Travel Guide David Garedja

Christian history ends here. Behind the border, this is the land of Islam. In the middle of the semi-desert steppe, the troglodytic monasteries of David Garedja are worth the trip and are the "last eastern frontier" of the Christian world. A site at the "end of the world", yet accessible in one day from Tbilisi, you will already be in another universe. The tracks that lead there and the shepherds on horseback watching over the herds evoke Central Asia. The landscape is grandiose, almost lunar. One could imagine the "horsemen" so well described by Joseph Kessel in his famous work. In summer, the climate is torrid, like in the middle of the desert. Carved into the yellow-red limestone of the steppe, troglodyte monasteries are exceptional. Three of them are currently open to the public. In the surrounding area, picturesque defensive towers perched on the ridge overlooking Azerbaijan add another dimension to the panorama.