Mtskheta, Georgia: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Mtskheta is one of the oldest cities in Georgia, and was once its capital. It is about 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of the capital Tbilisi.

The city was settled around 3000 to 2000 BC. It was the capital of the Georgian Kingdom of Iberia from the 3rd century BC until the 5th century AD. At the beginning of the 6th century, King Dachi I Ujarmeli moved the capital from Mtskheta to Tbilisi in accordance with his father’s will.

Mtskheta is on the confluence of two rivers: the Mtkvari River and the Aragvi River. The Mtkvari River, generally called Kvari, runs into Tbilisi.

The city of Mtskheta is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. The Georgian Orthodox Church called Mtskheta the Holy City in 2014. There are two monasteries in Mtskheta: the Svetitskhoveli Monastery and the Jvari Monastery.

MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), 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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