Telavi

Telavi (თელავი in Georgian, Телави in Russian) is a 19,599 inhabitants town by the river Telavisrike in the foothills of Tsiv-Gombori Range, eastern part of Georgia. It's the capital and biggest town of the region of Kakheti. It’s one of the towns in Georgia with most medieval history and the perfect base for exploring Kakheti’s viticultural, historical and architectural riches.

 How do I arrive to Telavi?

  Telavi is well connected with other towns in Kakheti and in all Georgia. 

• Train: there is a train station 3 km far from the center of Telavi, but there has been no passenger traffic on the Kakheti Railway (Tbilisi-Gurdschaani-Telavi) for years.
• Bus: there are marshutkas from one of the three stations of Telavi to Tsinandali (every 30 minutes; aprox. 20 minutes), Alvani Monastery (every 20 minutes; aprox. 45 minutes), Kvareli (every 30 minutes; aprox. 1 hour 30 minutes), Sighnaghi (1-2 daily; aprox. 1 hour 30 minutes), Tbilisi (every hour; aprox. 1 hour 45 minutes), Lagodekhi (aprox. 1 hour 45 minutes) in Lagodekhi National Park, or Dedoplis Tskaro (aprox. 2 hours).
• Car: if you rented a car, from Telavi it can be reached Akhmeta (aprox. 30 minutes), Kvareli (aprox. 40 minutes), Gurjaani (aprox. 45 minutes), Duisi (aprox. 50 minutes) in Pankisi Gorge, Sighnaghi (aprox. 1 hours 15 minutes), Lagodekhi (aprox. 1 hour 20 minutes) in Lagodekhi National Park, Tbilisi (aprox. 1 hour 45 minutes), Rustavi (aprox. 1 hour 50 minutes), or Omalo (aprox. 4-5 hours) in Tusheti National Park.  
  

History

  The first archaeological findings from Telavi date back to the Bronze Age. One of the earliest surviving accounts of Telavi is from the 2nd century AD, mentioned with the name Teleda. Telavi began to transform into an important and large political and administrative center in the 8th century. From the 10th until the 12th century, Telavi served as the capital of the Kingdom of Kakheti and later Kingdom of Kakhet-Hereti. During the Golden Era of the Kingdom of Georgia (12th–13th centuries), Telavi turned into one of its most important political and economic centers. After the disintegration in the 15th century, Telavi started to decline but it regained its political importance in the 17th century when it became a capital of the kingdom of Kakheti and, by 1762, the second capital (after Tbilisi) of the Kingdom of Kartl-Kakheti. The reign of King Erekle II was a special epoch in the history of Telavi and the town grew into a strategic and cultural centre, changing fundamentally the political, economical and cultural orientation of Kartli-Kakheti. In 1801, after the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti was annexed by the Russian Empire, Telavi lost its status as a capital and given the status of an administrative center of an uyezd within the Tiflis Governorate. The town's population was about 12,000 in the end of the 19th century (with around 9,000 Armenians and 2,000 ethnic Georgians). Today the number of Armenians has decreased, but they are still a significant minority in Telavi.
 

What can I visit in Telavi?

  Telavi is widely considered as the most medieval town in Georgia, linked to the importance that it had during the kingdom of Kakheti. There are still picturesque streets such as Cholokashvili, .

These are Telavi's main attractions:

• Batonis Castle (10-18 Tue-Sun; 5₾/ free  adults/ kids): very well-preserved castle that was the residence of the kings of Kakhetia in the 17th and 18th centuries, only surviving royal palace in Georgia. It's placed in the the middle of Telavi. The castle complex has a renovated Persian style palace (modeled on Arg of Karim Khan in Shiraz, Iran) as one of its highlights, where king Erekle II was born and died. Some other very outstanding sights are its two small churches, the royal baths, its circular corner towers or the remains of the philosophical-theological school founded by Erekle II. It also hosts a museum that about history (specially focused in king Erekle II) and art, having archaeological and ethnographic exhibits, a nice fine arts gallery and military equipment.
• Great Chadar Tree: plane tree that is believed to be 900 years old. It's a good place to have some rest and see the cityscape that Telavi offers and Caucasus mountains on its back.
• Telavi Old Cementery: graveyard from the 19th century that hosts a Georgian and an Armenian cementery with their corresponding churches. 
• Ghvtismshoblis Georgian Orthodox Church: cross-in-square church from the 19th century. It's on the outskirts of Telavi and is currently functioning. Another nice church in town is St. Giorgi Georgian Orthodox Church, from where having good views of Telavi.
  
