The Old Town of Tbilisi is surrounded by a hill where the ancient Fortress of Narikala is located. On the south side of the fortress, there is only a small area of Abanotubani district, where the famous sulfur baths are located, and most of Old Tbilisi is located on the north side of Narikala.
The Old Town of Tbilisi is located inside the borders of the 12th century city, which was surrounded by a fortress wall. For a long time, the possessions of Christian Georgia were squeezed between the lands of Muslim Turkey and Iran, and it was also constantly raided by mountain tribes from the Caucasus Mountains.
Because of this, the Georgian rulers decided to sign in 1783 the St. George`s Convention on voluntary entry into the Russian Empire. The Iranian Khan Agha-Mohammad Khan demanded to break this Convention and invaded Georgia in 1795. He captured Tbilisi and completely burned the city.
After this fire, buildings of the 19th century predominate in Old Town of Tbilisi. Only in some places, more ancient houses have been preserved. Ancient chaotic buildings have been preserved in the Upper Town on the hillside. At the beginning of the 20th century, the reconstruction in the Lower Old Town of Tbilisi was made. The streets have been widened, although in general they still look more like an ancient city than a modern one.
The Old Town of Tbilisi cannot be perceived as a place where different attractions are located. It is a single whole. The charm of the old quarter lies in the houses that climb the steep slope of the Sololak hill. A feature of Georgian architecture is the huge wooden balconies, which are decorated with beautiful wood carvings. The balcony in the house of a Georgian family is a place where they spend a significant part of their time, as it is often hot in the houses. They eat here, relax, communicate with neighbors. All this gives a special flavor and charm to ancient traditions.
Nowadays, cafes are open in many parts of the old town. There are especially many of them near the Metekhi Bridge on the Iron Row Street, as well as near the Bridge of Peace on Irakli II Street. Both of these streets are adjacent to each other and stretch along the bed of the Kura River. There is also the Zion Cathedral and several small museums.
