSR into modern Georgia, as a result of a number of armed conflicts (the South Ossetian war (1991-1992), the War in Abkhazia (1992-1993)), two unrecognized states not controlled by the Tbilisi government were formed - Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which claimed the territory the former Abkhaz ASSR and the South Ossetian Autonomous District, respectively. Georgia received international legal recognition from most countries in the world in 1992, while Abkhazia and South Ossetia remained unrecognized for a long time. After the 2008 armed conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia (in which Abkhazia and Russia also sided with South Ossetia), Russia and several other countries recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as sovereign independent states. From the point of view of some representatives of the world community, the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia not controlled by the Georgian government are occupied by Russia.

Military coup

On May 26, 1991, the first presidential elections were held, which was won by Zviad Gamsakhurdia. On December 22, 1991, units of the Georgian National Guard under the leadership of Tengiz Kitovani raised a mutiny, which was later supported by the armed formations of Mkhedrioni of Jaba Ioseliani. On January 6, 1992, Gamsakhurdia and members of the government were forced to leave Georgia.

In March 1992, former USSR Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze was elected chairman of the Georgian State Council - the governing body created by the victorious opposition.

On September 24, 1993, Zviad Gamsakhurdia returned to the country (he arrived in Zugdidi from the Chechen capital) and tried to come to power again, initiating a short but fierce civil war. Shevardnadze was forced to call for help from Russian troops. Gamsakhurdia was killed under unclear circumstances in December 1993. In exchange for Russian military aid, Georgia agreed to join the CIS.

Rose revolution

High corruption, low living standards, as well as accusations of falsifying the results of the 2003 parliamentary elections led to the revolution and the resignation of Eduard Shevardnadze on November 23, 2003.

State structure

Constitution of Georgia

The current constitution of Georgia was adopted on August 24, 1995. It is based on the millennial statehood of Georgia and the main principles of the country's constitution, adopted in 1921. According to the basic law of the state, the President of Georgia is elected on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot for a period of 5 years, one person is allowed to be elected to this post for no more than two consecutive terms. In mid-October 2010, the country's parliament adopted the draft law "On Amendments and Additions to the Constitution of Georgia", approved by the head of state in early November of the same year. Currently, the country is undergoing a gradual transition to a new basic law that limits the presidential power while expanding the powers of parliament and government. It is planned that the main provisions of the new constitution will take effect after the 2013 presidential elections.

Executive power

The executive power is concentrated in the hands of the President, who, in accordance with the Constitution of Georgia, is the head of state, executive power, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Georgia, the highest representative of Georgia in foreign relations; directs the domestic and foreign policy of the country, ensures its unity and integrity, the work of state and all other bodies. The current head of state is Giorgi Margvelashvili. Many members of the current Georgian government, formed after the Rose Revolution, received their education abroad.

Parliament of Georgia

The country's legislative power is represented by the unicameral parliament of Georgia. Parliament is the highest legislative body and consists of 150 deputies. 77 deputies are elected by lists, 73 - from single-mandate constituencies. All MPs are elected for a 4-year term by universal suffrage.

The legislative power of the parliament, according to the Georgian constitution, is limited by the legislative power of the parliaments of the autonomous republics of Abkhazia and Adjara.

The first multi-party elections were held on October 28, 1990, and Zviad Gamsakhurdia, later president of Georgia, was elected chairman. In 1991-1992, there was a conflict between Gamsakhurdia and the parliament, which grew into an armed clash. The state was headed by Eduard Shevardnadze, and the functions of the parliament until 1995 were performed by the State Council of Georgia, then national elections were held.

At present (2010) the Georgian parliament is convened in two sessions: spring (February-June) and autumn (September-December). Weeks of plenary meetings and committee work alternate.

Armed Forces of Georgia

The Georgian Armed Forces consist of ground forces, special forces, air forces, national guard and military police.

The number of Georgian Armed Forces in 2009 is 36,553 people, including 21 generals, 6166 officers and sub-officers, 28,477 privates, 125 cadets and 388 civil servants.

The budget of the Ministry of Defense for 2010 amounted to 750 million lari (2009 - 897 million; 2008 - 1.545 billion lari);

Administrative divisions of Georgia

Administratively, the territory of Georgia de jure includes 2 autonomous republics (Georgian ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა avtonomiuri resp’ublik’a): Abkhazia and Adjara, and 10 territories (Georgian მხარე mkhare). The territory of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, as well as part of the territory of the territories of Shida Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo-Svaneti and Imereti are controlled by the de facto independent republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, respectively. The provinces and autonomous republics are subdivided into 55 municipalities (Georgian მუნიციპალიტეტი).

Physical and geographical characteristics

Geography of Georgia

Georgia is located in the central and western part of Transcaucasia, between 41 ° 07 ′ and 43 ° 05 ′ north latitude and 40 ° 05 ′ and 46 ° 44 ′ east longitude - at the junction of the semi-humid Mediterranean, the arid Aral-Caspian depression and the continental highlands of Western Asia, which led to the diversity of natural conditions, the richness of flora and fauna.
The area of \u200b\u200bGeorgia is 69,700 km². The Black Sea coast of the country is 308 km long; the coastline is slightly indented. The North of Georgia is occupied by the Greater Caucasus Range. On its southern slope there are the Gagra, Bzybsky, Kodorsky, Svaneti, Kharulsky, Lamissky, Gudissky, Kartli and Kakheti ridges; in the north - Khokhsky, Shavana, Kidegansky, Khevsureti and Pirikitsky ridges. Glaciers played the main role in the creation of nival landforms in the high-mountainous north of Georgia. In the east of the Greater Caucasus, there are volcanic formations that belong to the historical era. In the south, in the intermountain depression, there are the Iberian and Colchis lowlands, separated by the Dzirul massif. Most of them are alluvial plains. The Inner Kartli, Lower Kartli and Alazani plains are also composed of alluvium. To the south of the Kolkheti region, at an altitude of 2850 meters above sea level, the Meskheti, Shavshetsky, Trialeti and Loksky ridges rise. The South Georgian Volcanic Highlands, the top of which is Mount Didi-Abuli, occupies the southern zone of Georgia.

The natural conditions of Georgia are very diverse. Over the course of historical time, they did not undergo sharp changes and did not cause decisive changes in the social and economic life of the population, however, the natural disasters of the Ice Age significantly influenced the life of the people of the Stone Age who lived on the territory of modern Georgia. The variety of landscapes, hydrological conditions, soil cover, vegetation and fauna is ultimately the result of neotectonic uplifts and subsidences. The geographic position and climatic features of Georgia, apparently, also played a role in the formation of the state. The low prevalence of navigation and sea fishing in ancient and medieval Georgia is explained by the absence of any significant bays, as well as islands and peninsulas along the entire Black Sea coast of Georgia.

Relief

The territory of Georgia combines high-mountainous, mid-mountainous, hilly, low-plain, plateau and plateau-like relief.
The highest geographical point of the country is located in the Greater Caucasus zone - the Shkhara peak (5068 m). In the north of Georgia there is the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus Range. The ridges of the southern slope of the Caucasian Range - Gagra, Bzybsky, Kodorsky, Svaneti, Kharulsky, Lamissky, Gudissky, Kartli, Kakheti; northern - Khokhsky, Shavana, Kidegan, Khevsureti and Pirikitsky. Mountain-erosional, mountain-glacial and nival landforms are clearly expressed in the alpine zone of the country, in the creation of which glaciers played the main role.