• Dzveli Shuamta Monastery: Georgian Orthodox monastery complex placed 5 km west of Telavi, abandoned in the 16th century and repaired by king Erekle II. It contains a dome-shaped basilica from the 5th century, similar to Jvari Monastery in Mtskheta. Here there are also other two churches from the 7th century. Next to it is located Akhali Shuamta Monastery, monastery founded by the wife of king Lewan II, with the name of New Shuamta, whose churches were repaired in by king Erekle II and keeps some frescoes on its walls.
  
• Just a few kilometers outside the town, in the village of Ikalto, there's Ikalto Monastery (9-18). This Georgian Orthodox monastery founded by St. Zenon in the late 6th century (one of the Thirteen Assyrian Fathers), is beautifully situated in a cypress grove. It was one of two famous medieval Georgian Neoplatonist academies (the other being Gelati Monastery, near Kutaisi), founded by Arsen Ikaltoeli (advisor to king David the Builder) where the national poet of Georgia, Shota Rustaveli, is thought to have studied. Its main church was built in the 8th and 9th
  centuries. The academy was located in the roofless building (set on fire by the Persians led by Shah Abbas I in 1616) along the south side and an 8th century stone wine press survives next to it.
  
• Driving 20 km north, very close to river Alazani, it can be visited Alaverdi Cathedral (8-18). The temple we can currently see was built in the beginning of the 11th century by king Kvirike III of Kakheti, when Georgia was entering its cultural and political golden age. On the things that call the attention the most is its height, since it's 55m tall (it remained the tallest church in Georgia for nearly 1000 years). Its exterior is classically proportioned, having with majestic rounded arches but almost no decoration. The church has a beautiful spacious harmony and is well lit, as well as sparsely decorated (a common feature of Kakheti monuments). The cathedral was originally built in 6th century by St. Ioseb of Alaverdi, one of the Thirteen Assyrian Fathers, and is surrounded by a fortified wall. Here it's also celebrated Alaverdoba (around 28th of September), a religious and folk celebration in Kakheti with its roots in a harvest festival. Alaverdi Cathedral is placed in UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List since 2007.
  

Alaverdi Monastery

Batonis Castle

House-Museum of Alexander Chavchavadze

The villages and amazing countryside of Kakheti are full of old castles, monasteries and churches, as well as fascinating wineries. A possible idea to explore the area is taking the road that connects Telavi with Gurjaani and then Sighnaghi. Only 9 km south it can be visited the House-Museum of Alexander Chavchavadze (10-18; 5₾/ 3₾  museum and gardens/ gardens), 19th century palace in Italianate style that was built by prince Alexander Chavchavadze (a Georgian poet, aristocrat and military figure that is regarded as the father of Georgian romanticism); it's one of the don’t-miss stop on any Kakheti tour. The tour in the palace takes the visitor to discover around 6 of the rooms of the palace and learn about the family story. Here many important characters of the history of the Russia have visited this place, such as Alexander Dumas or members of Romanov imperial family.

Gardens of the House-Museum of  
Alexander Chavchavadze

Outside, there's the beautiful English style garden (first of its kind in Georgia), mergin European symmetric and Georgian natural patterns, including exotic species (like ginkgo, sequoia and yucca). Moreover, the complex includes a wine cellar and factory from the 1830s, where trying different local wines (mainly the local white Tsinandali wine), that owns a collection of wines starting from 1814 (some of them are Polish Honey, 1814; Château d'Yquem, 1861; or Saperavi, 1841). Not very far from here it can be visited Akura Georgian Orthodox Church, a three-nave basilica from the 9th century that is dedicated to St. David Garejeli. The façades bear decorative aches and its interior has 14th-15th century frescoes and an iconostasis from the 16th century. It has some damaged inscriptions in medieval Georgian asomtavruli script dated to the 9th century.

