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70-803: The Shota Rustaveli State Prize (created in 1965) is the highest prize awarded by Georgia in the fields of art and literature. The first prize-winners of this prize were Konstantine Gamsakhurdia (writer), Irakli Abashidze (poet) and Lado Gudiashvili (painter) in 1965. Other recipients of the Prize: Mikola Bazhan (Ukrainian poet), Sergo Kobuladze (painter), Irakli Ochiauri (sculptor), Sergo Zakariadze (actor), Nino Ramishvili (dancer), Iliko Sukhishvili (dancer), Ramaz Chkhikvadze (actor), Guram Pataraia (producer), Tengiz Abuladze (producer), Mukhran Machavariani (poet), Tamaz Chiladze (poet), Chabua Amirejibi (novelist), Levan Tsutskiridze (painter), etc. This award -related article

140-526: A European-style plan by Russian authorities (Sololaki, Rustaveli Avenue, Vera, etc.) have a Western appearance, with a mix of styles popular in Europe at the time: Beaux Arts, Orientalist, and various period revival styles. Tbilisi is most notable for its abundance of Art Nouveau buildings and details (common in Sololaki and Chughureti), which flourished from the mid-1890s to through the end of Russian rule. Art Nouveau

210-506: A form of "semi-independence" and did not lose its statehood, but Tbilisi would be strongly influenced by the Mongols for the next century, both politically and culturally. In the 1320s, the Mongols retreated from Georgia, and Tbilisi became the capital of an independent Georgian state, once again. However, an outbreak of the Black Death struck the city in 1366. Between the late 14th century and

280-584: A form similar to or the same as their names for the country of Georgia ( Гуьржех Gürƶex ) as does the historical Kabardian name ( Курджы Kwrdžə ), while Abkhaz Қарҭ ( Ķarţ ) is from the Mingrelian ქართი ( Karti ). Archaeologists discovered evidence of continuous habitation of the Tbilisi suburb of Dighomi since the early Bronze Age, and stone artifacts dating to the Paleolithic age. During

350-463: A housing crisis after World War II. Entire neighborhoods (Saburtalo, Dighomi) appeared on the outskirts of the city in a matter of decades, built with advances in mass-production technology. Georgian architects produced some of the Soviet Union's most interesting architectural achievements, including Tbilisi's 1975 Ministry of Roads and the 1984 Wedding Palace . Since the collapse of the Soviet Union,

420-471: A kind of hierarchy, because most of them have lost their distinctive topographic limits. The natural first level of subdivision of the city is into the right and left banks of the Mtkvari river. The names of the oldest neighborhoods go back to the early Middle Ages and sometimes pose a great linguistic interest. The newest whole-built developments bear chiefly residential marketing names. In 19th-century Tbilisi,

490-507: A limited scope of affairs. This subdivision was established under Soviet rule in the 1930s, following the general subdivision of the Soviet Union . After Georgia regained independence, the raion system was modified and reshuffled. According to the latest revision, Tbilisi raions include: Most of the raions are named after historic quarters of the city. The citizens of Tbilisi widely recognize an informal system of smaller historic neighborhoods. Such neighborhoods are several, however, constituting

560-563: A location of the Transcaucasus interim government which established, in the spring of 1918, the short-lived independent Transcaucasian Federation with the capital in Tbilisi. At this time, Tbilisi had roughly the same number of Armenians as Georgians, with Russians being the third largest ethnic group. It was in the former Viceroy of the Caucasus's palace where the independence of three Transcaucasus nations – Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan –

630-530: A name that is preserved on a fresco and a document from the formerly Georgian Monastery of the Holy Cross at Jerusalem . The fresco was described by the Georgian pilgrim Timote Gabashvili in 1757/58 and rediscovered by a team of Georgian scholars in 1960. The same Jerusalem document speaks of Shota as a sponsor of the monastery and a mechurchletukhutsesi ("high treasurer"), echoing a popular legend that Rustaveli

700-663: A number of cities in the former Soviet Union are named after Rustaveli, including in Moscow , Saint Petersburg (Russia), Kyiv , Lviv (Ukraine), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Yerevan , Gyumri (Armenia), and elsewhere, such as pathway in Jerusalem, which leads to the Monastery of the Cross. Mihály Zichy , a 19th-century Hungarian painter, rose to the rank of "national painter" in Georgia as he produced