Soils and natural complexes

Various types of soils are represented in Georgia: from gray-brown and saline semi-desert soils of dry steppes to brown forest soils of moderately moist forests, red soils and podzolic soils of a humid subtropical zone and mountain-meadow high-mountainous ones. On the territory of Georgia there are also semi-deserts and deserts, which are located mainly in the east of the country. Altitudinal zonation is characteristic.

Minerals

Georgia has a wide range of minerals. The mineral resource potential of the country is represented by 450 mineral deposits of 27 types, the main of which are: high-quality manganese ores (Chiatura, reserves - 200 million tons, annual production - up to 6 million tons), bituminous coal (Tkibuli; reserves - 400 million tons) , copper ores (Marneuli, reserves - 250 thousand tons), oil (Samgori, Patardzeuli, Ninotsminda, industrial reserves - 30 million tons).

Georgia has significant reserves of building materials: bentonite clay (17 million tons), dolomite, limestone (200 million tons), clay for the production of cement (75 million tons) and brick (47 million m³), \u200b\u200bgypsum, talc, molding sand.

On the territory of Georgia there are about 2 thousand fresh water sources with a total annual debit of 250 billion liters, 22 mineral water deposits, including medicinal ones - Borjomi, Sairme, Nabeglavi, Zvare and others, with a total debit about 40 billion liters / year. Currently, fresh and mineral waters are exported to 24 countries around the world.

The total area of \u200b\u200bforests is 3 million hectares. Wood reserves are estimated at 434 million cubic meters. The country's territory is a rich raw material base for the pharmaceutical industry.

The country's recreational resources are unique in their characteristics - mountain and sea resorts.

Climate

The west of Georgia is influenced by the subtropical, and the east is influenced by the Mediterranean climate. The Greater Caucasus Range serves as a barrier to cold northerly winds. Along the Black Sea coast, from Abkhazia to the Turkish border, as well as in the area known as the Colchis Lowland, a subtropical climate with high humidity and abundant rainfall dominates (from 1000 to 2000 mm per year, and even 2500 mm per year in the Black Sea port of Batumi) ... Several varieties of palm trees grow in this region. In January-February the average temperature is 5 ° C, and in July-August it is +24 ° C.

Water resources

The river network is unevenly developed. It is most dense in Western Georgia.

The rivers of Georgia belong to two basins - the Black Sea (75% of the runoff) and the Caspian. Almost all the runoff of the Caspian basin is carried out by the Kura River, on which the Mingechaur reservoir is located. The rivers of the Black Sea Basin (Western Georgia) do not form a single system, flowing into the sea on their own. The main one is the Rioni, which flows in the lower section along the Colchis lowland. Inguri and others are also significant.

Most rivers originating in the mountains have a maximum discharge in spring, when the snow melts (floods). The rivers, which are fed mainly from glaciers, carry most of all water in summer and at this time have a sharply expressed diurnal variation of discharge with a maximum in the evening hours and a minimum before dawn. With a fast flow, mountain rivers rarely freeze. They flow in deep gorges with a significant number of rapids. In the zone of limestones of the Greater Caucasus and volcanic rocks of the Javakheti Upland, the underground runoff exceeds the surface one. Georgia is rich in hydropower resources. On many mountain rivers, cascades of hydroelectric power stations have been built, and reservoirs have been built. The total length of irrigation systems exceeds 1000 km.

There are few lakes in Georgia, mainly in the Javakheti Highlands. The largest of them is Lake Paravani.

Flora and fauna of Georgia

The flora is very rich. According to botanists' calculations, the number of species of flowering plants is over 4500. The relative stability of the climate in the past contributed to the preservation of ancient elements of flora, relict and endemic plants (rhododendrons, boxwood, laurel, persimmon, etc.).

The fauna of Georgia is quite diverse. More than 11 thousand species of invertebrates live on the territory of Georgia, including almost 9 150 arthropods (of which more than 8 230 species of insects). 84 species of freshwater fish have been recorded, as well as 6 introduced species. Amphibians are represented by 12 species. 52 species belonging to the class of reptiles include 3 species of turtles, 27 species of lizards and 23 species of snakes (of which 3 species of snakes and 12 lizards are endemic to the Caucasus). 109 species of mammals live on the territory of Georgia.

Large mammals such as bears, wolves, foxes, red deer, roe deer, and wild boars are common in Georgia's ecosystems. On the verge of extinction is a leopard, considered extinct in the Caucasus and rediscovered by Georgian zoologists in 2001. The striped hyena and gazelle are also on the verge of extinction. In the 20th century, the Black Sea monk seal and the Turanian tiger finally disappeared, but new species appeared (were introduced), such as the North American striped raccoon and the Far Eastern raccoon dog, as well as a subspecies of the common squirrel - the teleut squirrel.

The alpine and subalpine belts are characterized by two types of tours: Dagestan and Caucasian, which are found in the highlands of the Greater Caucasus and are endemic to the Caucasus.

Near the Black Sea coast of Georgia, there are 3 types of mammals - the common dolphin, bottlenose dolphin and porpoise. In addition, in 1939 a white-bellied seal was recorded near Batumi. From marine fish, there are, among others: sharks, rays, beluga, Russian and Atlantic sturgeon, Black Sea salmon, anchovy, herring, bleach, flounder, needle-fish, seahorses and others.

Protected areas

In 1912, the first nature reserve in Georgia was created - Lagodekhi. Today, there are 14 state reserves, 8 national parks, 12 protected areas, 14 natural monuments and 2 protected landscapes in the country. They make up 7% of the area of \u200b\u200bGeorgia (384,684 ha). Forests cover about 75% of specially protected natural areas.

Population of Georgia

The estimate of the total population of Georgia according to the data of the National Statistical Service as of January 1, 2013 is 4,483,800 people (excluding the population of Abkhazia and South Ossetia); according to the US CIA as of July 1, 2012 - 4,570,934 people. According to the 2002 census of Georgia (4 369 579 inhabitants), the following national groups lived in the country:

• georgians (83.7%),
• azerbaijanis (6.5%),
• armenians (5.7%),
• russians (1.5%),
• ossetians (0.9%),
• yezidis (0.5%),
• greeks (0.3%),
• chechens and Kists (0.2%),
• ukrainians (0.2%),
• assyrians, Avars, Abkhazians and others.

According to the State Minister for Diaspora Issues Mirza Davitai, more than 1.6 million Georgians (25.7%) live outside Georgia. Ilia II, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, called the fact that many compatriots went abroad as sad: “I did not expect that such a large number of Georgians would so easily go abroad. I know they were forced by need, but it is better to live in need, but in their homeland, ”said the patriarch, urging the emigrants to return to their homeland.

Economy of Georgia

In 2012, according to the World Bank, Georgia's GDP per capita (in purchasing power parity) was US $ 5,902. In 2007, according to the IMF, the GDP growth rate was 12.4%, in 2008 - 2.4%. External financing has played a significant role in ensuring economic growth in recent years, as well as in shaping the state economic policy and the sectoral structure of the economy. In 2009, according to the CIA, GDP fell by 7%. The unemployment rate in 2010 was 16.9%; the share of the population living below the poverty line is 31% (2006). As of the second quarter of 2011, Georgia's total external debt amounted to USD 10.5 billion, which is USD 1.8 billion more than in the previous year.

Industry of Georgia

Currently, most of Georgia's industrial enterprises are either idle or partially loaded. The main industrial growth in recent years has been provided by the food industry, the extraction of metal ores (mainly manganese), as well as the production of metal and non-metal products. The total share of these industries in the structure of industrial production (excluding energy) in 2005 was 76%.

