About Celebrations – New Year Decorations in Tbilisi
Tbilisi celebrates Christmas and New Year in style, adorning its streets and parks with beautiful illuminated decorations. Most Georgians celebrate Christmas according to Orthodox tradition on January 7, but the street Christmas fairs and celebration events start earlier in December. All photos courtesy of Tbilisi City Hall. Visit GEORGIA ABOUT on Facebook and see photos … Continue reading
About Sights – Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi
Designed by architect Archil Mindiashvili and constructed between 1995 and 2004, the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi (Georgian: თბილისის წმინდა სამების საკათედრო ტაძარი) is commonly known as Sameba (Georgian: სამება for Trinity) and is the third-tallest Eastern Orthodox cathedral in the world. The Sameba Cathedral is located on Elia Hill, which rises above the left … Continue reading
About Celebrations – New Year Illuminations in Tbilisi
The beautiful New Year illuminations in Tbilisi’s central streets. All photos courtesy of Tbilisi City Hall. CLICK on the logo to visit GEORGIA ABOUT on Facebook and see photos and news about Georgia. Click LIKE on the page and become a friend of GEORGIA ABOUT.
About Sights – The Mushtaid Garden in Tbilisi
Mushtaid Garden in Tbilisi was established in the 1830’s by Mir-Fatah-Agha, a religious leader (a mujtahid – hence the name Mushtaid). Accused of spying during the Russian-Iranian war he was exiled from Iran in 1828 and granted asylum and 5 hectares of land in Tiflis (the name of Tbilisi during the Russian Empire). After his … Continue reading
About Sights – The Baratashvili Bridge in Tbilisi
The Baratashvili Bridge (Georgian: ბარათაშვილის ხიდი) over the Mtkvari River in Tbilisi is decorated with bronze figures and is often referred to as the Bridge of Love, in reference to its name, honoring the Georgian romanticism poet Nikoloz Baratashvili. The 150 meter bridge was opened in 1966 and replaced the Mukhrani Bridge. The bronze figures … Continue reading
About Sights – Christmas Lights in Tbilisi
The beautiful Christmas illuminations in Tbilisi’s central streets. All photos courtesy of Tbilisi City Hall CLICK on the logo to visit GEORGIA ABOUT on Facebook and see photos and news about Georgia. Click LIKE on the page and become a friend of GEORGIA ABOUT.
About History – Photographs of Tbilisi in 1976
In 1976, the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic was part of the USSR. During the Soviet rule, the country’s capital, Tbilisi, became more industrialised and its population grew significantly. The following black and white photographs, taken in Tbilisi in 1976, reveal glimpses of city life during Soviet times. Photo source: Tbilisi Week CLICK on the logo to visit GEORGIA … Continue reading
About Sights – Tbilisi’s Old Town District
Tbilisi’s Old Town (Georgian: ძველი თბილისი) is one of the oldest parts of the city and nestles on the mountainside under Narikala fortress (Georgian: ნარიყალა). The Old Town is part of the Tbilisi Historic District and contains a number of officially designated monuments, churches, cobbled streets and picturesque pastel colored wooden houses with open, carved … Continue reading
About Tbilisi – Tbilisi’s deadly flood
On the evening of June 13, a deadly flood tore into Tbilisi sweeping away houses and their inhabitants. At the time of writing, nineteen people are known to have died. It is believed that the flooding was caused by heavy rain and major landslides in two locations near Tskneti and Betania, not far from Tbilisi. … Continue reading
About Tourism – Promoting Tourism in Georgia in the 1970’s
During the Soviet era, Georgia was the “Riviera of the Soviet Union”, with 3 million visitors annually. Georgia appealed to tourists because of its sunny weather, its culture, wines and food, health spas, beaches and skiing. Tourism was centrally planned and the market was monopolized by Intourist, a state owned tourism agency that arranged all holiday … Continue reading
About Events – Tbilisoba 2014
Tbilisoba (Georgian: თბილისობა) is an annual October festival, celebrating the diversity and history of Tbilisi. First held in 1979, the festival entertains Tbilisi residents, visitors and tourists with live music, traditional dance performances, flower and fruit displays, sports and fishing competitions, art and craft exhibitions, an auto show, and food and wine. The festival is centred … Continue reading
About Events – Kindergarten “Autumn Festival” in Tbilisi
Children from Tbilisi’s kindergartens recently celebrated their annual “Autumn Festival” event. The event reflects the culture and traditions of the different regions of Georgia. The children dressed in traditional costume and participated in craft making, poem recitals, singing and games. The children celebrated Rtveli (Georgian: რთველი), the traditional vintage (the process of picking grapes and making … Continue reading
About Sights – Khudadov Forest in Tbilisi
Khudadov forest is located in Nadzaladevi District of Tbilisi and was created in 1893 on the initiative of Dr. Niko Khudadov, an ethnic Armenian and a member of Tbilisi Municipal Administration. The 40 hectare forest was officially opened in 1896 and was intended to be a recreational area for Tbilisi workers. The forest is populated with pine … Continue reading
About Travel – Tbilisi Airport (TBS)
Tbilisi Airport (Georgian: თბილისის აეროპორტი) is the main international airport in Georgia, located 17 km (11 mi) southeast of the capital Tbilisi. The airport is operated by the Turkish airport operator TAV Airport Holdings and hosts over 20 airlines. It is also a hub for national airline Georgian Airways. From Tbilisi, destinations across Europe, the CIS and … Continue reading
About Sights – Tbilisi Funicular Railway
The Tiflis Funicular railway was constructed to develop the uninhabited Mtatsminda plateau that overlooks the city and was opened on 27 March 1905. The railway carriage accommodated up to 50 people and the journey time was 6 minutes. Vaso Kvavilashvili, the first locomotive-driver of the Funicular recalls: “At first people feared that the rope might … Continue reading
About Tbilisi – A Smart City
In his blog, “Smart Cities for Dummies,” published last November, Dan Hoornweg contends: “At its core a smart city is a welcoming, inclusive city, an open city. By being forthright with citizens, with clear accountability, integrity, and fair and honest measures of progress, cities get smarter.” Tbilisi is fast becoming known as a smart city … Continue reading
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