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Kartli and the surrounding regions

Kartli is a large region in central Georgia.

Cities

Other destinations

  • Ananuri
  • David Gareja — a 6th century cave monastery on a mountain lying just meters away from Azerbaijan, with beautiful frescos
  • Dmanisi archaeological site — a bronze age settlement and the 1.8 million year-old fossilized remains of the first human in Europe have been discovered here
  • Uplistsikhe — a 3,600 year old Silk Road cave city that was a major regional center of Caucasian pagan religion
  • Mount Kazbeg — one of the highest mountains in Europe is also home to one of the most spectacularly situated monasteries in the world
  • Shida Kartli — is a region (Mkhare) in Georgia.
  • Trialeti Nature Park, Nichbisi-Didgori-Didi Toneti Botisi

Understand

Talk

Outside of Tbilisi and Mtskheta, you should not expect to encounter many people who speak any Western European languages. Georgian is the principal language throughout most of Kartli, but there is a significant section of southern Kvemo Kartli (around Gardabani), where most residents are Azeri speakers and you may be able to communicate effectively with knowledge of Turkish. Speaking Russian will help best in areas where ethnic minorities live, where it is the lingua franca. It is spoken to various degrees by most older people, including by many taxi drivers, but this is no longer to be completely relied upon. The younger generation is increasingly speaking English due to hostility towards Russia, and also because English is taught in schools since independence and has replaced Russian as a second language in schools nation-wide. When in need for help, look for younger people, as they are more likely to know some English.

Get in

Get around

See

Itineraries

  • The Georgian Military Highway — one of the world's more spectacular roads, the highway cuts through the Greater Caucasus and was built by the Russian Empire in the 19th century to facilitate its conquest of the Caucasus

Do

Eat

Drink

Stay safe

Go next

This region travel guide to Kartli is an outline and may need more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. If there are Cities and Other destinations listed, they may not all be at usable status or there may not be a valid regional structure and a "Get in" section describing all of the typical ways to get here. Please plunge forward and help it grow!