Kazbegi

Destination 》Europe 》Central and Eastern Europe 》Georgia 》Kazbegi

Year Visited: 2018 – June

I visited Kazbegi during my five plus months backpacking trip through Central and Eastern Europe. After few days of walking around Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia, I made a day trip to Stepantsminda, better known by its former name Kazbegi, a mountain town on the Georgian Military Highway. The town is 10 km south of the border with Russia and home to Gergeti Trinity Church.

We left Tbilisi early morning and the first stop on the Georgian Military Highway was Ananuri Fortified Castle.

Ananuri Fortified Castle Ensemble is a sixteenth-century castle complex on the Aragvi River. The fortress stands beside the famous Georgian Military Highway, overlooking the large Jinvali Lake. Its high, turreted stone walls protect two churches, a watchtower, and a reservoir.

The Aragvi River

Ananuri Fortified Castle Complex. It was home to the Aragvi feudal dynasty during 18th century, and was the staging grounds of numerous battles that Georgians both won and lost.

The Castle overlooking the Jinvali Lake.

Two churches inside the Ananuri Fortified Castle.

Carved north entrance to the main church.

East façade of Church of the Mother of God beautifully carved with animal, floral and Celtic style patterns.

View from one of the the tower.

View of the Ananuri Fortified Castle from one of the the tower.

The Jinvali Water Reservoir is the largest reservoir of eastern Georgia.

The next stop was the Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument, a monument built in 1983 to celebrate the bicentennial of the Treaty of Georgievsk and the ongoing friendship between Soviet Georgia and Soviet Russia. The monument is located on the Georgian Military Highway near the ski resort town of Gudauri, the monument is a large round stone and concrete structure overlooking the Devil’s Valley in the Caucasus mountains.

The Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument.

The Devil’s Valley in the Caucasus mountains.

Paragliding over the Devil’s Valley in the Caucasus mountains.

A Cool looing Roadside vendor selling drinks and souvenirs.

Beautiful colored rocks with a mineral water spring located near Gudauri on the Georgian Military road. The minerals in the water have imparted strange colors to the rocks.

Beautiful village in the Caucasus, on the way to Kazbegi.

The next stop was Gergeti Trinity Church, a popular name for Holy Trinity Church built in the 14th century near the village of Gergeti near town of Stepantsminda, formerly Kazbegi. The church is situated at an elevation of 2170 meters (7120 feet), under Mount Kazbek, one of the highest peaks in the Caucasus. Its isolated location on top of a steep mountain surrounded by the vastness of nature has made it a symbol for Georgia. During the Soviet era, all religious services were prohibited, but the church remained a popular tourist destination. The church is now an active establishment of the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church.