Travel Guide Akhaltsikhe

Its name means "new fortress" in Georgian. This capital of Samtskhe-Djavakhetia deserves a stop for its atmosphere: half Georgian, half Armenian, unique. Charles Aznavour's family is originally from the town. Akhaltsikhe is a city is multicultural and a symbol of tolerance, it is really fascinating. The Rabati district is a unique testimony of this former cosmopolitan metropolis of the Ottoman Empire. It had been an administrative centre since the 16th century. Mosques, synagogues, Catholic, Armenian and Orthodox churches stand side by side in small alleys lined with darbazebi, the traditional Georgian houses. Akhaltsikhe has one of the most beautiful Armenian churches in the country. The city is well situated on the small river Potskhovi, with its terraced houses straddling two hills surrounded by the Meskhetia chain in the north and the Eruchytian chain in the south. One can spend the night on the road to Vardzia or Sapara, but for the moment the comfort of the hotels is basic.