Since ancient times, people and ideas have traveled along the Georgian Military Road, a route that was once utilized by traders and conquerors.
You will be met by verdant valleys dotted with bubbling rivers, mountains covered with wildflowers, and charming villages situated on the edge of cliffs as your car makes its way across the Georgian Military Road, a 210-kilometer highway that winds through Georgia's Caucasus Mountains. Occasionally, Georgian Orthodox churches with exquisite barrel domes may be seen in the distance, and abandoned bus station walls are decorated with rows of vibrant Soviet mosaics. While passing by the glistening blue Aragvi River at one halt, a grin-wearing vendor starts singing while offering me a dish of Georgian dumplings.
The fact that so few tourists travel to this region of Georgia is amusing. However, it is a favorite and the most beautiful spot on Earth, according to Mirian Takvarelia, a driver for Go Trip Georgia, a Georgian ride-hailing service that provides taxi rentals for multi-day domestic travel. "You need to come here only once to fall in love with the Caucasus."
In other nations, sixteen years might not mean much, but in Georgia, a South Caucasian nation, it signifies the end of the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, which lasted five days and left the Georgian Military Road in ruins. The road, which links Tbilisi with the Russian town of Vladikavkaz, is the only direct overland route connecting Georgia with the Russian Federation. Georgia was a part of the Soviet Union from 1921 to 1991.
But the history of conflict in the country is far longer. Due to its advantageous location between Europe and Asia, Georgia has historically been a target of rivalry between the Romans, Persians, Ottomans, and Russians. An old road that connected the two continents was located in Georgia and ran across the Caucasus Mountains. In order to transport troops between empires and conduct attacks, the Porta Caucasia road was essential.
Following the Treaty of Georgievsk in the 18th century, the Russians turned Porta Caucasia into a contemporary military route, earning it the moniker Georgian Military Road. The Russo-Circassian War, the Murid War, and the Caucasian War were among the numerous Russian military offensives in the 18th and 19th centuries that relied heavily on this route.
' Not many tourists visit this part of Georgia. But it is the most beautiful place on Earth – Mirian Takvarelia'
Aside from its military past, Porta Caucasia had a significant role on the Great Silk Road, which connected China to the Mediterranean. While ancient authors like Strabo and Pliny the Elder waxed poetic about the road's natural splendor, caravans carrying silk, spices, and jewelry passed by. In the Caucasus region, it is still a very busy route that transports anything from inexpensive electronics to aromatic Armenian flowers.
Conflict has frequently eclipsed the rich cultural legacy of the surrounding area, which has served as a transit route for people and ideas since antiquity. "[Georgian Military Road] is full of art and architecture and represents the beautiful historical heritage of the country. Every tour company in Georgia is now incorporating the Military Road into their basic packages for foreign tourists so that people can experience the region's cultural richness.
You can plan your route from Tbilisi in the south to Stepantsminda in the north, making stops at isolated monasteries, mosaics from the Soviet era, eateries that serve plates of khinkali, Georgia's enormous dumplings, and verdant valleys peppered with abandoned medieval strongholds.
The starting point is Mtskheta, a historic city that has been home to the Georgian Orthodox Church since the fourth century. Situated at the meeting point of the Kura and Aragvi rivers, Mtskheta was a sacred capital city and a major Silk Road commerce station. Arriving here in AD 337, Saint Nino went on to convert Georgia to Christianity.
Three churches—the Jvari Monastery, the Samtavro Monastery, and the enormous Svetitstkhoveli Cathedral complex—can be found in Mtskheta, which is now a Unesco World Heritage Site. The graves of King Mirian, Georgia's first Christian monarch, and his queen Nana are located in the Samtavro Monastery complex, while the Svetitstkhoveli Cathedral is thought to have the robe of Jesus Christ that a Georgian brought to Mtskheta.
The rich murals, vibrant religious imagery, and exquisitely carved stone reliefs at the 11th-century cathedral complex are to be seen to be believed. The garden's collection of antique quevri wine pots recalls the time when the cathedral produced and kept its own wine in these subterranean earthen containers. This takes you back to a period when Silk Road caravans would have stopped in this old city for food, relaxation, and trade around Mtskheta's historic center, where traders sell everything from enameled jewelry and traditional rugs to fragrant spices and wine ice cream.
However, the small sixth-century Jvari Monastery is the most recognizable monument in the Mtskheta Unesco ensemble. One of the rare remaining specimens of early medieval Georgian church construction, with elaborate bas-reliefs and inscriptions in Asomtavruli (old Georgian script), this structure is perched on a rock with a view of the rivers. One of the most revered pilgrimage destinations in the Caucasus, the church was constructed on the location of the first wooden cross that was placed here in the fourth century to symbolize the spread of Christianity in Georgia.
The majority of the mosaics along the Georgian Military Road were created in the latter part of the 20th century and were intended to disseminate cultural and political ideas across Soviet territory. However, following the fall of the USSR in 1991, the art rapidly collapsed. The majority of Georgia's mosaics from the Soviet era are now either in ruins or have been completely destroyed.
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Every inch of the road leading to Tsiskari is lined with vibrant mosaic panels that portray Georgian celebrations and folk life on approaching the camp. The most famous panel depicts children wearing fine Young Pioneer uniforms, bringing life to the otherwise dreary summer camp by picking flowers and playing drums.
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