| Duration: | 2 Day(s) - 1 Night(s) |
| Tour Category: | Culture Tours |
You travel to the Meskheti region. En-rout you will visit the ancient capital of Georgia – Mtskheta and its historical Jvari Monastery (6th century) and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (11th century) – both UNESCO World heritage sites. Then you continue to the town of Gori – the heart of the Kartli region. Photo stop at Stalin’s house and statue, then visit Uplistsikhe cave town (1st millennium BC).
In the late afternoon drive to Akhaltsikhe via Borjomi spa town. Overnight in Akhaltsikhe in a guesthouse (with shared facilities). Next morning drive to Vardzia Cave Town (12th century) famous for its frescos. En route also see Khertvisi Fortress (10th century). In the evening return to Tbilisi.
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Explore More About Meskheti:
Meskheti or Samtskhe is a mountainous area in southwestern Georgia.
Ancient tribes were known as the Mushki (or Moschi) and Mosiniks (or Mossynoeci) were the first known inhabitants of the area of the modern Samtskhe-Javakheti region. Some scholars credit the Mosiniks with the invention of iron metallurgy.
Between the 2nd millennium BC and the 4th century BC, Meskheti was part of the kingdom of Diauehi. It was subsequently, until the 6th century, part of the Kingdom of Iberia.
During the 10th-15th centuries, this region was a part of the united Georgian Kingdom. In the 16th century, it was the independent Principality of Samtskhe until it was occupied and annexed by the Ottoman Empire.
From 1829-to 1917 the region was a part of the Tiflis Governorate, and then briefly (1918-1921) part of the Democratic Republic of Georgia. Between 1921-1990 it was a part of the Soviet Union, as the Georgian SSR.
Meskheti is now part of the Samtskhe-Javakheti region, together with Javakheti and Tori.
Mtskheta and its historical Jvari Monastery (6th century) and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (11th century) – both UNESCO World heritage sites. Then you continue to the town of Gori – the heart of the Kartli region. Photo stop at Stalin’s house and statue, then visit Uplistsikhe cave town (1st millennium BC).
