Uplistsikhe — the cave city

2-min read

Uplistsikhe — “the lord’s fortress” — is a whole town carved into a sandstone ridge above the Mtkvari: streets, halls, wine cellars and a theatre with a carved ceiling, dating back to well before Christianity reached Georgia.

It began as a centre of pagan sun worship nearly three thousand years ago, thrived on Silk Road trade, and only emptied in the middle ages. Walking its smooth rock lanes, you are literally following grooves worn by cartwheels and feet over millennia.

🎒 The rock plateau is exposed and shadeless — hat, sunscreen and water for the midday visit.