Tbilisi is the capital and largest city of Georgia, a 1,500-year-old city strung along the Mtkvari River between steep hills in the South Caucasus. Its crooked Old Town of carved wooden balconies, sulfur bathhouses, Orthodox churches and hillside fortress sits beside Art Nouveau boulevards, Soviet-era landmarks and a fast-growing café, wine-bar and club scene. Visitors come for Georgian food and natural wine, easy day trips to monasteries and mountains, and some of the lowest prices of any European capital.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Tbilisi.
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1
Founding of Tbilisi
According to tradition, King Vakhtang Gorgasali discovers the hot sulfur springs while hunting and orders a city built on the site, naming it Tbilisi, from the Georgian word for warm
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2
Byzantine-Khazar Sack
Emperor Heraclius and his Khazar allies besiege and plunder Tbilisi during the Byzantine-Persian wars
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3
Arab Conquest
Arab armies take Tbilisi, which becomes the seat of the Emirate of Tiflis and an important Silk Road trading town
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4
Capital of Georgia
King David IV the Builder liberates Tbilisi from Muslim rule and makes it the capital of the united Georgian kingdom
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5
Mongol Conquest
Mongol armies take Tbilisi and the Georgian kingdom becomes a vassal state; the city is attacked again by Timur in 1386
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6
Sack by Agha Mohammad Khan
The Persian ruler Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar captures and burns Tbilisi, killing thousands and leaving much of the city in ruins
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7
Russian Annexation
The Russian Empire annexes the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti, and Tbilisi (Tiflis) becomes the seat of the Caucasus viceroyalty
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8
Democratic Republic of Georgia
Georgia declares independence on 26 May 1918 and Tbilisi becomes the capital of the first independent Georgian republic
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9
Soviet Occupation
The Red Army enters Tbilisi on 25 February 1921 and Georgia is absorbed into the Soviet Union
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10
Great Terror
Stalin-era purges imprison, exile or execute thousands of Georgian writers, scientists and officials in Tbilisi
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11
March 9 Protests
Georgian students protest Khrushchev's denunciation of Stalin; Soviet troops fire on demonstrators in Tbilisi
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12
Language Protests
Mass demonstrations on Rustaveli Avenue force Moscow to keep Georgian as the sole state language of the republic
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13
April 9 Tragedy
Soviet troops disperse a peaceful pro-independence rally outside Government House on Rustaveli Avenue, killing 21 people
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14
Independence Restored
Georgia declares independence from the Soviet Union on 9 April 1991, with Tbilisi as its capital
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15
Tbilisi War
Armed clashes along Rustaveli Avenue end with the ousting of President Zviad Gamsakhurdia in January 1992
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16
Rose Revolution
Mass protests outside the Parliament on Rustaveli Avenue force President Eduard Shevardnadze to resign on 23 November
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17
Holy Trinity Cathedral Consecrated
The Sameba cathedral on Elia Hill is consecrated and becomes the largest Orthodox cathedral in Georgia
Historical sites
Places where Tbilisi's past comes alive.
Narikala Fortress (Narikala)
Where: Old Tbilisi
Admission: Free (cable car from Rike Park about GEL 5 or $1.90 one way)
Anchiskhati Basilica (Anchiskhati)
Where: Old Tbilisi
Admission: Free
Metekhi Church (Metekhi) and Vakhtang Gorgasali Statue
Where: Old Tbilisi
Admission: Free
Sioni Cathedral (Sioni)
Where: Old Tbilisi
Admission: Free
Tbilisi History Museum (Karvasla)
Where: Old Tbilisi
Admission: About GEL 15 ($5.70)
Georgian National Museum - Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia
Where: Rustaveli Avenue
Admission: About GEL 40 ($15), including the Soviet Occupation exhibition hall
Museum of Soviet Occupation (Soviet Occupation Exhibition Hall)
Where: Rustaveli Avenue
Admission: Included in the Georgian National Museum ticket, about GEL 40 ($15)
Dry Bridge Market (Mshrali Khidi Flea Market)
Where: Central Tbilisi
Admission: Free to browse
Rustaveli Avenue (Shota Rustaveli Avenue)
Where: Central Tbilisi
Admission: Free
Parliament of Georgia and Site of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (Gunib Square)
Where: Rustaveli Avenue
Admission: Free (exterior only)
Kashveti Church of St George (Kashveti)
Where: Rustaveli Avenue
Admission: Free
Freedom Square and Freedom Monument (Tavisuplebis Moedani)
Where: Central Tbilisi
Admission: Free
Jumah Mosque (Juma Mosque)
Where: Abanotubani, Old Tbilisi
Admission: Free (donations welcome)
Tbilisi Great Synagogue (Beit Rachel)
Where: Old Tbilisi
Admission: Free (donations welcome)
Norashen Armenian Church (Norashen)
Where: Old Tbilisi
Admission: Free
Betlemi (Bethlehem) Church and Betlemi Street
Where: Old Tbilisi
Admission: Free
Mtatsminda Pantheon (Mtatsminda Pantheon of Writers and Public Figures)
Where: Mtatsminda hillside
Admission: Free
Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi (Sameba)
Where: Avlabari
Admission: Free