The cave city of Uplistsikhe (Kartli)
The cave city of Uplistsikhe, one of the oldest settlements and towns in the Caucasus is situated 10 km east of Gori, on the side of the Mtkvari. It is first mentioned in the written sources of history in the 7th century. A number of archeological and architectural monuments are preserved in Uplistsikhe and its environs, the earliest of which date back to the Bronze Age, and belong to the circle of the Kura-Arax culture (settlement sites at Lashetkhevi, Gudabertka, Gori). The bottom stratum of the Katlaniskhevi hill-settlement site dates from the close of Mid-Bronze Age. The sandstone massif must have been settled at an early stage of Late Bronze Age. The cutting out of the Uplistsikhe architectural complex starts in the first half of the 1st millennium. The main part of the ensemble is cut out in early Antiquity (6th-4th cent. B.C.), and late Hellenistic (3rd cent. B.C.-A.D. 1st cent.) period.
There are also several complexes, hewn out in the Middle Ages. The inner town (area 4ha),which is the compositional centre, is preserved better. Nature protects it from the west and the south, while the eastern and northern sides were protected by a great ditch cut out in the rock, and a wall with rectangular towers built along the ditch (the hollows made in the rock can still be seen). The bottom part of the fortification wall was built of the stone, with edges hewn smooth, while the upper part was adobe. To the south a tunnel, cut out in rock, led down to the river Mtkvari. Here, in the southern part, were the main entrances into town, including a narrow gap in the rock. A web of streets (the main street, intersected by side streets) crosses the inner town. The caves are arranged in groups. Some of them communicate by means of wide passages. In the upper part of the town a large hall, hewn out in rock, is distinguished from all the other halls by its barrel vault decorated with octagonal coffers.
As regards the planning, the complexes are arranged in a common pattern: a yard, an open receptacle, like a vestibule, and deeper inside, a group of rooms, arranged along the longitudinal axis (if there are one or two rooms), and along longitudinal and transverse axes (if the number of rooms is greater). With their structure these complexes are related to the caves widespread in the kingdom of Van. Part of the Uplistsikhe caves dates from the Middle Ages. The flat ceilings of the some of the halls are treated as beamed ceilings, which must be a reflection of the constructions, well-known in Georgian popular architecture.
There is a brick three-Church basilica on the territory of Uplistsikhe, which is stylistically attributed to the 9th-10th centuries. It survives almost in its initial form. The middle nave is higher than the side naves.
The cave city of Uplistsikhe, one of the oldest settlements and towns in the Caucasus is situated 10 km east of Gori, on the side of the Mtkvari. It is first mentioned in the written sources of history in the 7th century. A number of archeological and architectural monuments are preserved in Uplistsikhe and its environs, the earliest of which date back to the Bronze Age, and belong to the circle of the Kura-Arax culture (settlement sites at Lashetkhevi, Gudabertka, Gori). The bottom stratum of the Katlaniskhevi hill-settlement site dates from the close of Mid-Bronze Age. The sandstone massif must have been settled at an early stage of Late Bronze Age. The cutting out of the Uplistsikhe architectural complex starts in the first half of the 1st millennium. The main part of the ensemble is cut out in early Antiquity (6th-4th cent. B.C.), and late Hellenistic (3rd cent. B.C.-A.D. 1st cent.) period.
There are also several complexes, hewn out in the Middle Ages. The inner town (area 4ha),which is the compositional centre, is preserved better. Nature protects it from the west and the south, while the eastern and northern sides were protected by a great ditch cut out in the rock, and a wall with rectangular towers built along the ditch (the hollows made in the rock can still be seen). The bottom part of the fortification wall was built of the stone, with edges hewn smooth, while the upper part was adobe. To the south a tunnel, cut out in rock, led down to the river Mtkvari. Here, in the southern part, were the main entrances into town, including a narrow gap in the rock. A web of streets (the main street, intersected by side streets) crosses the inner town. The caves are arranged in groups. Some of them communicate by means of wide passages. In the upper part of the town a large hall, hewn out in rock, is distinguished from all the other halls by its barrel vault decorated with octagonal coffers.
As regards the planning, the complexes are arranged in a common pattern: a yard, an open receptacle, like a vestibule, and deeper inside, a group of rooms, arranged along the longitudinal axis (if there are one or two rooms), and along longitudinal and transverse axes (if the number of rooms is greater). With their structure these complexes are related to the caves widespread in the kingdom of Van. Part of the Uplistsikhe caves dates from the Middle Ages. The flat ceilings of the some of the halls are treated as beamed ceilings, which must be a reflection of the constructions, well-known in Georgian popular architecture.
There is a brick three-Church basilica on the territory of Uplistsikhe, which is stylistically attributed to the 9th-10th centuries. It survives almost in its initial form. The middle nave is higher than the side naves.