Uplistsikhe (literally, "the lord's fortress") is an ancient rock-hewn town in eastern Georgia, some 10 kilometers east of the town of Gori, Shida Kartli. Built on a high rocky left bank of the Mtkvari River, it contains various structures dating from the 26th century BC to the Late Middle Ages, and is notable for the unique combination of various styles of rock-cut cultures from Anatolia and Iran, as well as the co-existence of pagan and Christian architecture.[1] Uplistsikhe is identified by archaeologists as one of the oldest urban settlements in Georgia. Strategically located in the heartland of ancient kingdom of Kartli (or Iberia as it was known to the Classical authors), it emerged as a major political and religious center of the country. The town's age and importance led medieval Georgian written tradition to ascribe its foundation to the mythical Uplos, son of Mtskhetos, and grandson of Kartlos.[2] With the Christianization of Kartli early in the 4th century, Uplistsikhe seems to have declined in its importance and lost its position to the new centers of Christian culture -- Mtskheta and, later Tbilisi. However, Uplistsikhe reemerged as a principal Georgian stronghold during the Muslim conquest of Tbilisi in the 8th and 9th century. The Mongol raids in the 14th century marked the ultimate eclipse of the town; it was virtually abandoned, and only occasionally used as a temporary shelter in times of foreign intrusions.[2] The Uplistsikhe complex can tentatively be divided into three parts: south (lower), middle (central) and north (upper) covering an area of approximately 8 hectares. The middle part is the largest, contains a bulk of the Uplistsikhe rock-cut structures, and is connected to the southern part via a narrow rock-cut pass and a tunnel. Narrow alleys and sometimes staircases radiate from the central "street" to the different structures.[3] The majority of the caves are devoid of any decorations, although some of the larger structures have coffered tunnel-vaulted ceilings, with the stone carved in imitation of logs. Some of the larger structures also have niches in the back or sides, which may have been used for ceremonial purposes. At the summit of the complex is a Christian basilica built of stone and brick in the 9th-10th centuries Archaeological excavations have discovered numerous artifacts of different periods, including gold, silver and bronze jewellery, and samples of ceramics and sculptures. Many of these artifacts are in the safekeeping of the National Museum in Tbilisi. Several parts of the most vulnerable areas were completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1920. The stability of the monument still remains under a under substantial threat, prompting the Fund of Cultural Heritage of Georgia (a joint project of the World Bank and Government of Georgia) to launch a limited program of conservation in 2000. Uplistsiche ist eine Festungs- und Höhlenstadt in Georgien. Sie liegt in der Verwaltungsregion Schida Kartli, zehn Kilometer entfernt von Gori, auf einem Felsplateau am Fluss Kura. Das Kulturdenkmal wurde von Georgien 1993 für die Liste des UNESCO-Welterbes angemeldet. Bereits in der Bronzezeit siedelten Menschen auf dem Plateau. Die Festungsstadt wurde im 6. Jahrhundert v. Chr. gegründet, entwickelte sich zu einem Handelszentrum an der Seidenstraße mit rund 5.000 Einwohnern. Im 1. Jahrhundert wurde sie erstmals urkundlich erwähnt. Versuche, Uplistsiche zu erobern, schlugen immer wieder fehl. Erst im 13. Jahrhundert gelang es dem Mongolenherrscher Ugedai Khan die Stadt einzunehmen und zu zerstören. Uplistsiche verfügte über mächtige Festungsanlagen. Auf dem höchsten Punkt erhebt sich die Fürstenkirche aus dem 10. Jahrhundert, deren inneres mit Fresken bemalt ist. Das größte Gebäude der Anlage ist Tamaris Darbasi, eine große Felsenhalle mit zwei gewaltigen Säulen. Die Wohnhäuser sind aus dem weichen Fels geschlagen, hatten Säulen und gewölbte Dächer. Es gab ein Amphitheater, eine Apotheke, eine Bäckerei, Lagerhäuser, ein Gefängnis und einen Markt. Archäologen entdeckten heidnische Andachtsstellen, an denen Tiere geopfert wurden. Uplistiche besaß eine Kanalisation aus Abflussrinnen und Wasserkanälen. Ein in die Felswand gegrabener Tunnel, der ursprünglich der Wasserversorgung der Einwohner diente, ist heute der Zugang zum Plateau. Seit 2004 wird Uplistsiche mit Mitteln eines Kulturerbe-Projekts der Weltbank und der georgischen Regierung restauriert. In einzelne Gebäude wurden zur statischen Sicherheit Betonpfeiler eingezogen. VALPARD FILMS http://valpardfilms.awardspace.com/

We take a look at Georgia's newest Borjomi Kharagauli National Park! Also check out Tbilisi (the capital and largest city), Mtskheta (the oldest city), Mountain Regions, and Cave Towns (Georgia, Uplistsikhe, David Gareja and Vardzia)...