Jvarpatsionis Church

Driving 30 km north towards Tusheti National Park, it can be a good idea stopping at Akhmeta (ახმეტა in Georgian), a town with 7,105 people where seeing the transition between Kakheti and Tusheti (being the capital of the municipality that covers all the national park). The town itsself doesn't have many things to do, but there are still some places where stopping such as Jvarpatsionis Georgian Orthodox Church (18th century small church linked to a local aristocratic family, the Cholokashvilis) or Erelaant Georgian Orthodox Church (church with origin in the 5th-6th centuries). Around it, there are some churches that are worth a visit. One of them is Matani Monastery, monastery complex whose main basilica was built in the 5th and 6th century in rectangular shape (there are two smaller churches from the 8th and 9th centuries)

Zemo Alvani Church

; the other one is Kvetera Georgian Orthodox Church, an early-10th century small church in cross-in-square style that doesn't have many ornaments on its façade, typical in Kakhetian churches. This latter church is located in the village of Kvetera, that used to be one of the centers of the Principality of Kakheti.. On the other side of river Alazani there's Zemo Alvani Georgian Orthodox Church, an 8th-9th century three-aisled basilica with frescoes in post-Byzantine style (comissioned by king Levan II) and a bell tower from the 17th century.

Views of the complex of Gremi

On the other side of river Alazani, but still close to Telavi, there are plenty of things to visit. One of the best choices to stop and learn more about the wine culture, history and traditions of Kakheti is the Museum of Qvevri and Qvevri Wine (9-19 Mon-Sat; 15₾/ 5₾  adults/ students).Then is Gremi (9-18 Tue-Sun), a former flourishing town that was the capital of Kakheti (1466-1672) and a lively trading town on the Silk Road. The west of the town was totally devastated by Shah Abbas in 1616, not recovering its past glory and losing its status of capital to Telavi in the 17th century. Within the citadel it can be found Mtavarangelozta Church, a Georgian Orthodox church built by king Levan of Kakheti in 1565 where he is buried and where finding frescoes from the 16th century too. Next to the church stands a tower-palace (3₾) from the 15th century, where there's a small museum that has artefacts from Greni and explains its history. It's part of UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List since 2007.

Nekresei Monastery

Next it can be found Nekresi Monastery, a Georgian Orthodox monastery founded by Abibos Nekreseli (one of the Thirteen Assyrian Fathers) in the 6th century. The complex of buildings includes a three-church basilica with 16th century frescoes comissioned by king Leon of Kakheti and a mortuary chapel, both dated to the 6th century; a centrally-planned church from the 8th or 9th centuries; as well as a bishop's palace (9th century), a refectory (12th century) or a 16th-century defensive tower. It provides excellent views of Alazani Valley too. There's a very peculiar place near the monastery: Nekresi Fire Temple, an archaeological complex that is identified as a Zoroastrian fire temple constructed in the 2nd-3rd centuries and destroyed in the 5th one. Close to the monastery it can also be found the Ruins of Chabukauri Basilica (remains of a large three-aisle basilica from the 4th-5th centuries, one of the earliest Christian church buildings in Georgia) and the Ruins of Dolochopi Basilica (remains of a 5th century triple basilica with many common features with Chabukauri Basilica, that was one of the largest in the Caucasus and neighboring regions of Eastern Christendom);

Ilia Chavchavadze State Museum in Kvareli

both temples have a design that combines Eastern Roman standards and affinities with early churches in Sasanian Iran. All these sights are located in a municipality whose capital is Kvareli (ყვარელი in Georgian), a town with 7,739 inhabitants that is known for being the birthplace of Ilia Chavchavadze. The visitor can learn more about this vital figure in Georgian history by visiting Ilia Chavchavadze State Museum in Kvareli (10-17; 2₾/ 1₾  adults/ students), museum that includes family castle and house, and exposition hall as well with poet’s manuscripts. The town has some interesting churches, remains of a former fortress and for those interested in numismatics, a good idea can be having a look at the National Bank of Georgia Money Museum (9-13 and 14-18 Mon-Fri; free). A very surprising church that can be visited near Kvareli is Dzveli Gavazi Georgian Orthodox Church, a church with a tetraconch with the dome positioned over the centre of the square, built between the 6th and 9th centuries.

Where can I eat in Telavi?

  Telavi has some of the best options to try local Georgian restaurants are Kapiloni (Barnovi 10), Mala's Garden (Rustaveli 4) or Bravo (Nadikvari 11). It has a nice bazaar too, full of fresh products from the villages of the area.

