Sights of Georgia in Shida Kartli-kvakhvreli cave complex.
Kvakhvreli cave complex-scientists suggest that it was founded in BC. There is no exact data on this score. For a long time it was a fortress of pagans who opposed Christian Mtskheta. In our time it includes a church and bell tower
Visit the cave city of qvakhvreli in the region of
The cave town of kvakhvreli is located in the Georgian region of Shida Kartli (translated as: Shida Georgia) on the eastern side of the village of kvakhvreli.
On the other side of the river Mtkvari (Mtkvari) is the old fortress city Uplistsikhe. This architectural monument belongs to the period from the 7th to the 9th centuries. In antiquity, an agricultural suburb called Uplistsikhe was located there.
Architecture of the complex
The kvakhvreli complex is carved high above the rock, it includes a church carved in depth, several corridors, a bell tower and a parking lot. In the upper part, at the entrance to the complex, there is a bell tower, in The Shape of an irregular rectangle. It was built much later from large pieces of stones. The entrance is located on the north side and is a large arch. There are rectangular windows on opposite walls. The structure itself is quite low, inside the shape is cylindrical, and the dome and roof outwardly resemble a cone. There is an oval hole on top of the dome's flat roof.
From the eastern wall of the bell tower, a dark corridor leads directly to kvirtskhoveli church. Kviratskhoveli cathedral has a semicircular APSE on the eastern side of the building. The altar of the church is located one step above the floor, and, perhaps, it was previously protected by an iconostasis. The church has two large rectangular doors through which the sun penetrates and illuminates the Hall. One door on the north side, the other on the East. Later, Armenians carved 17 khachkars on the walls of the cave. (Khachkar is a large cross with an intricate ornament, an Armenian symbol of the Middle Ages, which is still found throughout Armenia).
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History of the place
Sights of Georgia They have a centuries-old history, sometimes so long that it is very difficult to reliably find out the very first settlements and the timing of their appearance. Many scientists suggest that the cave city may have been founded around 1000 BC. But we can say for sure that it was completely abandoned by the 19th century. The territory of the location of the ancient settlement was very profitable: on the trade route from the shores of the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea, which confirms the fact of the life of settlements on these lands long before our era. Over time, the Aborigines made their lives more comfortable and safer in these parts and settled in caves.
Local legend says that slaves carved these caves and deepened them to gain freedom. The name Uplistsikhe means "fortress of God"or" fortress of the Lord".
For many years kvakhvreli was a refuge for pagans who fought with Christian Mtskheta. Afterwards Mtskheta won. After changing religion in this place, the new government demolished the temple of the sun on top (since the time of the Iberian Kingdom) and founded a Christian temple. Another attraction on the territory of the complex is the Uplistsikhe church, built in the 10th century by the Abkhazians who attacked the city.
Archaeologists began excavations in ancient Uplistsikhe in 1957. During all this time, they dug only 150 caves, although, most likely, there are more than 600 of them, since historians agree that about 20,000 people lived in the city at the time of grace.
How to get
The kvakhvreli complex is located one and a half or two hours drive from Tbilisi. Dirt road cars leads to caves. On the way, travelers can see the most beautiful places of Georgia and enjoy it to the fullest. Kvakhvreli is located near the municipal city of Gori, and a tour of the cave complex can be supplemented with a visit to the city where Stalin was born.
On our portal you can find out even more information about what to see during your next trip to Georgia!
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