The leading industries in Georgia are: food (production of tea, wines and cognacs, tobacco products, essential oil crops, canned vegetables and fruit, mineral waters, hazelnuts), light (silk, woolen, cotton, footwear, knitwear, clothing), mechanical engineering (production of electric locomotives, cars, machine tools in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi), ferrous metallurgy (metallurgical plant in Rustavi, Zestafon ferroalloy plant, Chiaturmarganets plant), nonferrous metallurgy (Madneuli plant), chemical (production of nitrogen fertilizers, chemical fibers, paints, household chemicals - in Rustavi). In 2007, the export volume of cement amounted to $ 64 million against $ 28.8 million in 2006.

Agriculture of Georgia

Most of the agricultural products in Georgia are produced on personal plots and farms. Most agricultural holdings are small and rely mainly on manual labor. Agricultural productivity in Georgia is extremely low: concentrating more than 50% of the employed population, it provides only 12% of GDP.

The area suitable for agriculture is 16% of the total territory of the country. The area of \u200b\u200bland suitable for effective agricultural turnover is decreasing due to a chronic shortage of fertilizers, falling crop cultivation, etc. In 2003, the sown area of \u200b\u200bagricultural crops in Georgia amounted to 562 thousand hectares, in 2008 - 329 thousand hectares.

Wheat, barley, corn, beans, tobacco, sunflowers, soybeans, potatoes, vegetables, melons, forage crops, tea, grapes, fruits, citrus fruits are grown in Georgia.

Georgian agrarians are able to produce no more than a third of the grain consumed in Georgia, which results in the need for significant grain imports into the country.

From 2003 to 2008, the index of the physical volume of agricultural production in Georgia decreased by 26%, crop production - by 24%, livestock - by 28%. In 2008, the volume of agricultural production in Georgia amounted to 2.42 billion lari, of which crop production accounted for 998 million lari, livestock - 1.35 billion lari, agricultural services - 65 million lari.

In 2006, a World Bank project was launched in Georgia, the main goal of which was the reconstruction and construction of processing industry enterprises in the country. The total cost of this project, in which other international financial institutions, as well as the Georgian government, participated, was $ 34.7 million.

The main tasks that were set within the framework of the concept are the full development of the agricultural potential of Georgia, improving the quality of products and its competitiveness, reconstructing agricultural infrastructure, updating technology, and developing the processing industry. The concept also provides for ensuring food security of the country, increasing the export potential of Georgian agricultural products, strengthening positions in traditional and new markets. In addition, much attention is paid to the reconstruction of the melioration system. It was planned that by 2009 $ 50 million will be spent on these purposes, after which the area of \u200b\u200birrigated land in Georgia will amount to 300 thousand hectares.

Main agricultural crops: grapes, cereals, sugar beets, sunflowers, potatoes. Meat and dairy and meat and wool animal husbandry, poultry farming.

Transport and communications

The length of the railways is over 1600 km. Transportation of oil products prevails in rail transportation.

The largest seaports of Georgia: Batumi, Poti, Supsa. They are mainly engaged in transshipment of oil and petroleum products.

The main lines of oil and gas pipelines Baku - Tbilisi - Ceyhan, Baku - Supsa, Baku - Tbilisi - Erzurum and Vladikavkaz - Kazbegi - Red Bridge run through Georgia.

Race track "Rustavi"

The Rustavi race track is located 20 km in a straight line from the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi. It is named after the nearest settlement - Rustavi. In 2011-2012. Completely reconstructed according to FIA Category 2 standards and became the first professional circuit built in the South Caucasus region. The opening ceremony of the updated track, held on April 29, 2012, was attended by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili at the wheel of a Formula 3 car.

Energy

In 2007, electricity production amounted to 8.34 billion kWh, and consumption - 8.15 billion kWh. In 2008, 680 million kWh of electricity was exported from Georgia (including 216 million kWh to Turkey), 758 million kWh were imported (including 669 million kWh from Russia).

Hydroelectric power plants generate over 80% of electricity in Georgia. The largest power plants are Tbilisi State District Power Plant, hydroelectric power plants on the rivers Inguri, Rioni, Khrami, Abasha and others.

The Vartsikhe cascade of four HPPs (178 MW) was built on the Rioni River: Lajanur HPP (112 MW), Gumat HPP (66.5 MW) and Rioni HPP (48 MW), since Soviet times there has been a project of Namakhvani HPP (480 MW). The Zhinvali HPP (130 MW) was built on the Aragvi River, Khramskaya-1 (113 MW) and Khramskaya-2 HPP (110 MW) on the Khrami River, and Tkibuli HPP (80 MW) on the Tkibuli River.

Currently, the energy sector in Georgia is fully privatized. The only exception is the Inguri hydroelectric power station, operated jointly with Abkhazia (there are no signed legal documents regulating this cooperation: under an unspoken agreement, 60% of the generated electricity is transferred to Georgia, 40% to Abkhazia). The dam of this station is located in Georgia, and the main units are in Abkhazia. In December 2008, the Ministry of Energy of Georgia and the Russian company Inter RAO UES signed a memorandum on joint management of the Inguri HPP.

The official currency in Georgia is the lari. ISO 4217 currency code: GEL. Introduced in 1995 during the reign of Eduard Shevardnadze. 1 lari \u003d 100 tetri (white). Currently, there are coins in circulation in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 tetri, 1 lari, 2 lari and 10 lari and banknotes in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 lari. Also, the National Bank of Georgia issues commemorative (dedicated to memorable dates) and investment coins of various denominations.

From April 5, 1993 to October 2, 1995, the currency of Georgia was the lari coupon, which became the only legal tender on the territory of Georgia from August 20, 1993. The exchange rate was initially equated to the ruble, which this currency replaced. Only banknotes were issued in denominations of 1 to 1,000,000 coupons (including the rather unusual 3, 3,000, 30,000 and 150,000 coupons). The lari coupon underwent hyperinflation (678.4% in 1995) and was replaced by a new national currency, the Georgian lari, with a 1,000,000: 1 ratio.

Foreign economic relations

Georgia's foreign trade is characterized by a negative trade balance, imports are several times higher than exports.

In 2011, exports from Georgia amounted to $ 2.2 billion, imports - $ 7.1 billion.

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Tbilisi - the capital, the largest city in terms of area and population in Georgia. Located in the central region of the country, in the Tbilisi Basin, on both banks of the Kura River. Some areas of the city expanded to the surrounding mountain slopes. The difference in height above sea level within the city limits exceeds 400 meters.

The population of Tbilisi is 1,120,000 people, the overwhelming majority of whom are Georgians, in second place - Armenians, in third - Russians.

You can get to Tbilisi by plane from Moscow. Sheremetyevo airport has regular daily flights, 6 planes depart weekly from Vnukovo, and 2 planes a week from Sheremetyevo. The flight time is 2.5 hours.

IMPORTANT: Due to the aggravation of relations between Russia and Georgia, the Moscow-Sochi-Tbilisi railway route was canceled in 2008, and bus routes were also canceled. For this reason, it is now possible to legally get to Georgia only by air.

Climate

According to its climatic characteristics, Tbilisi belongs to a transitional type of climate - from subtropics to temperate latitudes, although some sources confidently refer the city to the first type. Summers are hot here and winters are relatively mild and dry. Air humidity exceeds 68% throughout the year.

The peak of summer temperatures in Tbilisi occurs in July - the air at this time can heat up to + 40 ° C in the shade, although the norm is + 25 ° C. At night, under the influence of the surrounding mountains in the city, the air temperature can drop to + 11 ° C.

In winter, the average thermometer in Tbilisi will be +3 o C. Snow is a rare phenomenon, but due to high humidity and night frosts, icy phenomena are possible. The absolute minimum in Tbilisi was the recorded temperature of -24 o C. This happens extremely rarely, but there is a risk of severe frosts every winter.