As the capital of the main wine-producing region in all Georgia, Telavi and its surroundings have an interesting scene of wineries such as Teliani Valley (Tbilisi Highway 3), the family wine cellar Rostomaant Marani (Guram Rcheulishvili 9 in Telavi), the winery Schuchmann (in Kisiskhevi), Twins Wine Cellar (in Napareuli), Shumi Winery [შუმი ღვინის კომპანია] (in Tsinandali) or Khareba Winery (in Kvareli).

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Ambrolauri

Ambrolauri (ამბროლაური in Georgian, Амбролаури in Russian) is a 2,047 inhabitants small town on both banks of river Rioni, in the northwestern part of Georgia. It's the biggest town and capital of the region of Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti. Although there aren't many things to do here, it's a good place to explore this part of the country.

 How do I arrive to Ambrolauri?

  Ambrolauri isn't quite well connected with other towns in Georgia.

• Bus: there are daily marshutkas from places like Kutaisi and Tbilisi.
• Car: if you rented a car, from Ambrolauri it can be reached Nikortsminda (aprox. 15 minutes), Oni (aprox. 30 minutes), Tsageri (aprox. 1 hour 10 minutes), Lentekhi (aprox. 1 hour 25 minutes), Kutaisi (aprox. 1 hour 30 minutes) or Chiatura (aprox. 2 hours 20 minutes).
  

History

  Ambrolauri is first recorded in the 17th century as a place, where one of the palaces of the kings of Imereti was located. In 1769, king Solomon I of Imereti granted Ambrolauri to a prince from the Machabeli family, Zurab (an in-law of the Tsulukidze, one of the leading families in Racha). After the Russian conquest of Imereti in 1810, Ambrolauri became a part of the Racha district and, in Soviet Georgia it became the seat of the Ambrolauri district in 1930. In 1934, Ambrolauri was renamed into Enukidze after the Soviet statesman Avel Yenukidze, between 1934 and 1937, when he was executed and the old name was restored. The town acquired the city status in 1966 and in 1968 it had a population of 4,400 people. The city was damaged in the 1991 Racha earthquake and, further, has experienced a decline in population and economic activity in the years of post-Soviet crisis. Ambrolauri became the seat of Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti regional administration in 1995.
 

What can I visit in Ambrolauri?

  Ambrolauri is a place that doesn't have much to do, but it's a nice place to explore the region of Racha-Lechkhumi and Zvemo Svaneti. 

These are Ambrolauri's main attractions and the ones that can be found in its surrounding area:

• Ambrolauri Museum of Fine Arts (10-17 Tue-Sun; 1₾/ 0.50₾  adults/ students and kids): museum established in 1965 which houses a collection of more thant 500 paintings and drawings by well-known Georgian artists of the 20th century, such as Lado Gudiashvili, Elene Akhvlediani, David Kakabadze, Ucha Japaridze, Koba Guruli, Avto Varazi, Levan Tsutskiridze, Natela Iankoshvili...
• Machabel Tower: 17th century tower that once served as watchtower and observatory of the former summer residence of the kings of Imereti in times of king Solomon I of Imereti.
• From Ambrolauri there are plenty of opportunities to hike, particulary on its north. The long, attractive, yet little-visited hike that is most recommended is Lechkhimi Range Route (47 km), a 2-3 days hike across Lechkhumi range by trails that were once used by shepherds and provide the chance to admire the impressive stone wall of Chutkharo massif or the picturesque Sairme Pillars.
  
• In case of going some kms south, one can find a nice church, Zemo Krihi Georgian Orthodox Church. This site is a 10th–11th century hall church with a projecting apse, adorned with stone carvings in its outer and inner walls, frescoes from the mid-11th century, and medieval Georgian inscriptions in asomtavruli and nuskhuri scripts. The church was almost completely destroyed in the Racha earthquake of 1991 and rebuilt in 2009. Another church in the area is Bugeuli Georgian Orhtodox Church, a 14th-15th century small single-nave church that keeps some fresco paintings.
  
