About Food – Bazhe Sauce

Bazhe is a Georgian sauce made with walnuts, garlic and spices. In this recipe we show how to make Bazhe sauce with chicken. Ingredients (serves 2): 2 marinaded chicken breasts. A recipe for a typical marinade can be found here. Marinade the chicken and leave covered in a refrigerator for at least 12 hours. Ingredients for sauce: 400 … Continue reading →

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About History – The ‘Spirit Wrestlers’ of Georgia

The Doukhobors (Russian: Духоборы) living in the Ninotsminda District of Samtskhe-Javaheti region of Georgia are a religious community exiled from Russia in the mid-19th century. The word Doukhobor means ‘spirit wrestler’ in Russian. Considered to be heretics by the Orthodox Church in Russia for their rejection of church ritual many Doukhobors chose exile in the Caucasus region … Continue reading →

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About Celebrations – Restoration of Bagrati Church

The restoration of Bagrati Church (Georgian: ბაგრატი; ბაგრატის ტაძარი) in the city of Kutaisi was completed in August this year. Named after Bagrat III, the first king of a unified Georgia, this early 11th century church is seen as a symbol of the unity of the Georgian state. Devastated by an explosion during an invasion of the Kingdom of Imereti by … Continue reading →

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About Sights – Khertvisi Fortress

Khertvisi fortress (Georgian: ხერთვისის ციხე) is situated in the Meskheti region of southern Georgia. Its strategic location guards the road connecting the towns of Akhalkalaki and Akhaltsikhe. A fortification was first built on the site in the 2nd century BC but was reputedly destroyed by Alexander the Great. The present fortress dates from the fourteenth century. … Continue reading →

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About History – The Yerevan Square “expropriation”

An audacious and bloody robbery, involving Joseph Stalin, took place in Tiflis (old name for Tbilisi) in 1907. Organized by the Bolsheviks, it netted the equivalent of 4 million US dollars in today’s money. In April 1907 leading Bolsheviks, including Lenin and Stalin, met in Berlin to discuss a robbery to obtain funds for their revolutionary activities. … Continue reading →

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About Food – Mtskheturi Gvezeli

In this recipe we will show how to make a popular Georgian dish called Mtskheturi Gvezeli (Georgian: მცხეთური ღვეზელი). It can be filled with meat (beef or a pork/beef mix), potato, mushrooms or cheese. We have made the meat (pork/beef mix) version. Ingredients (around 10 servings): Dough – 1 kilo of flour (800 grams for the dough and 200 … Continue reading →

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About History – The Photography of Dmitri Ermakov

Dmitri Ivanovich Ermakov was born in Tiflis (the old name for Tbilisi) in Georgia in 1846. After graduating from the military topographic academy in Ananuri he opened his own photographic studio in Tiflis and by the end of the 1870s he was a renowned photographer, winning awards in many exhibitions in Moscow, Italy, Turkey and … Continue reading →

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About Sights – Prometheus Cave

Discovered in Imereti region in 1984, Prometheus Cave is one of Georgia’s natural wonders providing visitors with breathtaking examples of stalactites, stalagmites, curtains, petrified waterfalls, cave pearls, underground rivers, and lakes. Khvamli Mountain is visible from Prometheus Cave and is the place where legend says that Prometheus was chained. The 1060 meter walking route through the … Continue reading →

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About History – Three days in a balloon

On 22 January, 1927, Georgian ballooning enthusiast Vladimir Garakanidze set off from Moscow in a homemade balloon. His intention was to fly to the town of Gorky. It was not a long journey and Vladimir expected to arrive before nightfall. The balloon did not have a gondola. Dressed in an army greatcoat and boots to … Continue reading →

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About Achievements – A Golden Age of Architecture

Georgia has a rich architectural heritage of ancient cave cities, medieval castles and towers, churches and monasteries, monuments and much more. Georgia is also blessed with stunning examples of contemporary architecture. This post is dedicated to some of the beautiful structures that can be found in Georgia’s cities and towns. Click on a picture to see … Continue reading →

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About Architecture – Tbilisi Prosecutors Office

Situated on the outskirts of the city center and close to the Tbilisi Court building the Tbilisi Prosecutor’s Office is the first project from a small team called ‘Architects of Invention’. This stunning structure consists of a stark black frame with overhanging volumes that are suspended in the air. The choice of materials and the form have been … Continue reading →

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About Georgian Chacha

Chacha (Georgian: ჭაჭა) is a strong spirit made of the grape residue (pomace) left after making wine.  Chacha is often made at home in a mini still. By the American definition, it qualifies as “moonshine” but unlike the production of “moonshine” in the United States, distilling chacha is not illegal in Georgia and many families continue the tradition. To most … Continue reading →

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About Achievements – “Smiling Georgia”

In August 2012 a program called “Smiling Georgia” started bringing dental care to areas of the country that do not have dental clinics. Dentists are now able to travel to villages and provide a full range of dental care from fully equipped mobile dental treatment buses. The service is free to people over the age … Continue reading →

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About News – Our other blog wins UK Travel Blog Award

The author of Georgia About also writes another blog about Georgia. Called Bassa’s Blog it describes life in Tbilisi through the eyes of a Caucasian Shepherd Dog called Bassa. We are delighted to announce that Top U.K. travel company, MyTravelMoney.co.uk, has named Bassa’s Blog as a Bronze Award Winner in its 2012 Top 5 Funniest Travel Blogs Awards. Acknowledged … Continue reading →

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About History – Photographs of Vittorio Sella

In 1889-1896 the famous mountain-climber and pioneer of photography, Count Vittorio Sella made a number of climbs in the Caucasus Mountains in the Svaneti region of Georgia. Over his lifetime, Sella photographed many of the major mountain ranges all over the world and his pictures were exhibited by the Royal Geographical Society. In his earliest climbs … Continue reading →

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About Development – Tbilisi Public Service Hall

The largest public service hall in Georgia officially opened in Tbilisi on 21 September 2012.  Designed by the Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas it is a stunning example of contemporary architecture in Georgia. The concept of the Public Service Hall is a Georgian innovation that has attracted much interest from other countries and Public Service Award from the United … Continue reading →

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