Tbilisi in winter

Most of the rainfall in the Georgian capital falls in the spring and early summer - from April to June, 60% of the annual rate falls in the city.

Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia, located in the heart of this mountainous country. Until 1936, this city bore the name Tiflis: under this name it can be found in the literary works of that period.

Territory of Tbilisi

The total area occupied by the city is about 350 square kilometers. It, in turn, is divided into six districts: Old Tbilisi, where the main city attractions are located, including districts with typical medieval buildings, as well as the Vake-Saburtalo, Abanotubani, Isani-Samgori, Didube-Chugureti, Gldani-Nadzaladevi and Didgori districts.

From a geographical point of view, the city is located in the Tbilisi Basin of the same name - an elongated depression in a mountain range that is 7 kilometers wide and 21 kilometers long. The physical boundaries of the basin are formed by the Trialeti Range, the Saguram Range and the Iorsky Highlands. The formation of this basin is largely associated with the flow of the Kura River in it, which passes through the territory of the city.

Despite the fact that the city lies in a natural depression, its height above sea level is still significant: in different districts of Tbilisi it ranges from 380 to almost 800 meters above sea level. The nature of the area in which the city is located determines its high seismic activity, and the absence of large reservoirs in the immediate vicinity of Tbilisi - a dry subtropical climate.

Population of Tbilisi

The total population of the city today is quite significant - it is more than 1.1 million people. At the same time, more than 80% of the population in terms of ethnicity belongs to the Georgian nationality. The second largest ethnic group living within the city is the Armenians: their share exceeds 7% of the total population of the city. The share of the Russian population in Tbilisi is about 3%.

During the years of the Soviet Union, the share of the population belonging to the ethnic Russian group in the city was significantly higher: its maximum value, about 18%, it reached in the 1960s thanks to the industrialization program, within the framework of which a large number of qualified specialists moved to the city. However, later this source of replenishment of the group of the Russian population dried up, and it began to gradually decrease. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a significant part of the Russian population left Tbilisi, as a result of which the share of this category in the total population of its population fell to 3%.

History of Tbilisi - this is the sequence of events on the territory of the city of Tbilisi from the moment of its foundation in the 5th century to the present day. About 1,500 years old. It's a really big and rich story, and it left a lot of traces in its wake. There are cities whose rich history exists on its own, without reflecting on modernity, but this is not the case in Tbilisi. Much has changed in 1500 years, much has perished, and modern Tbilisi is 90% Soviet-built, but still there are some hints of the past in it - and there are many of these hints. We don't know a lot - for example, we don't know what Tbilisi looked like in the 10th century. But it is already possible to draw some conclusions about its state in the XII-XIII centuries.

Tbilisi before its foundation

Many cities in eastern Georgia were founded in the late Bronze Age, immediately after kart tribes settled on the plains from the Borjomi gorge to the Gombori ridge. But Tbilisi is an exception, it arose in the era of late antiquity. There was definitely someone who lived on its territory even before its foundation. An ancient settlement was found in the Didube quarter and some settlements were excavated in the southern part of the Digomi region. It is believed that someone lived on the Metekhi rock in ancient times.

Until its foundation, Tbilisi is just a narrow gorge. The Sololak ridge (a spur of the Trialeti ridge) stretches here to the east and abuts against the Kura River with its extremity, on which the Narikala fortress now stands. From the north, the foothills of the Caucasian ridge descend gently and one spur of this ridge - Mount Makhata - also rests against the river with a rock known as Metekhi. Between the Metekhi rock and the Sololak ridge there is a narrow gorge through which the Kura River once broke through to the east. This is a kind of gateway to the interior of the country, and this gorge-gate was previously reinforced by the canyon of the Tsavkisistskali River. To pass this narrow place, the traveler had to make a loop around the canyon, cross it in the area of \u200b\u200bthe modern entrance to the Botanical Garden, and then go around the mountain on which the Narikala fortress stands. Therefore, the appearance of the city in such a strategically important place is quite understandable. Another thing is not clear: why it arose so late.

Founding of Tbilisi

It is believed that Tbilisi appeared in 458, during the reign of King Vakhtang Gorgasal. In addition to Tbilisi, Vakhtang founded several more cities, but all in Kakheti. History has not kept details. The chronicles write briefly: he built a city. The popular consciousness has retained a more vivid picture of what is happening: there is a famous legend about how King Vakhtang hunted a pheasant here and discovered sulfur springs. This story is so famous that it even entered the bestseller of the early twentieth century, Kurban Said's novel "Ali and Nino":

Once upon a time in ancient times, a certain padishah released his falcon into the sky. He pounces on the black grouse. The padishah waits, but the falcon still does not return. Then he starts looking for his bird and wanders into a small forest. And in this forest there is a sulfur spring. The padishah sees that both the falcon and the black grouse are drowning in water. As the padishah saw this source, he immediately decided to found Tiflis on this place. The grouse bath is here, and instead of the forest there is now Tiflis. Tiflis began with sulfur, and it will end with gray.

Bulat Okudzhava wrote a verse about this in 1988:

The beast of prey fought and writhed under your arrow.
Eternal darkness came to my eyes.
A star lit up. The hunting day is over.
And then a pheasant appeared from the bushes.

Oh, how brightly his plumage burned!
But the arrow sang - extinguished the fire ...
And then, as if on the first night of creation,
"Let Tbilisi arise!" - you put out your hand.

This story has many visual implications. At the sulfur baths there is now a statue of a falcon with a pheasant in its claws. The pheasant can be seen on the Tbilisi logo and on street hatches. The Maidani restaurant has a specialty called Fazan Gorgosali. In 1961, an equestrian statue of Vakhang Gorgasal was erected on the Metkhskaya rock, who, as it were, decides on the foundation of the city. The Gorgasali restaurant near the baths hints at the same event by its name.

Unfortunately, the dating of this event is somewhat arbitrary and we do not know on what historical background it happened. Therefore, it is difficult to guess what exactly Vakhtang was thinking about when creating a new city. He could, for example, build it as a fortification on the outskirts of Mtskheta. And he could strengthen an already existing settlement that arose on sulfur springs.

The first buildings of the new city appeared, apparently, on the rocky coast, on the cape between Kura and Tsavkisistskali. Now on this place there is a temple of the Forty Sebastian Martyrs, and on the site of the Tsavkisistskali canyon, the Aliyev square is green. In 2012, foundations were found near the temple of the martyrs, which were identified as the remains of the palace of King Vakhtang.

Name

Why was the city named "Tbilisi"? It's easy to guess the word თბილი ( tbili) meaning "warm". But this is a late formed word, in Old Georgian it looked like ტფილი ( tpili), and the city was called Tpilisi. Moreover, this name is found in the 19th century.

Coin of the era of Nicholas I with the inscription TPILISI

It is believed that the word TPILI comes from the proto-Kartvelian root TEP, which in turn comes from the Nostratic language, from which it also got into Indo-European. Hence, by the way, the Slavic "Heat" and "Heat". So the initial "T" in the words "Warm" and "Tbilisi" is not a coincidence.

The name Tpilisi turned out to be unpronounceable for the Greeks, who do not have TP combinations in their language. They remade it for their convenience, inserting the letter "I", and so the Greek "Tiflis" was obtained. From Greek it got into Arabic, where it turned into "Tiflis". The direct transformation of Tpilisi into Tiflis is unlikely, since the Arabs have no problem pronouncing the sounds TP or TB. They still officially call the city Tbilisi (تبليسي). The name "Tiflis" remained in the Turkish language, which, like Greek, does not allow combinations of TB.

