Georgia is distinguished by its rich historical past, which is evidenced by about 10 thousand different archaeological, architectural and historical monuments. Acquaintance with the sights of Georgia should begin with its capital – Tbilisi (until 1936 the city was known as Tiflis). According to Ethnicityology, the city is very ancient, and in 1958 the 1500th anniversary of Tbilisi was celebrated on a grand scale. The name of the capital of Georgia comes from the word “tbili”, which means “warm” in translation. The area around Tbilisi is famous for the abundance of warm springs with sulfurous water, which gave the city its name. Today Tbilisi is the largest city of Georgia, where its economic, cultural and scientific potential is concentrated. There are a significant number of the country’s largest industrial enterprises, about 200 research institutions, including the Academy of Sciences, many universities, theaters and various historical monuments. Tbilisi is very picturesque. It surprisingly combines the features of antiquity and modern civilization – next to the multi-storey large houses you can see ancient temples of the 6th-7th centuries. Impressive are the wide streets of the city, beautiful bridges thrown over the wayward Kura, an abundance of green gardens, parks and squares. The “Holy Mountain” Mtatsminda proudly rises above the capital, on top of which you can see a television tower and the building of the funicular station. The ancient monuments of the city are also very interesting – the Metekhi temple, built in the 13th century, a monument dedicated to King Vakhtang Gorgasal, who founded Tbilisi. Not far from the Georgian capital there is a unique cave complex of ancient monasteries, known as David Gareja. The monument is unique in that when it is here, right inside the rocks, 20 monasteries were carved, the premises of which stretched for a length of about 25 kilometers. No less interesting is the city of Mtskheta, located at the confluence of the Kura and Aragva rivers. Mtskheta is an ancient city revered by Georgians, because it was once the capital of the East Georgian kingdom. Today, Mtskheta is a huge open-air museum, because here you can see an unimaginable number of various archaeological and architectural monuments of the early and late Middle Ages. The grandiose Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, built in the 11th century by the architect Arsukidze, is also impressive. Even despite the fact that the temple was repeatedly rebuilt, it continues to be majestic and very beautiful. Another large city of Georgia is Kutaisi, located on the Colchis lowland, in the valley of the famous river Rioni. The first written mention of Kutaisi dates back to the 6th century BC. Today Kutaisi is the largest cultural and industrial center of Georgia after Tbilisi. Here you can also see the ruins of the Bagrat temple, built in the 11th century. Not far from Kutaisi is the famous Satapli Nature Reserve, which is a unique natural monument. Here, in 1925, a huge karst cave was discovered, inside which there is an underground river and amazingly beautiful stalactites. The so-called Dinosaur Plateau has also been preserved here, where you can see traces of ancient giant reptiles. Experts say that there are only three places in the CIS where traces of dinosaurs have been preserved – the Sataply Reserve, the Hodzha-pil tract in Turkmenistan and the Ravat Gorge in Tajikistan. The city of Poti is also very interesting, which was known in ancient times, because there were once settlements of ancient Greek colonists. Today Poti is one of the three main seaports in Georgia. Another ancient and very interesting city of Georgia is Batumi. There are a significant number of interesting sights that are definitely worth seeing – “singing fountains”, a seaside park, a dolphinarium, a unique Botanical Garden, in which about 5,000 species of subtropical plants are cultivated. Not far from Batumi is Kobuleti – one of the best resorts in the Caucasus, famous for its healing mineral waters.
National cuisine of Georgia
Georgian cuisine is an integral part of the national color of the country. The cuisine of Georgia is very original, because it mixed the traditions of many nationalities, which formed the Georgian nation. Contrary to popular belief, the basis of Georgian cuisine is not meat dishes, but various vegetable and dairy products. Be sure to use fresh vegetables, a variety of herbs and original seasonings. Bread is used quite widely in Georgian cuisine – in different regions of Georgia they bake “shoti” and “puri” bread, they also cook unleavened cakes “mchadi” from corn flour, variations of “khachapuri” pies are also very popular, which are also used as a second dish.. Among the meat dishes from Georgian cuisine, you should definitely try the mtsvadi shish kebab. The Georgian variety of dumplings, called “khinkali”, is also very tasty. which is prepared from lamb, richly seasoned with spices and herbs. It is also worth trying smoked sausages “kupaty”, stewed lamb “buglama”, a hot liver dish called “kuchmachi”. Among the meat dishes of Georgian cuisine worthy of note are fried beef “basturma”, soup with giblets and garlic “khashi”, soup “muzhuzhi”, something similar to aspic. Bird dishes are also very common in Georgia, especially the famous Satsivi and Chakhokhbili. The soup of chicken meat and nuts, stuffed chicken, “chikhirtma” is also very tasty. Fish dishes are also popular in Georgia – kebabs, fried trout with nuts, fish with “tsotskhali” seasoning. Greens play a very important role in Georgian cuisine, without which it is impossible to imagine a single dish. This is the jonjoli delicacy, a variety of vegetable pickles marinades, various sauces and seasonings, the famous beans with spices – “lobio”, the recipes for which there are more than four hundred. Dairy dishes, especially cheeses, also occupy a very large place in Georgian cuisine. An unthinkable number of varieties of cheese are made in Georgia, among which the most famous are Suluguni, Gadazelili, Guda. Cheeses are an indispensable component of many Georgian dishes, including the famous khachapuri pies.
