landmark
Jvari Monastery
A 6th-century Georgian Orthodox monastery perched on a hilltop overlooking the confluence of two rivers near the ancient capital.
1 km · about 5 min drive
AsiaGeorgiaMtskheta-Mtianeti
Mtskheta
Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Georgia · Asia
About Mtskheta
Mtskheta is worth a stop: 5 minutes from Zahesi, 59km from Georgian Military Highway.
Mtskheta is in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Georgia, with about 7,400 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Zahesi, about 4 km away.
Mtskheta (Georgian: მცხეთა [mt͡sʰχetʰa] ) is a city in the region of Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Georgia. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is located approximately 20 km (12 mi) north of Tbilisi, at the confluence of the Kura and Aragvi rivers. Currently a small provincial capital, forRead more
nearly a millennium until the 5th century AD, Mtskheta was a large fortified city and a significant economic and political center of the Kingdom of Iberia.
Due to the historical significance of the town and its several outstanding churches and cultural monuments, the "Historical Monuments of Mtskheta" became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. As the birthplace and one of the most vibrant centers of Christianity in Georgia, Mtskheta was declared the "Holy City" by the Georgian Orthodox Church in 2014.
In 2016, the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta were placed by UNESCO under Enhanced Protection, a mechanism established by the 1999 Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Mtskheta?
Within an hour or so of Mtskheta: Jvari Monastery (1 km), Tbilisi Old Town (19 km), Uplistsikhe Cave City (44 km), Georgian Military Highway (59 km).
Are there any good drives near Mtskheta?
The nearest famous roads are Georgian Military Highway, Abano Pass and Kazbegi (Stepantsminda).
Where is Mtskheta?
Mtskheta is in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Georgia, about 4 km from Zahesi.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 7,380
- Continent
- Asia
- Country
- Georgia
- Region
- Mtskheta-Mtianeti
- Timezone
- Asia/Tbilisi
- Coordinates
- 41.8451, 44.7188
Tags
Worth the detour from Mtskheta
4 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
Tbilisi Old Town
A charming maze of cobblestone streets with leaning wooden balconies, sulfur bathhouses, and the ancient Narikala Fortress overlooking the Mtkvari River.
19 km · about 20 min drive
ancient ruins
Uplistsikhe Cave City
A 3,000-year-old rock-hewn town that once held 20,000 inhabitants, one of the oldest urban settlements in the Caucasus carved from volcanic rock.
44 km · about 50 min drive
famous road
Georgian Military Highway
A spectacular mountain road crossing the Greater Caucasus between Tbilisi and Vladikavkaz through dramatic gorges and passes.
59 km · about 70 min drive
Driving roads near Mtskheta
3 named roads, passes and coastal drives within 100km.
- 59 kmGeorgian Military HighwayA spectacular mountain road crossing the Greater Caucasus between Tbilisi and Vladikavkaz through dramatic gorges and passes.
- 77 kmTusheti, GeorgiaOne of Europe's most isolated inhabited regions, a remote mountain area accessible only by a hair-raising dirt road over a 2,900-meter pass in summer.
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