It is interesting that instead of the word "warm" they could have taken the word "hot" (tskheli) as a basis and the city would have been called Tskhelisi. And if Mingrelians or Lazes lived here, he would be Tubulsi. And if the Svans lived, it would be Tebidsi.

Dark middle ages

Vakhtang died in 502, and his kingdom perished even earlier, and synchronously with the deposition of the Roman emperor Odoacer and the end of the history of the Ancient World. In those years, the Middle Ages began in Europe, and in Georgia, the dark era of the Persian occupation. Vakhtang was succeeded by his son Dachi or Darchil (522-534), who lived mainly in the Ujarma fortress. It was he who committed the historic act: he finally moved the capital from Mtskheta to Tbilisi. What for? Nobody remembers anymore. It is significant that, in principle, he did not live in Mtskheta. Maybe Mtskheta was destroyed by the Persians, or maybe there were too many Persian observers there.

Dachi did something more important: he built in Tbilisi (or near Tbilisi) the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (Anchiskhati), which to this day remains the oldest surviving building in the city. Little has survived from this temple: both the vaults and columns were rebuilt in later eras, and only the walls here and there are still the same ones that remember the Tsar Dacha.

After Dacha, several more kings lived in Tbilisi: Bakur II, Farsman V, Farsman VI and Bakur III, but the latter lived in Ujarma, and at that time there was already a Persian garrison in Tbilisi. In 580, Bakur died, and the Persians abolished the kingship as such.

Just in the years of the crisis of the royal power, the Assyrian fathers came to Iberia and settled near Mtskheta. From there they then dispersed throughout the country, and David, the future David of Gareja, settled in a cave on the mountain (Mtatsminda) near Tbilisi. Once a week he went down the mountain along the trail (now - Besiki Street) approximately to the modern hotel "Marriott" and from there went the city for food. At that time, quite a lot of Persians-Zoroastrians lived in Tbilisi. The conflict with them led to the well-known story of the trial of David and the appearance of the Kashveti temple on the site of the trial. After that David went to Gareji, but his cave on the mountain and the spring near the cave remained sacred and revered places. And even the path to the cave itself has become something of a pilgrimage path.

At this time, endless Iran-Byzantine wars dragged on, and the Iranian armies probably often passed through Tbilisi. In 591, the Byzantine-Iranian Peace Treaty (Ctesiphon) was concluded. Part of Iberia, with its capital in Mtskheta, went to Byzantium, and part, with the capital in Tbilisi, went to Iran and became the center of Iberia controlled by Iran. Probably, it was at this time that a Zoroastrian temple appeared in Tbilisi, which has come down to us in a greatly rebuilt form and is known in the city as "Ateshga".

Back in 588, the emperor Mauritius sent a certain Guram, a descendant of Vakhtang Gorgasal, to Iberia as ruler. Guram died in 590 and his son Stephanos became ruler, who ruled Iberius at the time of the conclusion of the Treaty of Ctesiphon. Probably, his capital was Mtskheta, but then Stefanoz made friends with Iran and moved the capital back to Tbilisi. This man went down in history by building the famous Jvari temple over Mtskheta.

The reorientation of Stephanos led to the invasion of the Byzantine army under the personal leadership of Emperor Heraclius II. The Khazar army came to the aid of the emperor, and the Persians sent a detachment of 1000 people to the aid of Iberia. The Byzantines laid siege to Tbilisi and the siege lasted about two months. Then Heraclius left in the direction of Iran, and the siege lasted for some time and in the end the city was taken. Stefanoz was dismissed, in his place was put Adarnase, a distant descendant of Vakhtang Gorgasal. He died in 642 and his son Stephanos II became the ruler under whom, in 645, the army of the Caliphate approached Tbilisi. The Arabs signed a friendship treaty with the city and left.

Capital of the emirate

The Treaty of 645 made Iberia part of the Arabian Caliphate. At first, tsars still lived in Tbilisi, who paid a small tax to the Arabs. This lasted until 735, when the Arabs suspected Georgia of cooperation with the Khazars, and Mervan the Glukhoi went through the country on a punitive expedition. Tbilisi was burned to the ground - this is the first recorded case of its complete burning. Mervan established the Tiflis Emirate in Transcaucasia and left. The kings still existed as pale shadows, imperceptible to history, until they disappeared in 775. Tiflis emirs began to rule the city. How exactly power passed from kings to emirs is unknown.

Under the Arabs, Tiflis became part of the Arab Common Economic Space and rapidly grew into a major trade center. It became a big city with mosques, baths, palaces, madrasahs and caravanserais. But the emirs decided to show separatism, and in 853 there was another punitive invasion. Buga commander Al-Kabir turned the flourishing city into a heap of ash. Second time in its history.

Tbilisi remained the capital of the Emirt until the end of the 9th century, and the entire X, and the entire XI, and the beginning of the XII. In the 10th century, the relics of Saint Shushanik were reburied on the Metekhi rock - right on the most prominent place in a Muslim city. Apparently, the Christian community in Tbilisi had many rights. To know how much.

In 1795, the last destruction of Tbilisi took place: on September 12, the army of the Aga Mukhamad Khan, as punishment for the Georgian-Russian negotiations, razed the city to the ground. Stone buildings were hardly damaged, but all private buildings were burned to the ground. The city was rebuilt from this ruin for thirty years later.

Capital of the Tiflis province

In 1802, the Georgian kingdom was liquidated and Tbilisi turned into the capital of the province and the main base of the Russian army. Since the anti-Russian uprisings did not reach Tbilisi, the situation in the city was stable. We started to build something. Count Knorring, the first "chief in Georgia", built the first simple house for the commander-in-chief. An arsenal and a gymnasium were built. In 1802, the demolition of the fortress walls and towers began, so the modern Pushkin and Dadiani streets began to form. In 1804, the royal baths were converted into a mint.

In 1807, there were already 16,000 people living in Tbilisi.

Tbilisi was very slowly rebuilding after the defeat of 1795. The Russian administration built little. In 1816, General Ermolov demolished the royal Metekhi castle and began to build a prison in its place. In 1824, the building of the Headquarters of the Caucasian Corps was built. In 1827, lightning struck the Narikala fortress and the explosion demolished the church of St. Nicholas, built under Tamara, if not earlier. Local merchants managed to build a large stone building only by 1818: the Artsruni caravanserai.

In May 1829, Pushkin arrived in Tbilisi. It was something like the arrival of a fashionable blogger to an as yet unheated resort. For the first time in Russian history, someone other than the military learned about Tbilisi. Pushkin lived in house number 5 on Pushkin Street, in a house with windows to the headquarters of the Caucasian corps and could see the construction of the Zubalashvili caravanserai, which began in 1827. There seem to be no photographs of his house, but a drawing from about 1895 is known:

Capital of the Confederation

In January 1918, the Bolsheviks dispersed the Constituent Assembly, which in the end did not manage to decide the fate of Transcaucasia, so the entire region was left to itself. Transcaucasia has become an independent federation, and Tbilisi has become its capital. The Transcaucasian Seim in the building of the Vorontsov Palace has become something like the parliament of the new federal republic. Tbilisi retained this status throughout January, February, March, April and May. The federation broke up in May. On May 26, Georgia declared its independence. Tbilisi has become the capital of the Georgian Republic, and the pen that signed the declaration of independence is now on display in the National Museum.

On June 10, the German army entered the union republic of Tbilisi. A joint Georgian-German parade was held on Rustaveli. On the same day, the Turks tried to break through to Tbilisi, but were stopped by the Germans. In December 1918, the Germans left, and in January 1919 the British army entered the city. But in July the British left too.

