Just a little over 1.5 hours outside Tbilisi (heading westwards) is the town of Gori. It makes a nice day-trip and gives you a chance to get a taste of real post-Soviet life, as well as to see the IDP settlements, a fallout from the August 2008 War, on the way. Our two top visits on this day trip are the Stalin Museum (Gori is the birth town of the renowned soviet leader) and the cave city of Uplistsikhe. Check them out with the other sight-to-see, below!
THE JOSEPH STALIN MUSEUM
You can’t say you’ve explored Georgia until you’ve taken a brief step into the darker side of its history. The Stalin Museum includes the memorial house where Joseph Stalin was born in 1878 and spent his first four years, a six-hall museum building dedicated to Stalin in 1957, and Stalin’s personal train carriage- the very one he used to visit Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam. Check out Stalin’s personal belongings and a collection of paintings, photos, films and documentary material related to the Soviet leader. Be sure not to miss the eerie Death Mask, one of 12 copies made after his death in 1953. The museum is seen by many as an inappropriate shrine-like setting for a man who saw to the deaths of so many. Whatever feeling you are left with, it is a must-see stop on your visit to Georgia.
ADDRESS: Joseph Stalin Ave., Gori
TEL: (+995) 599 48 97 87
OPEN 10AM – 6PM
UPLITSIKHE
Uplistsikhe ("the lord's fortress") is an ancient rock-hewn town around 10 km east of Gori center .
Built on a high rocky bank of the River Mtkvari, it contains various structures dating from the Early Iron Age to the Late Middle Ages. Once housing 20,000 people, it is notable for the combination of various styles of rock-cut cultures from Anatolia and Iran, as well as the co-existence of pagan and Christian architecture.
The way is well-marked and the tickets cost just 3 GEL (less for children, students and the elderly). Follow the well renovated footpath and then head up the sandstone cliff and explore your heart out. Not much (if anything) has been done to conserve the place, so it is degrading over time. Yet there is still a sense of grandeur in the 'throne room' and the ceiling carvings in two of the caves is a real treat, as is the church atop the rocks. If you've got kids with you, keep a close eye on them as safety barriers come at a minimum here. Stunning views over surrounding countryside. Warning: it can get windy, so dress warmly. Tip: try to find the steps down rather than following the easier route you took on the way up. This dark, hand-carved tunnel (with metal steps constructed over the original stone version) makes a brilliant end to your trip back in time!
ADDRESS: Uplitsikhe
OPEN: 11 AM to 6 PM (but times can change depending on the season/weather!)
GORI FORTRESS
This one is easy to spot on it's mount in downtown Gori. Archeological excavations showed that the first fortified settlement here dates to IV-III cc BC. Gori fortress was first mentioned in the XII centuryand was considered a strategic holding point in the Middle Ages, the control of meant control over the whole province of Shida Kartli. It was renovated many times, the final cobblestone look given in 1774 when it was renewed by Erekle II
Mostly ruinous now, the western part –Tskhrakara- is better preserved. Interesting features are the arch gate in the southern wall and, on the south-east side of the fortress, the ruins of a small church. The fortress once had a tunnel for bringing water and a water pool for times of seige.
SERGI MAKALATIA GORI HISTORICAL & ETHNOGRAPHICAL MUSEUM
Worth a visit to see its archaeological collection from local sites dating back to the IV-III centuries B.C., including ceramic family seals, and a collection of weapons, coins (XVIII-XIX cc.), Georgian and Karabagh carpets, textiles, and golden thread embroidery for religious clothing. Branches: Alexander Javakhishvili House museum (village Dzevera), Niko Lomouri House Museum (village Arbo).
ADDRESS: 12, Kirion II Str., Gori
TEL: (+995 370) 7 28 67, 2 73 67
ATENI SIONI CHURCH
An early 7th-century Georgian Orthodox church in the village of Ateni, 10 km south of Gori, this church stands out in a setting of the Tana River valley known not only for its historical monuments but also for its pivturesque landscapes and wine. The name ‘Sioni’ derives from mount Zion in Jerusalem.
Sioni is an early example of a ‘four-apse church with four niches’ domed tetra conch. The church facades are faced with carved rectangular greenish-gray stones, richly decorated with ornaments and figurative reliefs. The church is not dated but is a very similar in design to the Jvari Monastery at Mtskheta.
The walls of the church contain the earliest known inscriptions in Nuskhuri, one of the early Georgian alphabet and date to the 980s. Near the church there are the ruins of the medieval fortified town of Ateni.