We did overnight in one of the oldest settlements of Transcaucasia, Mtskheta, a town located at the confluence of the Kura and Aragvi rivers, just northwest of Tbilisi. Mtskheta was the capital of Georgia from the 2nd to the 5th century AD. We visited the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, the traditional burial place for the kings of Georgia, founded in the 4th century and reconstructed in the 15th and 18th centuries. And on a hilltop overlooking Mtskheta from the east, the Jvari Monastery, which is, to many Georgians, the holiest of holies places. It stands where King Mirian erected his famous wooden cross soon after being converted by St Nino in the 4th century. Between 585 and 604, Stepanoz I, the duke of Kartli, constructed the church over the cross. The site provides spectacular views over Mtskheta and the confluence of the Aragvi and Kura.
Parking location – Mtskheta: 41.843061N 44.723607E (🅿️ – 2 GEL / 24 hrs, 🚻 – 0,50 GEL)