Handpicked experience · Tblisi
Tblisi, Georgia
A carved hand holding a chisel and asking mercy for its owner, royal graves set into a church floor, and a mosque where Sunni and Shia have shared one hall since the 1950s.
Two UNESCO-listed monuments and a capital's old quarter in one day
A sixth-century church on high ground north of the capital
A cathedral that crowned and buried a monarchy
A short enough drive that neither half feels rushed
An eight-hour day covering the Georgian capital and the old royal city half an hour north of it: a walk through the historic quarter of Tbilisi, then a drive to Mtskheta for the cathedral and the hilltop church above the rivers.
Two halves with a short drive between them. The city portion is walking on cobbles and slopes; the Mtskheta portion is two monuments and the ground around them. Eight hours is enough to do both without hurrying, provided the day starts on time.
High on the north facade of the cathedral at Mtskheta is a carved forearm holding a mason's chisel, with an inscription asking mercy for the hand of the man who built it. The story attached is that the architect's right hand was cut off on the king's order so that he could never build anything to equal it. Whether the mutilation happened is unknown; the carving and the inscription are unambiguously there, put up by someone who wanted the claim remembered.
The same cathedral was the coronation and burial church of the Georgian monarchy for something close to a thousand years. Royal graves are set into the floor of the nave, marked and walked over, and the last king of a united Georgia lies among them. It is a working church rather than a mausoleum, so the tombs are simply part of the surface you cross to reach the altar.
In the bath quarter of Tbilisi stands a mosque that is, as far as anyone can establish, unique: Sunni and Shia congregations pray in the same hall, without a partition between them. The arrangement dates from the 1950s, when the city's Shia mosque was demolished during road works and the two communities were obliged to share. What began as an imposition has held for seventy years.
Transport between the two towns, the guide and hotel pickup where selected are what the day covers. Entry to individual monuments, and all food, are settled separately. Shoulders and knees must be covered at every church, and women are handed a scarf at the door. Cancellation is free up to a day ahead.
Open it to pick a date and work out the price.
What the fare covers, and what to budget for separately.
The practical detail, and the answers people actually ask for.
Roughly in half — a walking portion in the capital's historic quarter, then a short drive north for the cathedral and the hilltop church. Eight hours covers both at a reasonable pace.
A forearm holding a mason's chisel, with an inscription asking mercy for the hand of the man who built the church. Tradition says the architect's right hand was cut off by royal order so he could never equal it.
Nobody knows. What is certain is that the relief and its inscription were deliberately placed on the facade by someone who wanted the accusation preserved.
Yes. The cathedral served as the coronation and burial church of the Georgian monarchy for close to a thousand years, and royal tombs are set into the nave floor, marked and walked across.
Sunni and Shia congregations use the same prayer hall with no partition, which is thought to be unique. It dates from the 1950s, when the city's Shia mosque was demolished for road works.
No — entry to individual monuments is settled separately, as are meals. Transport between the towns, the guide and hotel pickup where selected are covered.
Shoulders and knees covered at every church. Women are given a headscarf at the door, and comfortable shoes matter for the cobbled sections in the capital.