Tour Guide, Tbilisi, Georgia
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The Great Caucasus – The Highest Mountain Range in Europe
Stretching for about 1200 km between the Black and the Caspian seas the Caucasus Mountain system is considered a natural boundary between Europe and Asia. This is where you find summits over 5000 m, including Mt. Elbrus (5642 m) – the highest in Europe. Georgia has three peaks over 5000 m – Mt. Shkhara (5068 m), Mt. Janga (5059 m) and Mt. Kazbegi (5047 m) where according to the Greek myth Prometheus was chained
Ushguli – Europe’s Highest Village
At 2200 m, Ushguli is the highest settlement in Europe. The village of about 200 people is located in Upper Svaneti region, at the foot of Mt. Shkhara (5068m) – one of the highest summits of the Caucasus. Dotted with medieval Svanetian watchtowers Ushguli is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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A Silk Road Country
With its favourable geographic location, Georgia has always been a connecting link between Europe and Asia, traversed by many routes including the famous Silk Road. This most important pre-modern trade road linking China with the West diverged into northern and southern routes, the northern one passing through Georgia. The traces of ancient caravans are still visible near Uplistsikhe cave town.
Cradle of Wine
When it comes to wine-making, Georgia is blessed. Grapevine has been cultivated in the fertile valleys of Georgia for about 8000 years. With over 500 varieties of endemic grapes and the worlds first cultivate grapevines, the traditions of viticulture are entwined with the country’s national identity. It is also believed that the word “wine” is of Georgian origin (“gvino” in Georgian). 8,000-year-old wine unearthed in Georgia: Scientists have discovered the world’s oldest wine – a vintage produced 8,000 years ago. The find pushes back the history of wine by several hundred years. New discoveries show how Neolithic man was busy making red wine in Shulaveri (Georgia). Although no liquid wine from the period has survived, scientists have now found and tested wine residues discovered on the inner surfaces of 8,000-year-old ceramic storage jars. – The Independent, 2003.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Ancient Capital of Georgia – Mtskheta:
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral – 11th century
Jvari Church – 6th century
The Town of Kutaisi
Gelati Monastery – 12th century
Bagrati Cathedral – 11th century
Upper Svaneti
Homeland of the First European
This 1.7-million-year-old skull found during Dmanisi archaeological excavations is the oldest evidence of human habitation in Europe. It proves that there is an almost one-million-year gap between Dmanisi and any European early-human site, making Georgia the homeland of the FIRST European.
This is the face that’s changing a thousand minds. It could be the face of the first human to leave Africa. And it’s not what anyone expected. This 1.75-million-year-old pioneer, found beneath the ruins of a medieval town called Dmanisi in the Republic of Georgia, had a tiny brain – not nearly the size scientists thought our ancestors needed to migrate into a new land. And its huge canine teeth and thin brow look too apelike for an advanced hominid, the group that includes modern humans and their ancestors. Along with other fossils and tools found at the site, this skull reopens so many questions about our ancestry that one scientist muttered: “They ought to put it back in the ground.” – National Geographic Magazine