• Driving a bit further into the south, 15 km from Ambrolauri, it can be found a monument that is placed in UNESCO World Heritage Tentative list, Nikortsminda Cathedral. This Georgian Orthodox church in cross-in-square style that was built in 1010-1014 during the reign of Bagrat III of Georgia and repaired by the King Bagrat III of Imereti in 1534. Its highlight are its massive dome and windows (decorated with ornamentated architraves) and the impressing frescoes inside the temple, from the 17th century, that reflect the mastery of the late-Medieval Georgian ecclesiastic art. Nikortsminda has one of the most beautiful decorations from all Georgian churches and cathedrals because several different styles can be seen among them, outstanding because of the richness of the selection of motifs and the manner of execution. Next to the cathedral a three-storied bell-tower was built in the second half of the 19th century. Close to this site is located Sakinule Cave, a natural cave full of stalactites, stalagmites, and columns.
• Just in the border between Racha and Imereti, the visitor can find the beautiful Shaori Reservoir, one of the most attractive places in Racha. The reservoir formed by the damming of Shaori river is surrounded by mixed deciduous trees provides an area with rich tourism potential. Various activities can be arranged here like fishing or hiking. It's the most stunning in autumn and spring. In this area some easy trails can be taken, such as Zeda Tlughi-Mount Satsalike Trail (20.6 km).
  

Frescoes in Nikortsminda Cathedral

Ambrolauri Museum of Fine Arts

 

 

 

 

Barakoni Church

Racha is a very nice ethnographical region that has places that are worth some time. Not far from Ambrolauri it can be visited Barakoni Georgian Orthodox Church, a domed cruciform church comissioned in 1753 by the eristavi Rostom of Racha to the architect Avtandil Shulavreli. It was adorned with rich ornamentation and is one of the last important monuments in the tradition of medieval Georgian architecture. Close to it are the Ruins of Mindatsikhe Fortress, that date back to the 11th century. A typical kind of red wine in Racha is name after it, Barakoni wine. Continuing east it can be found by river Rione the cultural capital of Racha, the town of Oni (ონი in Georgian) with its 2,656 inhabitants.

Oni Synagogue

This town with a small Ossetian community used to have a large community of Georgian Jews (most of them emigrated to Israel after the fall of the USSR) and that is the reason why here it can be found the magnificent Oni Synagogue, eclectic style synagogue built in 1895 that is the oldest functioning synagogue in Georgia. It was severely damaged during the 1991 Racha earthquake, restored 4 years later (although the number of Jews was only of 16 in 2015).  To learn a bit more about the history of the town, one can visit Oni Local Museum (10-17 Tue-Sun; 2₾/ 1₾  adults/ students and kids), a small museum with archaeological and religious items collection, together with ethnographic objects, manuscripts and paintings of Georgian 20th century well-known artists.

Udziro Lake

Apart from these two sites, Oni is popular among tourists attracted to its natural beauty and its remote setting. It's specially impressing Udziro Lake, from where having great views on the river Chanchakhi valley, Katitsveri Mountain and on the Caucasus Mountains, that can be reached if the visitor decides to take the round Udziro Lake Trail (18.9 km). Other possibilities of taking nice hikes are: Chiora-Notsara Valley Route (23.3 km), a great round-hike that isn't that difficult and offers great 360° views of surrounding mountains; Buba Glacier Trail (7.8 km), a trail that provides great views of the mountains and Buba Glacier; and Buba and Tbilisa Glaciers Route (31.6 km), a round hike that gets closer to Buba Glacier and to Tbilisa Glacier. But, without doubts, the best possible choice to enjoy the western Caucasus mountains in Georgia between Svaneti and Racha is taking Svaneti-Racha Trekking (56.3 km).

 

Mount Khvamli

The visitor may also want to explore the ethnographic region Lechkhumi. The cultural capital of this area is Tsageri (ცაგერი in Georgian), a small town with 1,320 people by river Tskhenistsqali. Here are the ruins of the medieval fortress of Muris-Tsikhe, that is attributed to be the place of exile and death of the theologian Maximus the Confessor. There still exits a monastery dedicated to him, Tsageri Monastery, that is the residence of the Georgian Orthodox bishop of Tsageri and Lentekhi. Here there are also many possibilities of enjoying nature, taking beautiful hikes such as Akhalchala Reserve Route (36.4 km), a nice route around Akhalchala Reserve, a reserve that is one of the last great secrets of the Georgian mountains. Just in the border with Imereti it can be enjoyed Mount Khvamli (2002 m high), a massif covered by mixed forests perforated by numerous sinkholes and caves and whose history is quite linked to cronicles in medieval Georgia. To get closer to this nature, it's advisable to take Tvishi-Mount Khvamli-Okureshi Route (28.3 km), a moderate 2-day hike that explores the mountain and Tekenteri Cave too. As for the highlights of Zvemo Svaneti they are mostly around its main town, Lentekhi (ლენტეხი in Georgian), 947 inhabitants. Here it can be enjoyed alpinism and there are some trails that are worth to be done. One of them is Lentekhi-Matskhvarishi Route (42.1 km), a 3-days difficult hike that connects Upper and Lower Svaneti

Where can I eat in Ambrolauri?