Nothing has changed visually in Tbilisi, the events took place exclusively in the political sphere. In May 1920, the Bolsheviks decided to seize Georgia: on May 3 in Tbilisi, the Bolsheviks revolted and seized the officers' school. But the war with Georgia was lost near Kiev: on May 7 the Poles took Kiev and on the same day the Bolsheviks signed a peace treaty with Georgia. But this only delayed the war by one year.

Battle of Tbilisi

In February 1921, the Red Army entered Georgia from three sides, in particular - from Baku in the direction of Tbilisi. On February 18, the 11th Army approached the outskirts of Tbilisi: on the left bank of the Kura to the village of Karadzhala and on the right to the village of Soganlug.

On February 19, the first attacks began in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Soganlug station and at the Shavnabad monastery. The left flank of the Red Army began bypassing the city from the west and attacked the Kodzhora Heights. All these attacks were repulsed. On February 24-25, a second offensive began with the involvement of tanks and aircraft. The defenders of Tbilisi managed to repel all attacks on the Kojori and Shavnabad heights, but the Red Army detachments bypassed the Georgian positions further and further. On the night of February 25, Soviet tanks broke through to Navtlug station.

On the morning of February 25, it was decided to surrender the city. Soviet armored trains entered the Tbiissky railway station. The infantry units occupied the Kodzhora heights and entered the city, descending along Sololakskaya street in Freedom Square. On the same day, the Bolshevik government moved to Tbilisi from Shulaveri.

Capital of the republic

The first years of Soviet rule changed little in Tbilisi. The Soviet leadership still gathered in the same Vorontsov Palace, the Metekhi prison remained a prison, except that it got more work. Until 1931, the Soviet Georgian leaders were not radical enough and all of them would be shot in 1937. But in November 1931, Georgia was led by Beria, and here Tbilisi's appearance began to change: so Tbilisi experienced not only Vorontsovization, but also "Bereization".

The last days of the Soviet era were remembered for an eerie catastrophe: on June 1, 1990, there was a cliff on the cable car line (Rustaveli-Mtatsminda), the lower station was damaged, and one cabin fell on a residential building. About 20 people died.

On October 28, 1990, a landmark event took place. In the elections to the Supreme Council, the Communist Party received only 64 seats out of 155. On November 14, the chairman of the Supreme Council, Irakli Abashidze, resigned and Zviad Gamsakhurdia was elected to his place. The Soviet era in Georgia is over.

Dogwood flag

In November 1990, Zviad Gamsakhurdia became the country's president, and for a whole year nothing happened in the history of the city, and then a terrible thing happened: in December 1991, the National Guard rebelled and laid siege to the president in the Parliament building. The month of fighting for parliament began. Almost all of the surrounding quarters were burnt out. The hotel "Oriant" burned down. The First Gymnasium burned down to its foundations. The "Marriott" also burned down. The "House of Communications" almost burned down. Miraculously, the Kashveti temple survived, although it was covered with traces of bullets. Several years after that, the city center looked like Stalingrad after Paulus surrendered.

On January 6, parliament fell. The Kitovani-Ioseliani-Sigua triumvirate came to power in Tbilisi. But the provinces were whipping up against Tbilisi: in this case, Megrelia. This is how the split of Georgia into Tbilisi and the province began for the first time. This war with fading continues to this day. Tbilisi in this war took the thankless role of the capital of the post-Soviet dictatorship. Samegrelo revolted in January, March and July 1992. And again in September 1993. Tbilisi won the first war with the province.

With this victory, the most eventless era in the history of the city began. Some have been rebuilt: for example, the Parliament, the Gymnasium and the Marriott. But everything else gradually collapsed. The restaurant on Mtatsminda was closed and completely abandoned. On June 21, 2000, due to a broken cable, the funicular fell into disrepair. Hotels "Adjara" and "Iveria" were given to refugees in 1995 and turned into terrible slum skyscrapers.

In November 2003, Tbilisi's second war against the province began: protests against election violations began in the city. Residents of Megrelia and Imereti came to the aid of the protesters. The main protest rally took place at Freedom Square. A parallel rally of loyalists gathered in front of the parliament building. On November 20, Shevardnadze escaped from parliament. The province defeated Tbilisi. This event went down in history as the "Rose Revolution".

2002 earthquake

Natural events were superimposed on political cataclysms: in April 2002, the city was shaken by a magnitude 6 earthquake, the epicenter of which is located right there, in the Tbilisi Sea region. The Old City suffered greatly. Some houses were cracked, some collapsed completely. Of the 2,400 damaged houses, about 600 were seriously damaged. 6 people died, 42 were hospitalized.

The destruction was so great that some houses were not rebuilt back in 2019 - in part, these are private houses that the municipality has no right to touch.

The era of reconstruction

The new government, which came to Georgia in March 2004, inherited a city destroyed both by the 2002 earthquake and by the devastation of the Shevardnadze era. It was necessary to do something with the city, but this task itself seemed unsolvable due to its scale. In fact, it was required to rebuild the entire Old City, Sololaki, Chugureti and Avlabar. In fact, half of Tbilisi had to be demolished, the foundation replaced, and then rebuilt. Georgia did not have that kind of money. Moreover, the events of the Rose Revolution were like a victory for the province over the capital: after 2003, Tbilisi stopped using all the country's resources, as it was under Shevardnadze. His interests were important, but not primary.

Subsequently, Saakashvili will be accused of building "Potemkin villages", that is, repairing only the facades. In reality, everything was strictly the opposite: first, they built hospitals, schools and municipalities in the province, and in the second place they were engaged in the capital. Even an experiment on complete reconstruction began in distant Sighnaghi.

And yet, in 2004, a lot of new things appeared in the city: the Trinity Cathedral was opened, which had been built for 10 years with private funds. The church of St. Nicholas was built in the Narikala fortress and the Taborsky monastery on the neighboring mountain.

The complete reconstruction of the city began with a section between Maidan and Sernye Bany. Then it spread to the Kldisubani quarter (Betlem street and everything around). The Tbilisi canyon was the last to be domesticated, already in the fall of 2012. In 2009, the Avlabar residence was completed, and in 2010 the Bridge of Peace appeared.

The reconstruction greatly changed the visual appearance of the Maidan neighborhood, as well as the Freedom Square. In the last pre-election 2012, the restaurant on Mtatsminda was restored and a cable car was built on Narikala.

Reconstruction continued in 2013, while Saakashvili was president and Giorgi Ugulava was mayor. In November 2014, Ugulava was removed and David Narmania became mayor, whose name is associated with the era of stagnation in the life of the city. In 2014 - 2016, almost nothing was built in the city.

Modernity

The last phase of the history of Tbilisi began in the spring of 2014, when all construction and reconstruction works stopped. For two years in a row, nothing happened. Private business has also slowed down, but not completely. The largest event of the era took place in June 2015: a mudflow descended along the Vera River and washed away half of the Tbilisi Zoo. Almost 20 people and almost 200 animals died.

Some revival came in the pre-election year 2016: the Baratashvili Bridge was repaired, Pushkin Street was redesigned, a new cable car from Vake Park to Turtle Lake was launched. Something was asphalted. By the end of the year, even began to repair the Narikala fortress in its lower part.

The October 2016 elections did not change anything. Tbilisi defeated the province again.

- the capital and at the same time the largest city of Georgia, located on the banks of the Kura River in the Tbilisi Basin. A noisy, cheerful, faithful to traditions and at the same time actively developing city with one and a half million inhabitants - this is how the modern capital of Georgia looks in the eyes of travelers.

