Foundings and Ancient History
There are two myths of why Tbilisi became the capital of Georgia. The first is that King Vakhtang Gorgasali was hunting near the river Mtkvari when his falcon caught a pheasant and both fell into a sulfur spring nearby. When he found them, both were perfectly cooked, and thus he moved the capital to Tbilisi. The other relates to when the king was hunting and shot a deer who fell into one of the sulfur springs and was healed. Despite the two myths, it is known that the city was established at its location for two distinct reasons. The first is the narrow point on the Mtkvari river where a bridge could be constructed. The second is the abundance of sulfur springs in the area, providing natural hot water to the city (though with a foul smell). The importance of these springs is quite evident since both of the myths relate to them and tbili means 'warm' in Georgian, thus Tbilisi.
The earliest settlement in the region dates back to the Neolithic period, and signs of larger scale permanent settlement appeared in the late Bronze Age.
In ancient times Tbilisi became a trade center because of its location on a narrow point on the Mtkvari River. Evidence of the city's prosperity is shown by it trade links with Ancient Greece and Rome and being sited by the Roman geographer Castorius as 'Tphilado'. It was during this period that the first bridge was built across the river as well as the Narikala fortress which overlooks the city (see picture above).
The First Invaders and Georgia's 'Golden Years'
In 368 AD the Persians took Tbilisi and controlled it for a short while. In the late 5th Century however Vakhtang Gorgasali retook the city and made it the capital of eastern Georgia. This independence was short lived when Arabs captured the city and all of Georgia in the 7th century turning it into an emirate for the next 400 years.
In 1121, King David the Builder defeated the Arabs at the battle of Didgori. This period is considered the 'golden years' of Georgia's history. It was during this time that many new churches were built in Tbilisi as well as a growth in the arts including theater, literature, and music.
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Fresco of King David the Builder
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The Second Wave of Invaders
At the end of the 13th century Georgia and Tbilisi underwent a series of successive invasions and occupations that did not end until the 1990's.
In the 13th century came waves of Turkic tribesmen who ruthlessly sacked the city multiple times. This was then followed by the Mongols who made Tbilisi the capital of the Georgian vassal state. Regardless of being sacked, Tbilisi served an important role on the Silk Road while being controlled by the Mongols and saw some prosperity. However this ended with the black-death, and the city was devastated.
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Ghengis Khan, Mongol Emperor |
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Mongol Warriors |
Following the Mongols Tbilisi became a point of contention between the Ottoman and Persian Empires until 1748 when Erkle II drove the Persians out and established the city as the capital of a united Kartli-Kakheti kingdom (the two regions immediately surrounding Tbilisi). However, in a fit of revenge the Persian Khan Agha Mohammed captured the city and set it ablaze. This forced the Georgians to subordinate to Tsarist Russia.
Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union
Under Imperial Russian rule, Tbilisi saw many changes. Some amount of planning was put into the city with the widening of many streets and the construction of schools, libraries, theaters, and the magnificent Paliashvili Opera House. During this period, the city became an important regional political center due to the amount of military activity in this part of the empire. Due to the city's growing importance it rapidly grew in size from around 20,000 in 1801 to just under 160,000 in 1900.
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A rare color foto of Tbilisi in 1915
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In 1917 Georgia joined the Transcaucasian Federation to fight against the Bolsheviks, and upon the Federation's dissolution became an independent country in 1918 with Tbilisi as its capital. In 1922 however the Red Army conquered the South Caucasus and established the Transcaucasian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR), only in 1936 did Georgia become an individual SSR with Tbilisi again as its capital.
During the Soviet era, Tbilisi grew to over one million inhabitants and soviet planning was implemented in order to facilitate growth. As the capital of the Georgian SSR, Tbilisi's industrial sector grew rapidly as the entire country industrialized. The city also became recognized as one of the major cultural centers of the Soviet Union boasting rich literature and performing arts. Architecture in the city was more interesting and adventurous than in other parts of the Soviet Union and gives the city an interesting feel.
Independence and Modern Times
In 1989 many antigovernment demonstrations took place in Tbilisi culminating to a massacre by the Soviet Army. Finally, in 1990, the country gained independence after two weeks of fighting along the main street of the city - Rustavelis Gamziri. Tbilisi then became the capital of the new Republic of Georgia.
Immediately following independence essential chaos broke out in the city because of rival mafia groups. The standard of living decreased rapidly with power outages and deteriorating infrastructure. The city became quite dangerous, especially at night, and kidnappings became a regular occurrence. Only to add to the worsening state of the city, starting in 1993 began a massive influx of refugees from various war-torn areas of Georgia like Abkhazia.
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The Intourist hotel Iveria has now become home to many refugees fleeing the conflict in Abkhazia |
Towards the end of the nineties the situation in Tbilisi started to improve. The city became safer as the government gained more control from the mafia. Confidence returned and new stores and restaurants began opening again. After the Rose Revolution in November 2003, the new government took action to improve Tbilisi and Georgia as quickly as possible. Since then, considerable improvements have been made in quality of life as well as security and infrastructure. The many problems remain, including high unemployment, widespread poverty, and tens of thousands of displaced citizens wanting to return home.
