Photo source: Emerging Europe
The Caucasus Mountains are widely considered to be one of the frontiers between Europe and Asia, a place were dozens of civilisations, both big and small, interacted. Consequently, it is a region with an incredibly rich array of historical sites and natural wonders spread across the four countries it encompasses.
Source: The four most remarkable places to visit in the Caucasus
Planning a trip to Tbilisi, Georgia? Here are the best and most beautiful day trips from Tbilisi: natural wonders, old monuments and more!
Source: 10 Beautiful Day Trips from Tbilisi, Georgia (with Travel Tips)
The deteriorating facade of the iconic 6th century Jvari Monastery, which stands perched atop a hill outside the ancient Georgian capital of Mtskheta, will undergo conservation and reinforcement work supported by the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation at the United States Embassy in Tbilisi.
Source: Jvari Monastery UNESCO site set for conservation work with US ambassador fund support
In the late-afternoon light, the ruins seemed as if they were blushing. Farther down the path, the 65-foot-tall Mother of Georgia statue beckoned to us.
Source: Georgia: Wine, Culture, and Hiking in the Heart of the Caucasus | Grit Daily News
The US Embassy will allocate $100,000 for the first stage of conservation work at Georgian 6th century Jvari monastery in Mtskheta. The project is intended to cover the first phase of the conservation cycle by carrying out a comprehensive study, to identify, classify, and map the extent of damage and…
Source: US embassy to fund conservation work at Georgian 6th century Jvari Monastery
Euronews has published two new articles about Georgia.
Source: Euronews publishes yet another articles about Tbilisi and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
Jvari Monastery is treasured particularly as it was related to the declaration of Christianity as a state religion in Georgia
Source: Jvari Monastery: a special monument in Georgian history
Georgia – Historical Monuments of Mtskheta
Tbilisi Georgia is beginning to show up on the not-to-be-missed destination lists for more and more travelers. This Eurasian country, seated between Turkey, Russia and the Black Sea, has much to offer a would-be visitor. It has an ancient old town with steamy sulfur baths, a rich wine-making tradition, fascinating history including a fairly recent transition from communism to a democratic republic, and fantastic regional cuisine. While this list provides reasons enough to plan a trip to this lesser known destination, Tbilisi also gives access to a number of day trips that offer a completely different experience outside the Georgian capital. Here are a few of Tbilisi’s most popular day trips that give you a few more reasons to consider discovering Georgia.
David Gareja Monastery
The David Gareja Monastery, which was named after its founding father and one of the original preachers of the Christian gospel, was constructed in the 6th century. The most impressive characteristic of the site is that it’s literally built into the stone hillside border between Georgia and Azerbaijan. The cave complex is composed of hundreds of cells, living quarters, churches, chapels, and dining areas.
Source: Day Trips from Tbilisi Georgia
Georgia – Historical Monuments of Mtskheta
In February 2018, a joint UNESCO/ICOMOS/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission will take place to the World Heritage property “Historical Monuments of Mtskheta” (Georgia), as requested by the World Heritage Committee to assess current conditions at the property.
The World Heritage property of the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1994 and on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2009.
In this context, the Georgian authorities developed reinforced collaboration with the World Heritage Centre through the signature, in October 2015, of an agreement for technical assistance by UNESCO to Georgia within the framework of a project “Cultural Heritage Advisory Service to the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation (NACHP)” financially supported by the World Bank.
This technical assistance, primarily intended to lead to removing the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger, had larger objectives: to enhance the institutional and technical capacity of the national and local authorities, to ensure cross-institutional collaboration, and to ensure long-term planning and the reinforcement of management mechanisms and capacities required to deal with the integration and sustainable implementation of heritage protection and development needs.
Source: State of conservation of Historical Monuments of Mtskheta
Georgia – Historical Monuments of Mtskheta
The fabled lands of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are unheard of by many, but this mountainous region harbors some of the world’s most stunning landscapes and ethno-cultural treasures where Christian and Muslim heritages intersect, millennia-old civilization thrives between wealthy metropolises, and the boundaries of Europe and Asia blur.
To help you plan your visit to Caucasus, I am sharing my Caucasus itinerary. I will also assign a rating of 1-3 hearts as a recommendation of how much I love each site.
After a brief transit in Istanbul, I arrived via Turkish Airlines in the perpetually windy city of Baku (♥♥)in Azerbaijan, awashed in oil capital and ever-growing skyline of skyscrapers. But it’s a city which doesn’t forget its heritage, with a well-preserved cultural hub in its old walled city which has made its way into the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Georgia – Historical Monuments of Mtskheta
It’s the Caucasus nation that has won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest three times — more than any other country. And over the weekend the Republic of Georgia finally hosted the contest in Tbilisi. The stunning capital is an increasingly popular tourist destination — and it’s also a gateway to other wonders, including the awe-inspiring scenery in Kazbegi, the religious gems of Jvari, and the buzz-worthy wine culture of Chateau Mukhrani.
So when Georgia’s National Tourism Board invited us to fly over earlier this fall, we couldn’t say no. Below you can see some of our favourite memories from our trip, mixed with some of our recent coverage from the contest. Junior Eurovision may be over, but Georgia’s tourism industry is here to stay. Let’s do this!
THE TBILISI CABLE CAR
Georgia – Historical Monuments of Mtskheta
UNESCO has awarded historical monuments of the ancient capital of Georgia, Mtskheta special enhanced protections in light of armed conflict. The new status of three epic monuments there is seen as a plea from the UNESCO World Heritage for combatants to refrain from fighting in the areas where these monuments are found.
The three Mtskheta monuments join an exclusive list of worldwide sites receiving enhanced protection in armed conflict, based on The Hague Convention. Within the ancient city are three of Georgia’s and the world’s most precious edifices; the Samtavro Monastery, Shiomghvime Monastery, Antioch Church and Svetistkhoveli Cathedral. These three monuments join the current list of sites with enhanced protection also include; the 13th Century Castel de Monte citadel in south-east Italy, city Paphos in Cyprus and the 15th Century Palace of the Shirvanshahs in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku.
Georgia – Historical Monuments of Mtskheta
Some of Georgia’s most cherished monuments will be protected in case of conflict after a special meeting of UNESCO granted three sites in the country’s ancient capital Mtskheta the status of ‘enhanced protection’ earlier today.
The decision was made at a special meeting of the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which convened in France’s capital Paris , from December 8-9.
The committee accepted Georgia’s submission for granting the status to Historical Monuments of Mtskheta – a complex of three sites in Georgia’s ancient capital.
The monuments include the 6th Century Holy Cross Monastery of Jvari, located on a hilltop just outside the city as well as the 11th Century Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Samtavro Monastery.