Tbilisi is especially attractive due to its rich history, rooted in the depths of centuries. You can wander endlessly through the quarters of the old part of the city, breathing in the exciting aromas of national pastries and admiring the ancient architecture of the local buildings. For more than one and a half thousand years of its existence, Tbilisi has managed to acquire such a number of historical sights and cultural heritage that they would be more than enough for several ordinary cities.

Video: Tbilisi

History of Tbilisi

Officially, the history of Tbilisi is usually counted from the 5th century. The city was founded by the king of Iberia Vakhtang Gorgasali. An ancient legend tells that while hunting a formidable monarch shot a pheasant. The killed bird fell into one of the thermal reservoirs and boiled. This fact impressed Gorgasali so much that he ordered to found a city on this place and name it Warm Spring (in the local dialect - Tbilisi). Historians are skeptical about this version, preferring to correlate the emergence of the settlement with the ancient Roman era. During archaeological excavations in this area, the remains of ancient baths and mosaic fragments were found, suggesting that the first settlements arose here in the first centuries of our era.

Since 626, Tbilisi has been subject to regular invasions by the Arab armies. Enemy troops plundered the local population and ravaged the city. Only in 1122, when King David the Builder came to power, a relative calm reigned in Georgia, which lasted a little over a century. A short lull was again replaced by military incursions: over the course of several centuries, the city was alternately besieged by Arab, Mongol or Turkish conquerors.

From 1801 to 1917 Georgia was part of the Russian Empire. During this period, Tbilisi gained the long-awaited stability and patronage of a more powerful state. The city has seriously grown economically, has acquired numerous commercial and industrial enterprises. After the October Revolution. Tbilisi became the capital of independent Georgia, which it was until 1926. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the city regained its former status as an administrative and cultural center.

Districts of Tbilisi: where a tourist should go first

The Kura River is not only a geographical feature, but also a water border that divides Tbilisi into two parts. The city is officially divided into districts: some of them are rich in various architectural monuments, and some are typical residential quarters that are not popular with tourists.

The record holder for the number of attractions is the Old Town, which is also the historical center of the capital. By the way, it is on its territory that the legendary "sulfur baths" are located, which the locals are so proud of. It is a stone's throw from this part of Tbilisi to the area with the sonorous name of Sololaki. The place is ideal for hiking, during which you can admire the peculiarities of the local architecture. There is something to see in Avlabari. Historians suggest that it was from here that the construction of the future capital began. On the territory of the quarter, there are Tsminda Sameba Cathedral, the palace of Queen Darejan and the ruins of an Armenian temple.

Another boring area is Mtatsminda. There are few truly ancient structures, but there are plenty of entertainment venues, shops and restaurants. Chugureti will be more interested in pilgrims who have come to Tbilisi to pray and worship religious shrines. Most of the Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant churches are located here. Ortachala is usually visited to visit the ruins of the former city wall and the temple of St. Nicholas.

Sights of Tbilisi

The vast majority of tourist routes start from the Old Town (Kala). It is divided into two parts: Zamokala - Upper town and Kvemokala - Lower. Today it is the most romantic district of Tbilisi, which has preserved its ancient monuments and is not disfigured by modern faceless buildings. Narrow brick-paved streets, clay houses entwined with grapes, impregnable walls of the castle of Queen Darejan - all these are integral features of the historical character of the quarter. It is in the Old City that the subtle spirit of the mysterious East hovers. Arabic motifs can be seen in the architectural bas-reliefs and ancient frescoes, carpet patterns and aromas of dishes generously seasoned with tart spices ...

Abanotubani is a place worth visiting, if not for the purpose of treatment, then at least for the sake of mental relaxation. Tbilisi sulphurous springs have been known since the 16th century. Over time, the underground springs were covered with stone domes made in the Arabian style. So the healing springs turned into health baths.

Rustaveli Avenue

Rustaveli Avenue is not the oldest, but has become a legendary place in Tbilisi, which is definitely not worth missing. The one and a half-kilometer avenue planted with plane trees is decorated with a fountain, next to which it is easy to find a monument to Pushkin, as well as the building of the Rustaveli Theater. There is also the National Museum of Georgia, which deserves a visit because of its scandalous and controversial exhibition dedicated to the "Soviet occupation".

Walking along Rustaveli Avenue, you can look into the Vorontsov Palace. An exquisite white Renaissance building appeared here in 1868 and was originally intended for the Tsar's governor in the Caucasus. By the way, the last resident of the palace was I. Stalin's mother - Ekaterina Dzhugashvili.

Another interesting object of Rustaveli Avenue is the apartment building of Melik-Azaryants. The gigantic structure was built before the revolution and is equipped with the latest technology. The basement floors of the building housed cozy coffee shops and entertainment establishments. The wall bas-reliefs of the building can be used to trace tragic events in the life of the owner. For example, the plaster wreaths of the facade remind of the death of the beloved daughter of a rich man. The fate of Melik-Azaryants himself is sad. After the October Revolution, the building was nationalized, and the former owner was given a tiny closet in it. Today this luxurious symbol of Tbilisi is gradually falling into disrepair. This is especially noticeable when looking at the house from the side of the yard.

The avenue ends with Freedom Square. The place is known for the fact that it is here that all kinds of political battles take place from time to time. If you are visiting the city for the first time, it will be useful to look into the building of the former city hall. There is a tourist information center where you can get the necessary information about local attractions and a map of Tbilisi.

The oldest Orthodox church in Tbilisi, which has survived to this day, is the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (Anchiskhati is the second name). The laconic, austere building, made in the form of a basilica with three naves, was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. The most ancient part of the interior decoration of the temple is the altarpiece, which was created in 1683.

Metekhi

One of the oldest settlements on the territory of modern Tbilisi is located on the banks of the Kura River, on a steep cliff. The Metekhi region originated during the reign of the first Georgian king Vakhtang Gorgasala, who erected his residence in this very place. The very word "metekhi" in those times immemorial was called the area around the palace.

For several centuries, the main decoration of the quarter was the Metekhi Church of the Mother of God. According to legend, Queen Tamara herself came here to pray. A difficult fate awaited the church: in the 19th century, the building was given to the soldiers' barracks. Contributed to the destruction and the Soviet period. The last internal partitions of the church were demolished already in 1974, and an experimental theater was located in the building itself. Only in 1988 the temple was completely restored and returned to the Orthodox Church again.

Narikala fortress

It is still unknown when exactly this large-scale fortress complex arose on Mount Mtsatminda. It is only clear that already in the IV century. the walls of the Shuris-Tsikhe fortification (the first name of the structure) successfully held back the onslaught of enemy troops. For almost one and a half thousand years, the fortress was periodically occupied by either Arab or Mongolian armies, which could not but affect the appearance of the buildings. Today travelers can see only the remnants of the former greatness of Narikala. Unfortunately, most of the fortification has been irretrievably lost. But on its territory, the temple of St. Nicholas, built in the XII century, has been completely reconstructed.

Georgian Betania

Betania Monastery, founded in the 11th century, is one of the most successful examples of Georgian temple architecture. The building has been amazingly preserved in its original form. Interestingly, the monastery remained active even in the Soviet era, although the monks were officially registered as caretakers of the church museum. It is necessary to go to Bethany to look at the ancient frescoes, icons and unique carvings of the altar part of the monastery church.

The majestic temple appeared on the banks of the Kura in the 6th century, getting its name in honor of Mount Zion. Later, the church building was destroyed by the Arab army, after which it was rebuilt. One of the main shrines of the Georgian Orthodox Church, the cross of St. Nina, is kept in the Zion Cathedral.

