Old Town (Tbilisi)

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View over the old town of Tbilisi
Abanotubani

The old town of Tbilisi ( Georgian ძველი თბილისი / Dsweli Tbilisi , "Old Tiflis") is located in the center of the Georgian capital on the right bank of the Kura . Its shape was largely created in the early 19th century, but it houses a large number of urban development evidence from the 5th to the 18th century. As a cultural monument , this was registered by Georgia in 1993 for the list of UNESCO World Heritage .

From 2007 to 2013 the old town was called Dsweli Ubani ( ძველი უბანი , roughly "Old District") one of the city ​​districts ( Rajons ) of Tbilisi.

History and structure

Old town houses of the Tbilisi type

The reason for the late development of the old town is the extensive destruction of Tbilisi when the city was captured by the Persian army of Aga Mohammed Khan in 1795. The city was completely rebuilt and expanded under Russian rule. The Russian administration focused on the development of new, modern districts outside the old town, while the historic town center was rebuilt by local craftsmen. The reconstruction of the old town was completed by the middle of the 19th century.

The old town corresponds to the historic city ​​center built in the 5th century . During the reconstruction in the 19th century, the irregularly winding streets and the medieval city structure were preserved. The streets still have the historic cobblestones . The residential buildings in the traditional Tbilisi type are remarkable . It is a two- to three-story brick building with a system of extensive, expansive wooden balconies , passageways , external stairs and a courtyard that serves as a vestibule . The external and internal organization of the houses merge. In summer, the balconies form a center of family life.

buildings

The Sioni Cathedral in the old town

The old town combines historical sacred buildings of many religions: three Georgian Orthodox churches, the Sioni Cathedral (5th century), the Metekhi Church (13th century) and the Anchishati Basilica (6th century), the Armenian-Gregorian Church, the Sephardic synagogue and the mosque .

The caravanserai ( Georgian Karwasala ) built in the 19th century stands on the foundations of a caravanserai from the 17th century. It occupies the passage of the historical east-west connection of the Silk Road . On the alongside other Marco Polo traveled through Tbilisi. It has recently become a shopping center with cafes and the Ioseb Grishashvili Museum of Tbilisi History . The Gorgasali Square was once rallying point of camel caravans . In the small houses of the former bazaar on Schardeni Street , art galleries as well as shops for arts and crafts and traditional jewelry have settled. The streets are named after old crafts. Jewish restaurants and shops can be found near the synagogue on Gorgassali Street .

The sulfur baths in the Abanotubani spa district from the 17th century belong to the old town . Tolstoy , Pushkin and Alexandre Dumas visited and praised them. Admission costs just under 5 euros, a thorough massage around 15 euros.

Parts of the old city ​​wall have been preserved on Baratashvili Street . New houses were built in their gaps. A memorial wall commemorates the defense of the old town against the Persian invaders in 1795 by a vigilante group under the leadership of the court actor David Matschabeli. Opposite the wall is a 23 meter high stele. It serves to commemorate the 300 Aragwinians , a Georgian military unit who saved King Irakli II from Persian encirclement at this point and lost their lives in the process.

Repair

Over the centuries, buildings in the old town have crumbled. They were first restored in 1934. This was one of the rare restoration projects in the Soviet Union . In 1975 this region was officially declared a "historic district". The houses were mapped in 1998 with funds from the World Bank in order to create the basis for monument protection. In September 2003, the Council of Europe and the Georgian government signed an agreement on the Tbilisi project , which provides for the repair, modernization and revitalization of the historic city center. UNESCO and the International Organization for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (ICCROM) are involved in the implementation of the project .

As part of the definition of new district boundaries in Tbilisi, the old town became a separate district in 2007 with the name Alt-Tbilisi (ძველი თბილისი, Dsweli Tbilisi ), including parts of the previous districts Mtazminda-Krzanisi, Isani-Samgori and Didube-Tschughureti.

literature

  • Thea Kvastiani, Vadim Spolanski, Andreas Sternfeld: Discovering Georgia. On the way between the Caucasus and the Black Sea . Trescher Verlag, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3928409859 .
  • Ulrich Bock: Georgia and Armenia . DuMont Reise Verlag, Cologne 1988, ISBN 3770114647 .
  • Tamaz Gersamia: Old Tbilisi. Sabčota Sakartvelo, Tbilisi 1984 (photos).
  • Vahtang Vukolovic Beridze: Arhitektura Tbilisi: 1801 gody 1917 . Sabeota Sakartvelo, Tbilisi 1960.
  • Giorgi Pavles je Berije: Problema istoriceskogo centra v proekte reconstrukcii Tbilisi 1934 goda . Izdat. Mecniereba, Tbilisi 1983.
  • Urban rehabilitation policy in Tbilisi (Georgia): Document . prep. by the Technical Co-operation and Consultancy Unit, Directorate of Culture and Cultural and Natural Heritage, Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg 2002, ISBN 92-871-4944-5
  • Tsizishvili, Irakli: Tbilisi - Architectural Monuments and Art Museums . Aurora, Leningrad 1985.

Web links

Coordinates: 41 ° 42 '  N , 44 ° 48'  E