Mostly from Narikala: Tbilisi, Georgia

Two weeks ago I spent the late afternoon climbing around Narikala, exploring the Old Town of Tibilisi. One of the most striking things about Tbilisi, and possibly much of the rest of the country, is the sheer number of churches. If you’ve been to Istanbul and experienced the ubiquity of mosques, you know the feeling.

There are churches everywhere. I dare you to count the churches you can see (in the “Tbilisi from Narikala” panorama). For me, I don’t feel particularly god-fearing being here, I don’t feel like I am betraying some religious rote with which I am unfamiliar. What I feel being here, looking at the city, walking through its veins, is a rich and deep history. Maybe it’s the churches, or maybe its something else (or just me).

But it is not misleading. In the treasury of the national museum, one of the first items displayed is a golden goblet, dated back to the 1800s, BC. And it is not the only thing dating so far back. In talking to some of my friends and colleagues, they can identify pieces of their culture: the way they act and think, that are the result of history dating back thousands of years.

I hope you enjoy this collection of Tbilisi photos, mostly taken from the Narikala, up on high.