The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, the highest temple in the country and the national symbol of modern Georgia, is located in the Avlabari region. This is a new building in Tbilisi, around which scandalous rumors still do not subside. There is an opinion that the temple was erected on the site of an old Armenian cemetery. The territory of the ancient necropolis was cemented, and the remains and tombstones were simply disposed of.

The first church on the site of a modern temple appeared in the 6th century. Six centuries later, the first cathedral was built here, named after St. George, which in the middle of the 18th century. replaced by a new structure. Today's temple is the result of restoration and restoration work in 1910. The inside of the building is decorated with unique fresco paintings.

Atsruni caravanserai

The oldest "shopping center" in Tbilisi was built in 1818. It housed more than two dozen shops, as well as numerous warehouses. Today in the building of the caravanserai there is a modest museum exposition introducing guests to the history of the city. The rest of the area, as before, is occupied by retail outlets.

Botanical Garden

The reserve with rare and exotic plant species appeared in Tbilisi at the end of the 19th century. Today the area of \u200b\u200bthe garden is 128 hectares, where more than three and a half thousand representatives of the flora world grow. Convenient paths are laid out on its territory, there are several artificial reservoirs. Those who wish can take a break and relax on the benches located in different parts of this unique park.

A 156-meter suspension bridge over the Kura River connects the Old City with the districts of modern Tbilisi. In the evenings, incredible transformations take place with the design. The multi-level lighting system turns the building into a fantastic installation, shimmering with a million multi-colored lights.

Food and drink: what to try in Tbilisi and where is it better to do it

Hiking, travel, sightseeing and outdoor recreation all satisfy the cultural hunger, but the stomach, unfortunately, does not fill. But local cafes do an excellent job with this problem. Traditional dishes of Tbilisi, which can be ordered in any institution, from a tiny eatery to a high-status restaurant, are khachapuri and khinkali flatbread.

There are many catering points in the Georgian capital, but not all of them deserve authority among visitors. Among the locals, for example, the Kakhelebi restaurant is very popular. This small establishment is famous for its aromatic pastries and huge portions. Do not be confused that the restaurant is very small: the food here is excellent. Celebrities also love to visit Kakhelebi, so don't be surprised if a "cover face" flashes at the next table. Excellent national cuisine and amazing atmosphere await travelers at Gabriadze Cafe.

You can try traditional Georgian dishes prepared according to the recipes of the 19th century in Barbarestan. The institution is interesting for its authentic interior and high quality service. For a pleasant pastime, it is recommended to go to Tsiskvili. The restaurant with an interesting menu, intricate interior and rich entertainment program is located far from the city center, on Beliashvili Street.

To dine in a Tbilisi restaurant and not order wine is a sign of bad taste, especially since the wines here are really great. And if the drink is also served in a clay bottle, you can assume that you have chosen the right institution. Although it is better to get acquainted with the local wine list in special cellars, such as "Vinograund" or g.Vino. You can eat "cheap and cheerful" in the so-called dukhans - small taverns adored by the residents of Tbilisi themselves. You shouldn't expect a special atmosphere from such establishments, but here you can try real home cuisine: simple and hearty.

An option for those who want not only delicacies, but also live communication - the Deserter Market. Hop around the grocery rows, gaze at the mouth-watering churchkhela pyramids, mountains of candied fruits, cheeses, nuts and spices, and then buy what you like. By the way, it is not forbidden to try the goods "by the teeth" and bargain, so do not hesitate!

Shopping

A rare tourist will allow himself to return from a trip without gifts and souvenirs, especially since it is incredibly difficult to refuse shopping in Tbilisi. Large shopping centers such as East Point or Tbilisi Mall are suitable for standard shopping. Enough in the city and boutiques of European brands. Their prices are usually overpriced, so it is worth shopping only during the seasonal sales period.

Those interested in authentic souvenirs can take a stroll at the flea market near the Dry Bridge. It is easy to get hold of unusual interior items, antique icons or old Georgian daggers (which in fact may not be so old). An interesting souvenir shop is located on Rustaveli Street. The quality of the goods in the shop differs significantly from the market "analogues", as well as the prices.

You shouldn't leave Tbilisi without taking a couple of bottles of wine with you. To avoid possible disappointments, buy a drink in specialized stores, some of which are located on the street. Leselidze. Lovers of national jewelry are recommended to visit the Tbilisi Gold Exchange. This is where the famous Minankari can be found. And for those who are preoccupied with searching for an original carpet, there is a direct road to the Caucasian Carpets Gallery.

Where to stay in Tbilisi

The issue of housing in Tbilisi is easy to solve. If your travel budget is unlimited, then you can afford a luxurious stay in five-star hotels, such as Ambassadori, Hotels & Preference Hualing Tbilisi, Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel. A standard double room will cost from 415 to 540 lari / day. Those looking for more modest offers are offered three-star options: Flamingo Group Hotel, Rustaveli Hotel, Diamond Hotel. The cost of a double room in such places ranges from 62-125 lari. Fans of reasonable economy will have to opt for hostels and guest houses like Envoy Hostel, Guest House Chubini, Blue Palm, etc.

Sometimes travelers prefer not to waste time looking for a suitable hotel and simply rent housing from the local population (an entire apartment or a room). This option has its advantages: you can always bargain with the owner of the house and bring down the price a little.

When choosing a place to stay, it is worth considering that in Tbilisi, as in any other tourist place, the most expensive housing is located in the historical center of the city. Sometimes the price of a hotel room even includes a beautiful view from the balcony. At the same time, a room with windows to the courtyard will cost significantly less.

Transport

Tbilisi has its own metro with two lines. To use its services, you will have to acquire a Metromoney smart card and, if necessary, top up its balance. The second common type of local transport is buses and minibuses. You can get into the first at official stops, but you will have to stop the minibuses yourself, with a wave of your hand. The main thing is to have time to do this in advance, before the car rushes past you.

In Tbilisi, the names of all bus stops and metro stations are written strictly in Georgian, without Russian transcription. So, going on an independent trip around the city, it is better to check the route with local residents. The second option is to pre-learn the Georgian alphabet.

An option for those who can afford to fork out a little is a taxi. By the way, it is not customary to equip a car with a meter, so it is better to agree on payment in advance. Do not hesitate to bargain and argue: most of the drivers are locals who just earn extra money as a private driver.

Travelers who don't want to depend on city transportation can rent a car. The service is provided by several rental companies at once (Geo Rent Car, Avis, Hertz, Luxury Car Rental), whose offices are located at the airport, as well as in large hotels. On average, car rental will cost from 116 lari. By the way, traffic jams in Tbilisi are common, and parking lots are mostly paid (2-3 GEL / day).

To get acquainted with the picturesque views from Mount Mtatsminda, it is better to use the funicular. This vehicle appeared in Tbilisi back in 1903 and is a kind of landmark of the city.

How to get there

There are two ways to get to the capital of Georgia - by plane and by bus. Tbilisi is connected with Moscow by regular direct flights from Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo. Transportation is carried out by Georgian Airways, Aeroflot and S7. On average, the flight takes just over two and a half hours.

Connecting flights (with a transfer) are offered by the Russian S7, Latvian Air Baltic, Greek Ellinair and Belarusian Belavia. You can go to Tbilisi not only from Moscow, but also from St. Petersburg. Departure from the Northern capital is carried out by Aeroflot, LOT Polish Airlines, Belavia and S7. Travel time is 6 hours or more.

Once a week, a bus leaves from Moscow to Tbilisi. The trip takes about 36 hours, excluding stops.

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