Gori is a city in eastern Georgia, which serves as the regional capital of Shida Kartli and the centre of the homonymous administrative district. As of 2002, it had a population of 49,500. Gori is well known for being the birthplace of Joseph Stalin. Gori is located 76 kilometers west of Georgia's capital Tbilisi, at the confluence of the rivers Mtkvari and Greater Liakhvi, 588 meters above sea level. The climate is transitional from moderately warm steppe to moderately humid. Summer is usually hot. The average annual temperature is 10.9°C, minimal in January (-1.2°C) and maximal in August (22.5°C). The maximum precipitation falls in May (76mm) and minimum in August (34 mm) and January (30 mm). The territory of Gori has been populated since the early Bronze Age. According to the medieval Georgian chronicles, the town of Gori was founded by King David IV (r. 1089-1125) who settled there the refugees from Armenia. However, the fortress of Gori (Goris-Tsikhe), appears to have been in use already in the 7th century, and archaeological evidence indicates to the existence of an urban community in the Classical Antiquity. In 1299-3, Gori was captured by the Alan tribesmen fleeing the Mongol conquest of their original homeland in the North Caucasus. The Georgian king George V recovered the town in 1320, pushing the Alans back over the Caucasus mountains. With the downfall of the medieval Georgian kingdom, Gori -- strategically located on the crossroad of major transit routes -- was frequently targeted by foreign invaders and changed its masters on several occasions. It was first taken and sacked by Uzun Hassan of the Ak Koyunlu in 1477, followed by Tahmasp I of Persia in the mid-16th century. By the end of that century, Gori passed to the Ottomans and became their major outpost in Georgia until being recovered by the Georgians under Simon I of Kartli after heavy fighting in 1599. The town was once again garrisoned by the Persians under Shah Abbas I in 1614. In 1615, Gori was annexed by Georgia from the Russian Empire. Following the successive occupations by the Ottomans (1723-35) and Persians (1735-40s), Gori returned to the Georgian control under the kings Teimuraz II and Erekle II whose efforts helped advance economy and culture in the town. Following the Russian annexation of Georgia, Gori was granted the status of a town within the Tiflis Governorate in 1801. It grew in size and population throughout the 19th century, but was destroyed in the 1920 earthquake. An important industrial center during the Soviet Union, Gori suffered from an economic collapse and the outflow of population during the years of a post-Soviet crisis of the 1990s. Gori is located in the proximity to the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone. It is connected to breakaway South Ossetia's capital Tskhinvali via a railroad spur which has been defunct since the early 1990s. In the 2000s, Georgia has increased military infrastructure in and around the city. Thus, the Central Military Hospital was relocated from Tbilisi to Gori and reequipped in October 2006.[1] On January 18, 2008, Georgia's second NATO-standard military base was inaugurated at Gori. It is to accommodate the 1st Infantry Brigade of the Georgian Ground Forces.[2] On August 9, 2008, Gori was attacked by Russian jets as part of the 2008 War in South Ossetia. Georgia reported 60 civilans dead as a result of bombings of residential buildings.[3] Skynews reported that bombs hit a Georgian military facility (including a munitions warehouse) and civilian apartments were hit by exploding munitions from that warehouse. Gori was reportedly overrun by Russian forces on August 11.[4] Gori and its environs house several notable cultural and historical landmarks. Although for many foreigners Gori is principally known as Joseph Stalin's birthplace, in Georgian historical memory the city has long been associated with its citadel, the Goris-Tsikhe, which is built on a cliffy hill overlooking the central part of the modern city. On another hill, stands the 18th-century St. George's church of Gorijvari, a popular place of pilgrimage. The ancient rock-hewn town of Uplistsikhe and the 7th-century Ateni Sioni Church are located not far from Gori. Stalin's association with the city is emphasized by the Joseph Stalin Museum in downtown Gori and the Stalin monument in front of the City Hall, one of the few such monuments to survive Khrushchev's de-Stalinization program. The monument was a source of controversy in a newly independent Georgia in the 1990s, but the post-Communist government acceded to the Gori citizens' request and left the statue untouched.(wikipedia) VALPARD FILMS http://valpardfilms.awardspace.com/