770-540: A typical year. The absolute minimum recorded temperature is −24.4 °C (−11.9 °F) in January 1883 and the absolute maximum is 42.0 °C (107.6 °F) on 17 July 1882. Average annual precipitation is 511.5 mm (20.1 in). May is the wettest month (averaging 84.0 mm (3.3 in) of precipitation) while January is the driest (averaging 16.4 mm (0.6 in) of precipitation). Snow falls on average 15–25 days per year. The surrounding mountains often trap

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840-403: A variation of Tiflis . On 20 September 2006, the Georgian parliament held a ceremony celebrating the 70th anniversary of the renaming. Some of the traditional names of Tbilisi in other languages of the region have different roots. The Ossetian name Калак ( Kalak ) derives from the Georgian word ქალაქი ( kalaki ) meaning simply city. Chechen and Ingush names for the city use

910-851: Is Rustaveli Avenue. In Tbilisi, one can also find the Rustaveli Theatre , the Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences , the Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport and the Rustaveli metro station , among many other landmarks bearing his name. Rustaveli has been featured on the 100 Georgian lari bill since the introduction of the currency in 1995. In 2001 Israel and Georgia jointly issued postage stamps to honor Shota Rustaveli. Streets in

980-415: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Georgia -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Shota Rustaveli Little, if anything, is known about Rustaveli from contemporary sources. Shota Rustaveli was born in 1166. He started serving Queen Tamar as a Minister of Finance in 1191. His poem itself, namely the prologue, provides a clue to his identity:

1050-486: Is reflected in its architecture, which is a mix of medieval , neoclassical , Beaux Arts , Art Nouveau , Stalinist , and Modern structures. Historically, Tbilisi has been home to people of multiple cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, though its population is overwhelmingly Eastern Orthodox Christian . Notable tourist destinations include cathedrals Sameba and Sioni , Freedom Square , Rustaveli Avenue and Agmashenebeli Avenue , medieval Narikala Fortress ,

1120-406: Is replaced with either a hawk or other small birds of prey in the legend). The king's falcon allegedly caught or injured a pheasant during the hunt, after which both birds fell into a nearby hot spring and died from burns. King Vakhtang became so impressed with the hot springs that he decided to clear the forest and build a city on the location. King Dachi of Iberia ( r.  522–534 ),

1190-849: Is the Dinamo Arena (55,000 seats) and the second-largest is the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium (24,680 seats). The Sports Palace , which usually hosts basketball games with high attendance and tennis tournaments, can seat about 11,000 people. Vere Basketball Hall is a smaller indoor sports arena with a seating capacity of 2,500. Football is the most popular sport in Tbilisi, followed by rugby and basketball . Other popular sports include wrestling , tennis , swimming , and water polo . It has several professional football and rugby teams, as well as wrestling clubs. U.S. National Basketball Association players Zaza Pachulia and Nikoloz Tskitishvili are Tbilisi natives. Outside of professional sports,

1260-519: Is the capital and largest city of Georgia , lying on the banks of the Kura River with around 1.2 million inhabitants, which is about a third of the country's population. Tbilisi was founded in the fifth century AD by Vakhtang I of Iberia . Since then, the city has served as the capital of various Georgian kingdoms and republics. Between 1801 and 1917, then part of the Russian Empire , Tiflis

1330-649: Is the Russian Quarter, the seat of the officials and of the larger business firms. This is adjoined on the south by the Armenian and Persian Bazaars. Tbilisi is located in the South Caucasus at 41° 43' North and 44° 47' East. The city lies in Eastern Georgia on both banks of the Kura River (locally known as Mtkvari). The elevation of the city ranges from 380–770 metres above sea level (1,250–2,530 ft) and has

1400-563: The Ak Koyunlu tribesmen of Uzun Hassan . As early as the 1510s, Tbilisi (and the kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti ) were made vassal territories of Safavid Iran . In 1522, Tbilisi was garrisoned for the first time by a large Safavid force. Following the death of king ( shah ) Ismail I (r. 1501–1524), king David X of Kartli expelled the Iranians. During this period, many parts of Tbilisi were reconstructed and rebuilt. The four campaigns of

