Tbilisi, Georgia: an ancient city

Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, is more than 1,500 years old. The population of Georgia is 4.5 million, with 1.5 million residents in the capital.

The city's name means warm sea - due to its warm thermal healing waters. Currently the weather is warm and humid with temperatures between 29-31 Celsius with still days and sultry nights.

Mtkvari, the longest river in Georgia (starting in Turkey and ending in the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan, divides Tbilisi in half - with the Left Bank showcasing churches, cathedrals and the President's Palace; and the Right Bank being the hub of the city. The opera house, the art gallery, the national museum, the city hall, and the sulfur baths lie on the Right Bank beneath the mountain range.

From the 4th century, travellers on the Silk Road have enjoyed the baths, and traded in jewellery, leather, silk and weaponry. Tbilisi can also be divided in two architecturally - with Asian and European structures. The Old Town has a traditional Georgian aspect with Middle Eastern influences such as elaborate carvings, balconies, watchtowers, narrow winding lanes and cobblestone streets. In the newer parts of the city (built mainly in the 19th century) there is a distinct European and Russian look with straighter, wider streets and Art Nouveau architecture.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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