The coldest region of Georgia: Akhalkalaki is a small town with a great history!
Akhalkalaki is the coldest city in Georgia, whose history dates back to the time of the legendary Noah. The city where traditional ideas about Georgia are broken. Here you will forget about the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy the purest mountain air while visiting the religious monuments of the region.
Walk through the historical city of Akhalkalaki⬇️
Akhalkalaki is a small town with a very rich history that dates back to the time of Noah. It is located in the south of the country and reveals it from a completely different, unusual side for us.
History
Once it was a small area located at an altitude of 1700 meters above sea level. But since 1064, it has received the official status of a city. For many years, during the battles, these fertile lands were transferred to one or another people. This continued until the Ottoman Empire captured Akhalkalaki in the XVI century.
Currently, the majority of the population of the Javakheti region are Armenians. This has led to the fact that many villages here have double names.
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Geographical features
The purest air, meadows and mountains. This area is the northernmost and coldest in Georgia. The climate here is very different from other regions of the country.
In the nineties of the XX century, a difficult period came for Javakheti. Infrastructure and economy collapsed, local residents froze, they had nothing to warm their homes in the cold winter months, and they had to cut down century-old rare trees to heat the furnaces. Now the district is coming out of a difficult situation and is thriving.
Main sights
The centuries-old history of this area is rich in events. There are many attractions here, but they all bear traces of desolation and dilapidation. But even in this form, all these buildings are filled with special energy, they seem to store everything that happened here once. This is especially acutely felt during walks around the town of Akhalkalaki. Here you can see such cultural monuments as:
- Surb Khach Vicar Church;
- Monuments to Archbishops Karapet Bagratuni and Mesrop Mashtots;
- Old Turkish Mosque;
- Fortress walls of the XI century;
- Vank Chapel;
- Akhalkalaki fortress, which at one time was one of the strongest fortresses.
- Khas Park is a favorite place of tourists and locals. Rare species of plants and shrubs grow here. It has a very rich history.
Religious sites
It is better to start your journey through the religious monuments of the region with the Armenian church of the XIX century Surb-Hach, which has a centuries-old history. Then you can visit the Kumurdo Cathedral, located ten kilometers from the center, the Orthodox museum of Nikolai Pachuashvili, the Church of the Archangel Michael and the Sapara Monastery.
All these places are beautiful and unique in their own way and each of them has its own history. There is peace and tranquility here. It is here that you can plunge into the atmosphere of old Georgia, learn a lot of interesting things, take a break from the everyday hustle and bustle and relax.
Roads to Akhalkalaki
Previously, the journey from the capital of Georgia to the city of Akhalkalaki took a very long time. In 2010, a short highway was put into operation, and after the opening of the railway, in 2017, the area ceased to be isolated, became more accessible to tourists.
On the way, you can look at several interesting places:
- Atskuri Fortress in Borjomi;
- The Cave city of Vardzia;
- Citadel of Hertvisi;
- Surami Fortress;
- Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park.
- For those who are looking for solitude or want to see unusual Georgia, a trip to Akhalkalaki will bring true pleasure. Here you can see a mixture of different cultures, times and peoples, where each ancient building silently tells its own story.
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