1470-589: The Armenian Apostolic Church have significant followings as well. A minority of the population (around 1.5%) practises Islam (mainly Shia Islam ), while about 0.1% of Tbilisi's population practises Judaism . Also, a Roman Catholic church and the Yazidi Sultan Ezid Temple can be found in the city. Until the beginning of the 19th century, sports such as horse-riding ( polo in particular), wrestling , boxing , and marksmanship were

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1540-561: The Avchala District to River Lochini. The part of the city which lies on the right side of the river, though, is built along the foothills of the Trialeti Range , the slopes of which in many cases descend all the way to the edges of the river. The mountains, therefore, are a significant barrier to urban development on its right bank. This type of a geographic environment creates pockets of very densely developed areas, while other parts of

1610-944: The Eastern Orthodox world of the time. During Queen Tamar 's reign, Shota Rustaveli worked in Tbilisi while writing his legendary epic poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin . This period is often referred to as "Georgia's Golden Age" or the Georgian Renaissance . Tbilisi's "Golden Age" did not last for more than a century. In 1226, Tbilisi was captured by the Khwarezmian Empire under Shah Jalal al-Din , who massacred tens of thousands of Christians. The Khwarezmian occupation left Tbilisi's defenses severely devastated and prone to further attacks by Mongol armies. In 1236, after suffering crushing Mongol defeats , Georgia submitted to Mongol domination . The nation itself maintained

1680-571: The EuroBasket 2022 at the new 10,000-seat Tbilisi Arena (next to the Olympic Palace ), as one of the tournament co-hosts alongside Czech Republic (Prague), Germany (Berlin, Cologne), and Italy (Milan). The large majority of Georgia's media companies (including television, newspaper, and radio) are headquartered in Tbilisi. The city is home to the popular television channels Rustavi 2 , Imedi , TV Pirveli , Mtavari Arkhi , Formula , Maestro , and

1750-731: The Law on Georgia's Capital – Tbilisi (20 February 1998). Tbilisi is governed by the Tbilisi City Assembly (Sakrebulo) and the Tbilisi City Hall (Meria). The City Assembly and mayor are elected once every four years by direct elections. The Mayor of Tbilisi is Kakha Kaladze and the Chairman of the Tbilisi city Assembly is Giorgi Alibegashvili. Administratively, the city is divided into raions (districts), which have their own units of central and local government with jurisdiction over

1820-607: The Romanov family and others. The main new artery built under Russian administration was Golovin Avenue (present-day Rustaveli Avenue ), on which the Viceroys of the Caucasus established their residence. For much of the early 19th century, Tbilisi's largest ethnic group was Armenian, at some point forming 74.3% of the population. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 , the city served as

1890-648: The Seljuks , the troops of King David IV of Georgia besieged Tbilisi, taking it in 1122. David moved his residence from Kutaisi to Tbilisi, making it the capital of a unified Georgian State , thus inaugurating the Georgian Golden Age . From the 12–13th centuries, Tbilisi became a regional power with a thriving economy and astonishing cultural output. By the end of the 12th century, the population of Tbilisi had reached 100,000. The city also became an important literary and cultural center, not only for Georgia, but also for

1960-553: The pseudo-Moorish Opera Theater , and the Georgian National Museum . The climate in Tbilisi mostly ranges from 20 to 32 °C (68 to 90 °F) in summer and −1 to 7 °C (30 to 45 °F) in winter. The name "Tbilisi" derives from Old Georgian Tbilisi ( Asomtavruli : ႧႡႨႪႨႱႨ , Mkhedruli : თბილისი ), and further from tpili ( Modern Georgian : თბილი , warm, itself from Old Georgian: ႲႴႨႪႨ ṭpili ). The name Tbilisi (the place of warmth)

2030-452: The 14th century are also held there. All other copies of the poem date from the 17th century. The only known contemporary portrait of Shota Rustaveli was painted on the eastern face of the southwest pillar of the church of the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. It is set at the foot of two much larger images of saints and is accompanied by a Georgian-language inscription. The portrait

