Rock halls
Ceilings like timber beams.
Moreau.henri — CC BY-SA 4.0 · EvgenyGenkin — CC BY-SA 3.0 · shankar s. from Dubai, united arab emirates — CC BY 2.0 · Jonathan Cardy — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Interfase — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marcin Konsek — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jonathan Cardy — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Interfase — CC BY-SA 4.0
An ancient rock-hewn town in eastern Georgia, about ten kilometres east of Gori, on the high left bank of the Mtkvari river; its name means «the lord's fortress». It is one of the oldest urban settlements in Georgia, blending rock-cut styles from Anatolia and Iran, with pagan and Christian buildings side by side. The earliest traces of people here date to the end of the second millennium BC, and the oldest surviving structures to the start of the first millennium AD, when it was a major political and religious centre of the kingdom of Kartli. It declined after Christianity arrived in the fourth century, rose again as a key stronghold in the eighth to tenth centuries, and was all but abandoned after the Mongol raids of the fourteenth century. The town covers about eight hectares, with lanes and carved steps branching from a main street to halls, houses and stores. Highlights include a ceremonial hall with a Roman-style arch, a pillared hall, and ceilings carved to imitate wooden beams. At the summit stands a stone-and-brick church from the ninth to tenth century, and a tunnel once led down to the river. Tickets are about 15 GEL per visitor guides; the site opens daily except Monday from 10 am to 5 pm, per the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation. The rock is slippery and uneven, so wear good shoes, and there is almost no shade, so bring a hat and water. It is about an hour and a half by car from Tbilisi.
Ceilings like timber beams.
From the 9th to 10th century.
The Mtkvari valley.
Left bank of the Mtkvari, about ten kilometres east of Gori, Shida Kartli
By car or on a tour from Tbilisi, about an hour and a half away; tours often combine it with the nearby town of Gori.