Tbilisi According to the Foreign Sources

Abstract

In the second part of the fifth century King of Georgia VakhtangGorgasali reconstructed and extended Tbilisi alongside some othercities and made it the capital of the country. From that time, the significanceof the city considerably increased and together with someother distinguished cities of the world, it was frequently mentioned inthe works of foreign travelers and scholars visiting Georgia.The present paper introduces the evidence of foreign sources aboutTbilisi from the fourth century until the twentieth century in Greek,Armenian, Arabic, Persian, Turkish and European languages.Attention is drawn to the location, the architecture, the population, itsoccupation, the conquerors of the city, and the fights against them.One can see that regardless of the ethnic composition of Tbilisi, whichchanged over time - the city managed to preserve its face and peculiarities:aspiration towards freedom, tolerance, and hospitality. All visitorswere delighted by the sulfur baths, the architecture, the educatedpeople, their taste, and the beauty of the women.Since Tbilisi preserved its position as the main city of the country fora long time, the paper also includes a brief history of Georgia presentedfrom a special perspective.