2100-730: The 1783 Treaty of Georgievsk . Despite this agreement, the city was captured and devastated in 1795 by the Iranian Qajar ruler Agha Mohammad Khan , who sought to re-establish Iran's traditional sovereignty over the region. In 1801, the Russian Empire annexed the Georgian Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti (of which Tbilisi was the capital), later cementing its rule with the Treaty of Gulistan of 1813, which ended Iranian control of Georgia. Within Tsarist Russia, Tbilisi (known then as Tiflis)

2170-415: The 1850s, Tbilisi once again emerged as a major trade and cultural center. The likes of Ilia Chavchavadze , Akaki Tsereteli , Mirza Fatali Akhundzade , Iakob Gogebashvili , Alexander Griboyedov and many other statesmen, poets and artists all found their home in Tbilisi. The city was visited on numerous occasions by and was the object of affection of Alexander Pushkin , Leo Tolstoy , Mikhail Lermontov ,

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2240-502: The English-language daily The Messenger , weekly FINANCIAL, Georgia Today , and the English-language weekly The Georgian Times . Out of the city's radio stations Imedi Radio (105.9 FM ), Fortuna, and Radio 105 are some of the most influential competitors with large national audiences. Radio stations in Tbilisi include 5 Lines Radio (93.8 FM), Europe +Tbilisi (99.6 FM), and Georgian Patriarchy Radio (105.4 FM). The architecture in

2310-505: The Georgian quarter was confined to the southeastern part of the city; Baedeker describes the layout succinctly: In the north part of the town, on the left bank of the Kurá and to the south of the railway station, stretches the clean German Quarter, formerly occupied by German immigrants from Württemberg (1818). To the south is the Gruzinian or Georgian Quarter (Avlabár). On the right bank of the Kurá

2380-664: The High Commissioner to Armenia, Colonel William N. Haskell . Under the national government, Tbilisi turned into the first Caucasian University City after the Tbilisi State University was founded in 1918. On 25 February 1921, the Bolshevist Russian 11th Red Army invaded Tbilisi and after bitter fighting at the outskirts of the city, declared Soviet rule. In 1921, the Democratic Republic of Georgia

2450-470: The Panther's Skin has been translated into many languages. It was first printed in 1712 in the Georgian capital Tbilisi . The manuscripts of The Knight in the Panther's Skin occupy an important place among the works produced in Georgia. Two folios of this text, dating from the 16th century, are located in the Georgian National Center of Manuscripts in Tbilisi, and some lines of the poem from

2520-686: The Persians ruled the city until 627, when Tbilisi was sacked by the Byzantine / Khazar armies and later, in 736–738, Arab armies entered the town under Marwan II . After this point, the Arabs established an emirate centered in Tbilisi. Arabic dirhams were brought to Georgia following the Arab conquest in the seventh century, and a mint was founded in Tbilisi that produced coins with inscriptions in both Arabic and Georgian. In 764, Tbilisi – still under Arab control –

2590-536: The Public Broadcasting Channel, among others. Tbilisi's television market has experienced notable changes since 2019, when changes in the ownership of Rustavi 2 prompted many of its employees to leave and partake in the creation of new television channels, namely Mtavari Arkhi and TV Formula. Tbilisi has a number of newspaper publishing houses. Some of the most noteworthy newspapers include the daily 24 Saati ("24 Hours"), Rezonansi ("Resonance"), Alia ,

2660-449: The Soviet Union. In 1980, the city hosted the first state-sanctioned rock festival in the USSR. As a major tourist destination for both Soviet citizens and foreign visitors, Tbilisi's "Old Town" (the neighborhoods within the original city walls) was reconstructed in the 1970s and 1980s. Tbilisi witnessed mass anti-Russian demonstrations during 1956 in the 9 March Massacre , in protest against

2730-554: The above-mentioned groups, Tbilisi is home to other ethnic groups including Ossetians , Abkhazians , Ukrainians , Greeks , Jews , Assyrians , Yazidis , and others. More than 95% of the residents of Tbilisi practise some form of Christianity (the most predominant of which is the Georgian Orthodox Church ). The Russian Orthodox Church , which is in full communion with the Georgian Orthodox Church, and

