Kakheti
Kakheti ( is a historical province in Eastern Georgia inhabited by Kakhetians who speak a local dialect of Georgian. It is bordered by the small mountainous province of Tusheti and the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north, Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and the Georgian province of Kartli to the west. Kakheti is geographically divided into the Inner Kakheti to the east of Tsiv-Gombori mountain range and the Outer Kakheti to the west of it. The major river of the eastern part is Alazani, while that of the western part is the Iori.
Telavi is the main city and administrative center of Georgia's eastern province of Kakheti. Its population consists of some 21,800 inhabitants (as of the year 2002). The city is located on foot-hills of Tsiv-Gombori Range at 500-800 meters above the sea level. The landscape of Telavi is scenic. The city is wrapped in picturesque landscapes from all sides. Telavi faces the Tsiv-Gombori Range to the south and south-west and borders on the Alazani Valley to the north and east. The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range, which runs to the north of the Alazani Valley, can be seen from most of Telavi. Because of its beauty, historical monuments and most importantly, the hospitality and the reputation for kindness of its residents, the city is a popular tourist destination in Georgia.
Tsinandali is a village in Kakheti, Georgia, noted for the estate and its historic winery which once belonged to the 19th-century aristocratic poet Alexander Chavchavadze (1786–1846). It is situated in the district of Telavi, 179 km east of Tbilisi. Alexander Chavchavadze inherited this village, lying in the Alazani River vally, from his father, Prince Garsevan. He refurbished the estate, constructed a new Italianate palace and built a decorative garden in 1835. It was the place where Chavchavadze frequently entertained foreign guests with music, wit, and – most especially – the fine vintages made at his estate winery (marani). Familiar with European ways, Chavchavadze built Georgia’s oldest and largest winery where he combined European and centuries-long Georgian winemaking traditions. The highly regarded dry white Tsinandali is still produced there. After David Chavchavadze’s death, due to the failure to pay the debt to the Russian Public Bank, the estate passed to the property of the Imperial family. The Tsinandali garden was renovated in 1887 and passed to the state n 1917. In 1947, the estate was organized into a museum.
Alaverdi Monastery is a Georgian Orthodox monastery located 25 km from Akhmeta, in the Kakheti region of Eastern Georgia. Parts of the monastery date back to 6th century. The present day cathedral dates to the 11th century. The monastery was founded by the Assyrian monk Joseph (Yoseb, Amba) Alaverdeli, who came from Antioch and settled in Alaverdi, then a small village and former pagan religious center dedicated to the Moon. At the beginning of the 11th century, Kakhetian King Kvirike the Great built a cathedral, today known as Alaverdi Cathedral, in the place of a small church of St. George. At a height of over 55 meters, Alaverdi Cathedral is the second tallest religious building in Georgia, after the recently consecrated Tbilisi Sameba Cathedral. It is the focus of the annual religious celebration Alaverdoba.
The Monastery of St. Nino at Bodbe is a Georgian Orthodox monastic complex and the seat of the Bishops of Bodbe located 2 km from the town of Sighnaghi, Kakheti, Georgia. Originally built in the 9th century, it has been significantly remodeled, especially in the 17th century. The monastery now functions as a nunnery and is one of the major pilgrimage sites in Georgia, due to its association with St. Nino, the 4th-century female evangelist of Georgians, whose relics are shrined there.
David Gareja is a rock-hewn Georgian Orthodox monastery complex located in the Kakheti region of Eastern Georgia, on the half-desert slopes of Mount Gareja, some 60–70 km southeast of Georgia's capital Tbilisi. The complex includes hundreds of cells, churches, chapels, refectories and living quarters hollowed out of the rock face.
Gremi was the capital of the Kingdom of Kakheti in the 16th and 17th centuries. Founded by Levan of Kakheti, it functioned as a lively trading town on the Silk Road and royal residence until being razed to the ground by the armies of Shah Abbas I of Persia in 1615. The town never regained its past prosperity and the kings of Kakheti transferred their capital to Telavi in the mid-17th century. The town appears to have occupied the area of approximately 40 hectares and to have been composed of three principal parts – the Archangels’ Church complex, the royal residence and the commercial neighborhood. Systematic archaeological studies of the area guided by A. Mamulashvili and P. Zak’araia were carried out in 1939-1949 and 1963-1967, respectively. Since 2007, the monuments of Gremi have been proposed for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Lagodekhi Reserve is the oldest nature reserve in the Caucasus region, established in 1912 on the southern side of the Greater Caucasus ridge in eastern Georgia. The area covers a wide range of elevations and landscapes, from primary deciduous mountain forest dominated by Chestnut and Oriental Beach, to spectacular alpine lakes and tundra. This is an isolated plot of the west– Caucasian type humid mountain landscape in the eastern Caucasus.
Nekresi , historic town in Kakheti, Georgia, in modern day Kvareli Municipality, near the village Shilda. The town was established by king Pharnajom (around 2nd-1st centuries BC). In 4th century AD, king Thrdat built a church in this place. This church became a refuge to one of the Assyrian fathers, Abibus, in the late 6th century. Around this time Nekresi Episcopality was established, which existed until 19th century.
Two of the most important and most beautiful architectural monuments of Kakheti are the Dzveli ("old")and Akhali ("new" ) Shuamta Monasteries. Both of them stand in a forest of deciduous trees which makes them look even more fascinating. The architectural ensemble Dzveli Suamta is situated 7km NW of Telavi. Its consists of a 5th century basilica, one of the most curious examples of Christian Georgian architecture; a 17th-century domed church of a type close to the Mtskheta Jvari Church. but of a smaller size (whith a smaller depth of the apses and bemas an increased significance of the dome drume and a more pronounced design of the trompes); a small 7th-century domed church which is also of a cross design in plan, but without corner rooms and bemas and with equal axes. The church were built of cobblestones; the corner were faced with hewn stones. In the 16th century Zveli Shuamta Monastery was abandoned. Not far from it a new, Akhali Shuamta Monastery was built by Tinatin Gurieli, the wife of King Levan II (1520-1574). The Church had a dome and was designed in the form of a cross in plan. It was built of brick; the inner walls were decorated with paintings and some of the portraits of the founders have been preserved. The Church was restored by Irakli II. The complex includes also a bell-tower and some minor buildings. A Chavchavadze was buried here.
Sighnaghi (Signagi) is a town in Georgia's easternmost region of Kakheti and the administrative center of the Sighnaghi District. It is one of the country's smallest towns with a population of 2,146 as of the 2002 census.[2] Sighnaghi's economy is dominated by production of wine and traditional carpets. The town and its environs are also known for their landscapes and historical monuments. Sighnaghi has recently undergone a fundamental reconstruction program and has become an important centre of Georgia's tourist industry. Sighnaghi and its environs are home to several historical and cultural monuments and has been specifically protected by the State since 1975. The town is walled with the remnants of 18th-century fortifications. There are two Georgian Orthodox churches in the town itself - one dedicated to St. George and the other to St. Stephen. The venerated Bodbe Monastery is located 2 kilometers from Sighnaghi and is a place of pilgrimage due to its association with St. Nino, the 4th-century apostle of Georgia. The local Ethnographic and Archaeological Museum dating from the 1950s was upgraded and developed into a modern-standard exhibition - the Sighnaghi Museum - in 2007