  Ambrolauri doesn't have many places to eat so it's better to try somewhere where locals may go or buying food at the supermarket.

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Posted in: Europe,Georgia

Chiatura

Chiatura (ჭიათურა in Georgian, Чиатура in Russian) is a 12,803 inhabitants town by the river Qvirila, in the western part of Georgia. It's the second biggest town of the region of Imereti, being one of the main extraction points of manganese in the Caucasus since the 19th century. Chiatura has recently become one of Georgia’s most popular offbeat destinations, mostly because of its Soviet atmosphere and its mining history. 

 How do I arrive to Chiatura?

  Chiatura is well connected with other towns in Georgia. 

• Train: there are trains that arrive to Chiatura from Kutaisi and from Tbilisi.
• Bus: there are daily marshutkas from places like Kutaisi (via Zestaponi), and Tbilisi.
• Car: if you rented a car, from Chiatura it can be reached Zestaponi (aprox. 50 minutes), Kutaisi (aprox. 1 hour 20 minutes), Surami and Khashuri (aprox. 1 hour 30 minutes), Gori (aprox. 1 hour 45 minutes), Vani (aprox. 1 hour 50 minutes), Borjomi (aprox. 2 hours) in Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, or Ambrolauri (aprox. 2 hours 20 minutes).
  

History

  The Georgian poet Akaki Tsereteli explored the area in search of manganese and iron ores, discovering deposits in the area in 1879. It was discovered that there are several layers of commercially exploitable manganese oxide, peroxide and carbonate, and the state set up the JSC Chiaturmanganese company to manage and exploit the huge deposit. The company developed a rail link to transport manganese ore to the ferro-alloy plant in Zestaphoni (operated today by Georgian Railways and fully electrified), and it was the largest manganese ore mining center in the world before WW1. During the 1905 Russian Revolution Chiatura was the only Bolshevik stronghold in mostly Menshevik Georgia, with 3,700 miners working 18 hours a day (sleeping in the mines and with no baths). Joseph Stalin persuaded them to back Bolshevism during a debate with the Mensheviks and the mine owners actually sheltered him (as Stalin destroyed mines whose owners refused to pay up). Miners went on a successful 55-day strike in 1913 (demanding an 8-hour day, higher wages and no more night work), supported by fellow strikers in Batumi and Poti. In 1924, the city was the starting point of the August Uprising in Georgia (last major rebellion against the rule of the Bolsheviks in the southern Caucasus). Chiatura is currently the seat of the Archbishop of Chiatura and in 1989 it reached the milestone of 30,000 inhabitants. Today the originally high-quality deposits are almost exhausted.
 

What can I visit in Chiatura?

  Chiatura is a place that doesn't have much to do, but it's a nice place to explore other sides of Georgia as a country.

These are Chiatura's main attractions:

• Chiatura Cable Car: network of rusty cable cars, originally built in the 1950s to transport workers to the manganese mines in the mountains of Chiatura (althogh even families not working in the mines needed the cars to reach their homes at the upper levels), that are today the main attraction in town. It provides great views of the Chiatura and at the top, there's an operational mine.
• Chiatura Drama Theater: theater founded in 1894, whose golden age were the 1920s and 1930s (staging plays by Shakespeare, Moliere, Lope de Vega, David Kldiashvili, Polycarp Kakabadze and others).
  
• Pioneers Palace: 20th century abandoned theater designed to mimic Greco-Roman amphitheaters at the top of one of Chiatura's cliffs, probably the most peculiar landmark here. Pioneers Palaces were youth centers in the former Soviet Union that were set up to help children develop acting, performance and other creative work, as well as political indoctrination. The visitor has to be careful because it seems to be deteriorating rapidly (although it's thought that the Georgian government plans to invest a lot of money to restore it).
• Chiatura Cross: cross located in one of the mountains of Chiatura, from where getting great views of the town.
  
