Udabno Travel Guide

 josephescu Says:  i used the services of Nana Kokiashvili (see my Sighnaghi page). Her husband took us from Sighnaghi to Davit Gareji, waited for over 2 hours, and then left us in T’bilisi, for the cost of 120 lari. I think it was reasonable, since:- the whole thing started at 9 in the... 

 photonina Says:  First of all let's make it clear: Udabno monastery complex is in the desert. There is no public transport runing there. I see two main opportunities to get there if you are foreigner traveler: a) you can hire taxi from Tbilisi to David Gareja and taxi will take you for 90 or... 

 MalenaN Says:  There is no public transport to Davit Gareja, but from Tbilisi you could take a marshrutka to Gardabani or Sagarejo and from there take a taxi. I was told though, by a few people, that there might not be possible to find a taxi in those two small places. It is better to... 

 josephescu Says:  The soviet army established a military polygon in the territory around Davit Gareji in 1948. Rock-cut churches were used as targets for projectiles. As a result, many caves were ruined and murals destroyed. Some of the first demonstrations of the perestroika period in... 

 josephescu Says:  Some unique mural paintings are preserved in the Gareji monasteries, the oldest of which go back to the 8th century in the Dodos-Rka monastery. Mural paintings in Udabno monasteries date back from the 10th century. One of the main features of the frescos school in Udabno is... 

 josephescu Says:  Rock-cut dwellings and monasteries were common in Georgia and other countries of the Middle East: the rock-cut towns of Uplistsikhe and Vardzia – Georgia, Cappadocia – Turkey, Petra – Jordan, and many others around the region.The caves at Davit Gareji comprise churches,... 

 josephescu Says:  Watch towers and defence walls can be found in several monasteries around the complex, the most visible ones being at the Lavra. These fortifications were apparently constructed after the Persian invasion in 1615, which killed all monks and set fire to manuscripts and other... 

 josephescu Says:  The other key monastery complex at Davit Gareja is called Udabno, and is located up the hill from the Lavra.To get there, simply ask a monk for directions, or if you feel discovering it yourself, go up the watchtower on the cliff, and then follow the path up, along the metal... 

 josephescu Says:  Father David (the Gajereli) originally settled on the mountain "Mtatsminda" in Tbilisi. In 562 he went to Kakhetia, and settled here, where he lived in a cave. Later in the sixth century, the Metropolitan monastery of Lavra ("cave") was founded on that place. The monastery...