World Heritage Identification Number: 708
World Heritage since: 1994
Category: Cultural Heritage
WHE Type: Buildings & Architectural Ensembles
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇬🇪 Georgia
Continent: Asia
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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Historical Monuments of Mtskheta: A Testament to Ancient Georgian Architecture and Culture
The Historical Monuments of Mtskheta, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, stand as a testament to the rich architectural and cultural heritage of ancient Georgia. Located in the region of Mtskheta-Mtianeti, approximately 20 kilometers north of Tbilisi, Mtskheta is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, nestled at the confluence of the Kura and Aragvi rivers.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The historic churches of Mtskheta, former capital of Georgia, are outstanding examples of medieval religious architecture in the Caucasus. They show the high artistic and cultural level attained by this ancient kingdom.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (iii): The historical monuments of Mtskheta bear testimony to the high level of art and culture of the vanished Kingdom of Georgia, which played an outstanding role in the medieval history of its region. They express the introduction and diffusion of Christianity to the Caucasian mountain region and bear testimony of the social, political and economic evolution of the region since the late 3rd millennium BC.
Criterion (iv): The historic churches of Mtskheta, including Jvari Monastery, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Samtavro Monastery, are outstanding examples of medieval ecclesiastical architecture in the Caucasus region, and represent different phases of the development of this building typology, ranging from the 4th to the 18th centuries.
Encyclopedia Record: Mtskheta
Mtskheta is a city in the region of Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Georgia. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is located approximately 20 km (12 mi) north of Tbilisi, at the confluence of the Kura and Aragvi rivers. Currently a small provincial capital, for nearly a millennium until the 5th century AD, Mtskheta was a large fortified city and a significant economic and political center of the Kingdom of Iberia.Additional Site Details
Area: 3.85 hectares
Number of Components: 3
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
Coordinates: 41.8422777778 , 44.7210277778
Image
© Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