2800-496: The anti-Stalin policies of Nikita Khrushchev . Peaceful protests occurred in 1978, and in 1989 the April 9 tragedy was a peaceful protest that turned violent. Since the break-up of the Soviet Union , Tbilisi has experienced periods of significant instability and turmoil. After a brief civil war, which the city endured for two weeks from December 1991 to January 1992 (when pro- Gamsakhurdia and Opposition forces clashed), Tbilisi became

2870-529: The city are left undeveloped due to the complex topographic relief. To the north of the city, a large reservoir (commonly known as the Tbilisi Sea) is fed by irrigation canals. Tbilisi has a humid temperate climate ( Köppen : Cfa , Trewartha : Do ) with considerable continental and semi-arid influences. The city experiences hot, humid summers and moderately cold dry winters. Like other regions of Georgia, Tbilisi receives significant rainfall throughout

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2940-578: The city has a number of intercollegiate and amateur sports teams and clubs. Tbilisi's signature football club, Dinamo Tbilisi , has not won a major European championship since the 1980–1981 season, when it won the European UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and became the easternmost team in Europe to achieve the feat. The basketball club Dinamo Tbilisi won the Euroleague in 1962 , but also never repeated any such feat. Tbilisi hosted Group A matches for

3010-600: The city is a mixture of local (Georgian) and Byzantine , Neoclassical , Art Nouveau , Beaux-Arts , Middle Eastern, and Soviet modern styles. Very few buildings survived the destruction of the city in 1795, so most historical buildings in Tbilisi date to the Russian Imperial period (1801–1917). The oldest parts of the city (Kala, Abanotubani, Avlabari) were largely rebuilt on their medieval street plans, and some old houses were even rebuilt on much older foundations. The areas of downtown Tbilisi which were developed according to

3080-705: The classic illustrations that have been frequently used in editions of Rustaveli's poetry. A sculpture and a street commemorate Zichy's work in Tbilisi. Georgian composer Tamara Vakhvakhishvili set Rustaveli's poetry to music in her composition Citation for voice and orchestra. Tbilisi Tbilisi ( English: / t ə b ɪ ˈ l iː s i , t ə ˈ b ɪ l ɪ s i / tə-bil- EE -see, tə- BIL -iss-ee ; Georgian : თბილისი , pronounced [ˈtʰbilisi] ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( / ˈ t ɪ f l ɪ s / TIF -liss ), ( Georgian : ტფილისი , romanized : t'pilisi )

3150-550: The clouds within and around the city, mainly during the Spring and Autumn months, resulting in prolonged rainy and/or cloudy weather. Northwesterly winds dominate in most parts of Tbilisi throughout the year. Southeasterly winds are common as well. As a multiethnic city, Tbilisi is home to more than 100 ethnic groups. Around 90% of the population consists of ethnic Georgians , with significant populations of other ethnic groups such as Armenians , Russians , and Azerbaijanis . Along with

3220-621: The heart of the Caucasus between Europe and Asia, Tbilisi became an object of rivalry among the region's various powers such as the Roman Empire , Parthia , Sassanid Persia , Muslim Arabs , the Byzantine Empire , and the Seljuk Turks . The cultural development of the city was somewhat dependent on who ruled the city at various times, although Tbilisi was fairly cosmopolitan. From 570 to 580,

3290-520: The intrusion of cold air masses from Russia, Tbilisi has a relatively mild microclimate compared to other cities that possess a similar climate along the same latitudes. The average annual temperature in Tbilisi is 13.8 °C (56.8 °F). January is the coldest month with an average temperature of 2.7 °C (36.9 °F). July is the hottest month with an average temperature of 25.4 °C (77.7 °F). Daytime high temperatures reach or exceed 32 °C (90 °F) on an average of 22 days during

3360-455: The king Tahmasp I (r. 1524–1576) resulted in the reoccupation of Kartli and Kakheti, and a Safavid force was permanently stationed in Tbilisi from 1551 onwards. With the 1555 Treaty of Amasya , and more firmly from 1614 to 1747, with brief intermissions, Tbilisi was an important city under Iranian rule, and it functioned as a seat of the Iranian vassal kings of Kartli whom the shah conferred with

3430-456: The late 18th century, Tbilisi would again be under the rule of various foreign powers. On several occasions, the city would even be completely burned and razed to the ground. In 1386, Tbilisi was invaded and sacked several times by the armies of Tamerlane . In 1440, the city was invaded and destroyed by Jahan Shah (the Shah of the town of Tabriz , Persia ). From 1477 to 1478, the city was held by

