Gremi in Georgia: on the Silk Road with the Kings of Kakheti

East of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia – about 175 kilometres away – in Kvareli district is Gremi, the former capital of Kakheti Region.

Kakheti is a wine region, and Gremi, was the capital in the 16th and 17th centuries when it was on the Silk Road, the trade route with the Middle East. Levan of Kakheti (1520-1574) founded the town as a trading place with its own royal residence from 1565 to 1577. The armies of Shah Abbas I of Persia destroyed the town in 1615. It never recovered and the capital city was moved to Telavi nearby in the mid-17th century.

Now the complex of Gremi is the remains of the capital. It has a royal citadel, the Church of Archangels, and a commercial neighbourhood – in total about 40 hectares. From 2007 the Gremi complex was proposed for listing as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The small Gremi museum is on flat ground where visitors can view archaeological artefacts and read the history of the town.

The Church of Archangels is on a small hill – with steps leading to the church. With it is the three-story castle, a bell tower, and a wine cellar. The stone church has ancient frescos, many still quite visible. In the bell tower is another small museum with armour, and large paintings of Levan and other kings of Kakheti. However, these are modern – painted by Levan Chogoshvili in 1985.

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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