Kartli

Shida Kartli is located in the central part of Georgia. The administrative center is the city of Gori, founded by David the Builder.

Due to the temperate continental climate

You can have a wonderful time here at any time of the year. The only thing to consider when planning a vacation in Georgia in winter is two things: a short daylight hours (it's better to leave early to get everything done), and a reduced 1-2-hour work schedule for museums. For example, Uplistsikhe Cave complex is open until 17.00 in winter and until 19.00 in summer. Otherwise, there are no obstacles to the trip – all the historical and architectural monuments that we explore in the summer are also available in the format of a winter trip around Georgia.

Gori is a small Georgian town in the Kartli Valley near the confluence of the Kura and Bolshoy Liakhvi rivers. It is considered one of the oldest cities in Georgia. But it's not that simple. Although archaeological materials indicate that there were urban-type settlements on the site of Gori as early as 3,000 years BC, the foundation of the city is associated with the reign of David the Builder at the beginning of the Xll century. Throughout its long history, the settlement has been captured many times by Persians, Turks, and Ossetians. It was only in the middle of the XVll century that Gori was finally liberated from the conquerors.

Gori received the official status of the city in 1801. And the name comes from a rock formation in the center of the city, on which the remains of ancient Goristsikhe are located.

In February 1920, a strong earthquake completely destroyed the city, all temples and houses collapsed, and the population was greatly reduced. In the 1930s, it began to be rebuilt almost from scratch. All the buildings in Gori are from the Soviet era.

Gori became world famous because it was the birthplace of Joseph Dzhugashvili, who led the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1953.

The State Museum of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin is located in his hometown of Gori. This is one of the most famous museums in Georgia, and tourists' interest in it is growing every year. The museum was opened in 1957 after Stalin's death. However, in the house where he was born, a memorial museum appeared back in 1937 during his lifetime.

The museum complex includes the memorial house where Stalin was born, the carriage in which he traveled, and a two-story exhibition hall.

Goristsikhe Fortress is located on a high hill in the center of Gori. In historical sources, the fortress was first mentioned in the 13th century. However, archaeological material proves that the first settlement on this territory was back in the 1st century BC. The fortress was located in a strategically important place. It was believed that the one who ruled the fortress controlled the whole of Shida Kartli. The western part of the building is best preserved. On the territory of the fortress you can see the ruins of a small church of the XI-XII century.

An ancient cave city of the 1st century BC is located 12 kilometers from the city of Gori.Uplistsikhe.

This rock-cut city is the oldest settlement in the Caucasus and a historical and architectural museum-reserve.The city's territory is about 9.5 hectares. Uplistsikhe means "God's fortress" in translation.

Here you can see streets and squares carved into the rock, pagan temples, palaces, ritual structures, decorated cave halls, bakeries, secret tunnels, as well as fragments of the oldest three—nave basilica - an elongated room bounded on one or both sides by a row of columns or pillars.  And in the central part of the city there is a medieval church.

10 kilometers from the city of Gori, in the Ateni Gorge, there is the most significant architectural monument of Georgia, the Ateni Sioni Monastery, located in the village of Ateni (10 km south of Gori).Built in the 7th century, the cross-domed temple repeats the shapes and architectural plan of the Mtskheta monastery of Jvari, but the proportions have been changed. It is currently an active church dedicated to the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The central place in the interior is occupied by the Face of the Virgin and beautiful frescoes of the Xl century.

The Samtavrisi Temple, a reference example of Georgian medieval architecture, has been erected in the Kaspi district in the village of Samtavisi of the same name. The inscription on the temple indicates that the monument was built in 1030.