The cave city of Uplistsikhe in Georgia (and the Joseph Stalin Museum)

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The cave town of Uplistsikhe in Georgia is a fascinating place. High up on a cliff, just next to the Mtkvari River, there are carved rooms in the rock, where people lived from the early Iron Age to the late Middle Ages.

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The cave city of Uplistsikhe in Georgia

Uplistsikhe literally means "Fortress of the Lord", and at one time around 20,000 people lived in this cave city. The complex is not (yet) a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it is on the tentative list, which means it is included as a proposal.

The cave town of Uplistsikhe is located in eastern Georgia, about ten kilometres east of the city of Gori and about 77 kilometres northwest of the capital Tbilisi.

The cave city of Uplistsikhe - one of the oldest settlements in Georgia

The cave city of Uplistsikhe is considered to be one of the oldest urban settlements in Georgia. Located in the heart of the ancient kingdom of Kartli, the city served as a political and religious centre of the country in its time.

The earliest traces of human presence in Uplistsikhe date back to 2000 BC. The structures found in the area date from the first millennium AD and later.

When the kingdom of Kartli was Christianised in the 3rd century, it lost importance to new Christian centres such as Mtscheta and later Tbilisi. However, Uplistsikhe continued to develop as a city and the first Christian church was built in the 6th century.

During the Muslim conquest of Tbilisi in the 8th to 11th centuries, Uplistsikhe once again became an important stronghold, and a new stone and brick church was built, which now sits on top.

It was the Mongol raids of the 14th century that marked the beginning of the end for the city. After this time, the site was abandoned, and only temporarily used as a shelter during times of foreign attack.

Smart architecture

The cave city of Uplistsikhe was built to protect the inhabitants from intruders. The river, and a steep rock wall, prevented intruders from one direction. Walls were built on the other side. A tunnel led up to the city from the water, which could be closed off with a metal gate if necessary.

Inside the complex there are streets, dwellings, halls and rooms with different functions. You can also see carvings in the rock used in the production of wine.

Visiting the cave town of Uplistsikhe

The cave city of Uplistsikhe is an attraction that can be visited during the opening hours of the attraction. Usually it is open every day, throughout the year. In the summer months the opening hours are a little longer and in the winter months a little shorter. You can expect the site to be open around 10-17 or 10-19.

We paid 15 lari (about 60 kroner) per person to enter. If you want you can pay extra for an audio guide. We didn't do that, but if you are interested in history it might be a good idea. The signage in the area is sparse to say the least.

Joseph Stalin Museum in Gori

Just 20 minutes by car from the cave town of Uplistsikhe is the Joseph Stalin Museum in Gori. Joseph Stalin, or Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili as he was originally known, was born to poor parents in Gori in present-day Georgia. The house where he lived is preserved in a central park, and a museum has been built nearby.

The museum has many, many photos from Stalin's time, but the English-language information is limited. Since we went around without a guide, it was a fairly quick tour.

When we were almost done, the museum staff advised us to join a guided tour, in English, that was just about to leave for Stalin's train. Stalin did not want to fly and therefore had his own train, which he used to get around. The tour through the train carriage was interesting and offered a real time travel!

More to see and do in Georgia

There is of course much more to see and do in Georgia, beyond the cave city of Uplistsikhe and the Joseph Stalin Museum in Gori. We can recommend visits to the capital Tbilisi with their sulphur bath, the historic city Mtscheta, wine regions Kakhetia, mountain area Kazbegi, health resorts Bordzjomi and the Black Sea destination Batumi. Please also read about Georgian food!

Would you like to visit the cave town of Uplistsikhe?

Would you like to visit the cave city of Uplistsikhe in Georgia? Maybe you've already been here, or have you visited any other cave city in the world? Please tell us in a comment!

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