Uplistsikhe; the city carved in rock, Georgia

The City Carved in Rock (Uplistsikhe) is in Gori, an hour and a half from Georgia's capital, Tbilisi. It's an archeological find, circa 4th century BC, that unearths a temple town made of rock. There are various rock-cut, or cave, constructions, such as temples, streets, drains, a drugstore, a theatre, wine storage room, bakery, and numerous shops.

On top of the rock city currently sits a Christian church called Uplistsuli (Lord's Son). Apparently it replaced a pagan temple,in the second half of the 10th century BC. The church has been destroyed and restored more than once. In the 12th-13th centuries the stone church was completely repaired, and in the 17th century it was newly rebuilt out of brick.

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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