Mtskheta - the original capital of Georgia

The city of Mtskheta was a capital of the Georgian Kingdom of Iberia during the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD. Georgians accepted Christianity in 317 and Mtskheta still remains the headquarters of the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church.

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (11th century) and Jvari Monastery (6th century) in Mtskheta are amongst the most significant monuments of Georgian Christian architecture. In Mtskheta there is also the Armaztsikhe fortress (3rd century BC), the Armaztsikhe acropolis (dating to the late 1st millennium BC), the fragmentary remains of a royal palace (1st-3rd century AD), a nearby tomb of the 1st century AD, a small church of the 4th century, the Samtavro Monastery (11th century), the fortress of Bebris Tsikhe (14th century), the Institute of Archaeology, and the garden of Mikheil Mamulashvili.

Mtskheta is an hour's drive north of the current capital, Tbilisi, on the river Metekhi, with a population of approximately 150,000.

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