3500-407: The late Bronze Age to early Iron Age, it was the largest settlement in the Caucasus. According to legend, the present-day territory of Tbilisi was covered by forests as late as 458. One widely accepted variant of the Tbilisi foundation myth states that King Vakhtang I of Iberia ( r.  c. 447/49 – 502/22 ) went hunting in the heavily wooded region with a falcon (sometimes the falcon

3570-555: The local language. In addition, the Georgian-language form Ṭpilisi was modernized on the basis of a proposal by Georgian linguists; the ancient Georgian component ტფილი ( ṭpili , 'warm') was replaced by the newer თბილი ( tbili ). That form was the basis for the new official Russian name ( Тбилиси Tbilisi ). Most other languages have subsequently adopted the new name form, but some languages, such as Turkish, Persian, Greek , Spanish , and German , have retained

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3640-792: The most popular city sports. Influence from the Russian Empire brought more Western sports and activities (billiards, fencing) to Tbilisi. The Soviet period brought an increased popularization of sports that were common in Europe and, to a certain extent, the United States. At the same time, Tbilisi developed the necessary infrastructure for professional sports. By 1978, the city had around 250 large and small sports facilities, including, among others, four indoor and six outdoor Olympic-sized pools, 185 basketball courts and halls, 192 volleyball facilities, 82 handball arenas, 19 tennis courts, 31 football fields, and five stadiums. The largest stadium in Tbilisi

3710-546: The nation in general). Mass protests took place in November 2003 after falsified parliamentary elections forced more than 100,000 people into the streets and concluded with the Rose Revolution . Since 2003, Tbilisi has experienced considerably more stability with decreasing crime rates, an improved economy, and a real estate boom. During the 2008 South Ossetia war , the Tbilisi area was hit by multiple Russian air attacks. After

3780-634: The poet identifies himself as "a certain Rustveli." "Rustveli" is not a surname, but a territorial epithet that can be interpreted as "of/from/holder of Rustavi"; although a 10th century manuscript fragment found in 1975 in Saint Catherine's Monastery in Sinai attests to its use as a cognomen by a noble house of Ru(i)staveli. Later Georgian authors from the 15th through 18th centuries are more informative; they are almost unanimous in identifying him as Shota Rustaveli,

3850-467: The scene of frequent armed confrontations among various mafia clans and illegal business operators. During the Shevardnadze Era (1992–2003), crime and corruption were rampant. Many segments of society became impoverished because of unemployment caused by the crumbling economy. Average citizens of Tbilisi started to become increasingly disillusioned with the existing quality of life in the city (and in

3920-567: The shape of an amphitheatre surrounded by mountains on three sides. To the north, Tbilisi is bounded by the Saguramo Range , to the east and south-east by the Iori Plain , to the south and west by various endings (subranges) of the Trialeti Range . The relief of Tbilisi is complex. The part of the city which lies on the left bank of the Kura River extends for more than 30 km (19 mi) from

3990-449: The successor of Vakhtang I, moved the capital of Iberia from Mtskheta to Tbilisi and began construction of the fortress wall that lined the city's new boundaries. From the sixth century, Tbilisi grew at a steady pace due to the region's strategic location along with important trade and travel routes between Europe and Asia. Tbilisi's favorable trade location, however, did not necessarily bode well for its survival. Located strategically in

4060-428: The title of vali . In 1718, the Venetian senate implored the Safavid emperor Soltan Hoseyn to protect the Catholic Armenians and Capuchin missionaries in Tbilisi from the Gregorian Armenians. Under the later rules of Teimuraz II and Heraclius II , Tbilisi became a vibrant political and cultural center free of foreign rule—but, fearful of the constant threat of invasion, Georgia's rulers sought Russian protection in

4130-416: The war, several large-scale projects were started, including a streetcar system, a railway bypass and a relocation of the central station , and new urban highways. In June 2015, a flood killed at least twenty people and caused animals from the city's zoo to be released into the streets. The status of Tbilisi, as the nation's capital, is defined by Article 10 of the Constitution of Georgia (1995) and

