Tbilisi streets,
|
Georgia
Tbilisi streetsVisited: February 2006 and several times before More pictures of Tbilisi streets:
SearchSearch pages at Traveladventures.org Go directly to:Travel picturesYou can travel the world using images - select your preferred language below:  |  |  |  |  |  MailinglistIf you want to be updated regularly about new stories and pictures: Google EarthClick your way around Georgia with pictures (needs Google Earth software) Visual GeographyAdvertiseIt is possible to advertise on this travel site. Travel advertisers, ask for more information! SurveyIs there a difference between a traveler and a tourist? View Results Related search: |
Tbilisi is an old city, both according to legend and according to history. According to legend, King Gorgasali was hunting in this neighbourhood in the 5th century, and that his prey either fell into the hot springs and was subsequently cooked, or miraculously healed. Whatever version of the legend you want to believe, fact is that "tbili" means "warm", and the first settlers were probably to this site because of the presence of hot springs, that still exist to this day. Historically, Tbilisi was already used as a node in the trade network linking Europe and Asia in Greek and Roman times, and was also on the Silk Road - it is named for instance by Marco Polo.
The city had good and bad times, and almost always had foreign inhabitants: at times, not more than one in four inhabitants of the city were actually Georgian - the rest being mainly Armenian and Russian. The Russians widened the streets in the 19th century, but also left their mark on the city by massacring Georgians in 1989 when the Soviet regime was challenged. Nowadays, the city seems to be returning to normalcy, and walking around the friendly streets of this city is a pleasure. Even without a fixed plan, you come across houses with hanging balconies, houses in a bad state of repair where you can still appreciate a former beauty like seeing an old lady with the traits of a once beautiful girl.
Tbilisi nowadays is a quite large city. Its old city centre or Maidan, however, still retains much of its charm. Centred around Gorgasalis Moedani, or Gorgasalis Square, you can find an Armenian church, a synagogue, a mosque, and the hot baths. But apart from these, and other, sights, the main draw of the Maidan or old city streets of Tbilisi is just observing, marvelling at houses with a typical architecture, people going about their daily routines, discovering small, deserted squares with sometimes great views over Narikala fortress, the statue of Kartlis Deda, and arriving at the banks of Mtkvari river.