• Mgvimevi Monastery: Georgian Orthodox monastery that is partly carved into rock that is known because of its rich ornamental sculptures that decorate the exterior of the buildings. Its main feature is a 13th century two-nave basilica whose walls are neatly hewn stone slabs, with a painted 18th century wooden iconostasis and fragments of frescoes (including portraits of the 13th century builder, Ravi eristavi of Racha). It housed several precious church items that are now preserved at the Georgian National Museum. The complex also includes a small hall church, bell-tower, and a circuit wall (today it's a functioning nunnery).
  
• Only 11 km far from Chiatura it can be visited the impressing Katskhi Pillar. This natural 40 m high limestone monolith (similar to the sandstone pillars of Zhangjiajie, China) has some in its top some church ruins (corresponding to a medieval hermitage from the 9th-10th century) and a new church, even though the top isn't accessible to the public. The visit will consist in stopping at some viewpoints along the way and then looking at the pillar from the bottom. There's a monastery in its bottom that can be explored too.
  

Chiatura Cable Car

Katskhi Pillar

Darkveti Church

Chiatura is a good starting point to explore the north and northeastern part of Imereti, where it can be visited places such as Darkveti Georgian Orthodox Church. Only 9 km far from Chiatura, this single-nave basilica with an ambulatory with armonious proportions and carved masonry ornamentation on the exterior façades, has its origin in the 10th and 11th centuries. The interior is whitewashed (and therefore, has no trace of painting) but its façades bear carved ornamentations (resembling those of the Savane Georgian Orthodox Church), like a slab with a relief representation of a peacock. Another of its façades bears a number of medieval Georgian inscriptions mentioning the builders of the church. Not far is also located St. Giorgi Georgian Orthodox Church in Koreti, single-nave basilica from the 11th century that keeps some frescoes in its interior (mainly in the alter, in other places they are very damaged) and some old inscriptions in Georgian. There's a cementery next to it too.

Modinakhe Castle

Continuing 14 km from Chiatura there's the town of Sachkhere (საჩხერე in Georgian), 6,140 people, in the northern edge of Imereti (not far from the de facto Republic of South Ossetia). In this town focused in farming the visitor may want to stop at Modinakhe Castle, a fortress built in the 1730s by Papuna Tsereteli (feudal lord of Upper Imereti withing the Kingdom of Imereti). It lost its importance and was abandoned when the Russian army took it over (being further damaged by the 1991 earthquake). Despite its dire condition, it still makes a great impression on the visitor because there are beautiful views of the river, as well as Imereti and Racha mountains (and it was renovated in 2019). Old tombs from the Bronze Age and the Antiquity have been found here too. Next to Sachkhere it can be found some other worthy sights, one of them being Savane Georgian Orthodox Church.

Savane Church

This single-nave basilica from the 11th century has harmonious proportions, an ornamented iconostasis, and exquisite decorative masonry details on the exterior façades. They are all richly ornamented, having carved, notched cornices, window and door frames adorned with carving of Georgian interlaced work, and carved tympani (as well as having several inscriptions too, speaking about the origin of the church). The interior of the Savane church is whitewashed (there is no trace of paintings) but has an impressing iconostasisis. . Another one is Ekhevi Georgian Orthodox Church, 11th century single-nave basilica known for the rich carved masonry ornamentation on the exterior façades (specially the tympani of the north and west doors as well as the window frames). The barrel-vaulted roof of the interior of the church is supported on three arches. Close to this church there's another one: Speti Georgian Orthodox Church, a small 11th century single-nave hall church, whose main apse is similar to that at Ekhvevi Church and has its interior covered with barrel vaulting.

Ekhevi Church

Its most recognizable feature is a medieval ornate iconostasis made of alabaster and stucco (savekept at the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi). In the north of Sachkhere are located the Ruins of Jruchi Monastery, ruined monastery founded in the 10th or 11th century, remodeled and rebuilt several times (lastly in 1846), that was almost completely destroyed in the 1991 Racha earthquake (there are plans for its resconstruction). It's placed in the frontier between the regions of Imereti and Racha, dispute between these two duchies over the centuries. It housed many treasured church items (including two illuminated manuscripts of the Gospel books, known as Jruchi I and Jruchi II).

Where can I eat in Chiatura?

  Chiatura doesn't have many places to eat so it's better to try somewhere where locals may go or buying food at the supermarket.

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Posted in: Europe,Georgia