4200-414: The year with no distinct dry period. The city's climate is influenced both by dry (Central Asian/Siberian) air masses from the east and oceanic (Atlantic/Black Sea) air masses from the west. Because the city is bounded on most sides by mountain ranges, the close proximity to large bodies of water (Black and Caspian Seas ) and the fact that the Greater Caucasus Mountains Range (further to the north) blocks

4270-464: Was occupied by the Soviet Bolshevik forces from Russia, and until 1936, Tbilisi functioned first as the capital city of the Transcaucasian SFSR (which included Armenia, Azerbaijan , and Georgia), and afterward until 1991 as the capital of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic . During Soviet rule, Tbilisi's population grew significantly, the city became more industrialized, and it also came to be an important political, social, and cultural centre of

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4340-474: Was a minister at Queen Tamar ’s court and retired to the monastery at an advanced age. Both a folk tradition and the 17th-century royal poet Archil identify Rustaveli as a native of the southern Georgian region of Meskheti , where his home village Rustavi was located (in modern-day Aspindza Municipality , not to be confused with the modern-day city of Rustavi near Tbilisi ). He is assumed to have been born between 1160 and 1165. A legend states that Rustaveli

4410-441: Was declared by their respective national councils on 26 to 28 May 1918. After this, Tbilisi functioned as the capital of the Democratic Republic of Georgia until 25 February 1921. From 1918 to 1919, the city also consecutively served as the headquarters of the country's German garrison and later the British 27th Division ; Tbilisi was also the main office of the British Chief Commissioner in Transcaucasia, Oliver Wardrop and

4480-457: Was decreed as bourgeois by communist authorities, who introduced experimental modern architecture. The more conservative and historically inflected Stalinist architecture in Georgia is embodied by the 1938 Marx-Engels-Lenin Institute building ("Imeli"), now housing the Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi . Tbilisi's postwar architecture is similar to the brand of midcentury modernism found across the Soviet Union. The city expanded dramatically in response to

4550-544: Was educated at the medieval Georgian academies of Gelati and Ikalto , and then in " Greece " (i.e., the Byzantine Empire ). He must have produced his major work no earlier than the 1180s and no later than the first decade of the 13th century, most probably 1205-1207. Shota Rustaveli died between 1245 and 1250. Rustaveli was well acquainted with Persian "and was therefore able to read and appreciate its poetry without having to resort to faulty translations". Rustaveli may have composed Persian verse as well. The Knight in

4620-438: Was included within the Tiflis Uyezd county in 1801, and became the administrative center of the Tiflis Governorate ( Gubernia ) following the latter's establishment in 1846. Russian Imperial administrators implemented a new European-style city plan and commissioned new buildings in Western styles. Roads and railroads were built to connect Tbilisi to other important cities in the Russian Empire , such as Batumi and Poti . By

4690-408: Was once again sacked by the Khazars. In 853, the armies of Arab leader Bugha Al-Turki invaded Tbilisi in order to enforce its return to Abbasid allegiance. The Arab domination of Tbilisi continued until about 1050. In 1065, the Seljuk Sultan Alp Arslan campaigned against the Kingdom of Georgia , subjugated Tbilisi, and built a mosque in the city. In 1121, after the Battle of Didgori against

4760-457: Was the seat of the Caucasus Viceroyalty , governing both the northern and the southern parts of the Caucasus . Because of its location at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, and its proximity to the lucrative Silk Road , throughout history, Tbilisi has been a point of contention among various global powers. To this day, the city's location ensures its position as an important transit route for energy and trade projects. Tbilisi's history

4830-403: Was therefore given to the city because of the area's numerous sulfuric hot springs . Until 1936, the name of the city in English and most other languages followed the Persian pronunciation Tiflis , while the Georgian name was ტფილისი ( Ṭpilisi ). On 17 August 1936, by order of the Soviet leadership, the official Russian names of various cities were changed to more closely match

4900-421: Was vandalized in June 2004 by an unknown perpetrator, who scratched out Rustaveli's face and part of the accompanying Georgian inscription with his name. Georgia officially complained to Israel after the priceless fresco was defaced. The portrait and inscription have been restored. The highest Georgian state prize in the fields of art and literature is the Shota Rustaveli State Prize . Tbilisi's main thoroughfare

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