The city of Kaspi in Georgia is one of the oldest in Upper Kartalin. The city of Kaspi in Georgia is one of the oldest in Upper Kartaliniya The city of Kaspi Georgia

The city of Kaspi is a small settlement, which became a city only in 1959. However, it is a rather ancient place on the territory of Georgia. Historical sources mention Kaspi as early as 327. The modern city does not have any particularly noteworthy places, although it has its own railway station, as well as a cement plant. Look at the sights.

There are many ancient historical monuments in the city's environs. And the most famous are Ertatsminda and Kvatakhevsky monastery. Kaspi became the administrative center of the Kaspi municipality, which is located in the center of Georgia. In the southern part of the region there are deserted wild gorges, the Kura River flows through the center of the region, there is also a valley here. Very beautiful .

Story

The first settlements on the territory of the Caspian appeared here in the Bronze Age. Archaeologists suggest that Kaspi was a small town in the 6th-5th centuries. King Mirian visited the horn of Thoti in 327. According to the legend, at this time the neighborhood was surrounded by darkness, then the king prayed to the god of Nina, and the darkness receded. This is a landmark event for Georgia, because the king was baptized in the river, turning Christianity into the state religion. Rate .

The first churches began to appear in the fourth century, by the way, they still exist, for example, the Church of the Ascension, the Blessed Virgin and Theodore Tironi. Churches such as the Church of the Angels and the Church of Matskhovari appeared in the city's environs. In the north-west of the city, the monastery of Thaddeus of Stepandtsminda was founded in the 6th century, it also has the name Tetrakhevi.

Modern Kaspi

The city of Kaspi conditionally consists of three parts. In the center of the city there is a square connecting Stalin, Chavchavadze and David Agmashenebeli streets. In this central part of the city there is a railway station, the city hall, a museum of local lore and a public garden named after Saakadze. On David Agmashenebeli Street there is Vakhtang Gorgasali Church and a bus station. The south is dominated by industrial areas.

The Museum of Local Lore presents an archaeological collection that was collected during excavations in Metekhi, Rene and Kaspi. Therefore, here you can see artifacts of the bronze and iron era. The Theodore Tironi Church is located on Kostava Street, this building is the oldest building in Kaspi.

Kaspi is a small and cozy town in Georgia. Its population is only 15 thousand inhabitants.

Kaspi is an authentic and hospitable place for tourists. Small Georgian houses seem to have descended from the pages of an ancient oriental fairy tale, and the locals honor the tourist no less than their ruler.

natural beauty

The oldest part of this town is located on a hill, so stunning beauty opens from it. Here you can find the most famous sights of Kaspi. The whole city is on the hills.

How to get to Kaspi

You can get to Kaspi both by private car and by fixed-route taxi. The easiest way to get to Kaspi is along the Zahesi-Mtskheta-Kavtiskhevi-Gori highway. If the tourist prefers minibuses, then they go to the city directly from the Didube metro station.

The alternative is the train. It departs from Tbilisi Central Station. After 50-60 minutes, the tourist will already be in Kaspi.

What to see in Kaspi

In this town you can find many architectural monuments. Each of them is unique and inimitable, and therefore worthy of special attention. It is best for foreign tourists to visit the famous Museum of Local Lore. In it you can see the rarest archaeological collection, which will impress anyone who appreciates the art and culture of antiquity.

The Caspian necropolis is a real find for tourists. The huge complex of burial grounds looks like a majestic and mysterious reminder of human life centuries ago. No less interesting are the caves that are located here. They are like scenery from films about Ancient Egypt. Only one cave is enough to come to Kaspi. Centuries-old churches and monasteries will also find their admirers, so you won’t be bored in this hospitable Georgian town.

Narrow streets and fragrant national cuisine, local flavor and hospitable people, mountains of incredible beauty and ancient architectural monuments... The advantages of Kaspi can be listed for a very long time, but one thing is for sure: this city will leave unforgettable impressions in the memory of every tourist.

Kaspi (კასპი ) is a small regional center in Shida Kartli with a population of about 15,000 people. This is a city with a great, interesting past and a very gray present. Once there was a large and important early medieval settlement here, now it is an industrial district center with a cement plant and Khrushchev architecture. And yet, some traces of past greatness remain.

Story

Kaspi is located in the valley of the Kura River. This is a flat plain with a height of about 530 meters, through which the Lekhura River flows from the north. On the right bank of the river, a hill is wedged into the valley in a triangle, which is about 40 meters higher than the surrounding plain. People of antiquity loved such heights near the rivers, therefore, in eras unknown to us, a settlement arose here. The left bank of the Kura was popular in the era around 1500 BC, so there is a good chance that the settlement arose then. Archaeologists (A. Apakidze) speak about this moment as follows:

To illustrate this situation, we point to Khovle, Kaspi and Mtskheta. All these settlements are located on the territory of Iberia, in the valley of the river. Kuri, between Tbilisi and Gori, at a distance of less than a hundred kilometers and are therefore located on a trade and transit highway; they came about at the same time. Excavations have established the undoubted fact that on the site of these points, starting from the Eneolithic era, with some interruptions, settlements existed. Since the Early Bronze Age, these settlements have been developing quite systematically. From the first centuries of the 1st millennium BC. e. Khovle, Kaspi, Mtskheta and some other points appear as large and developed settlements, where it is not difficult to see the beginnings of future urban life. ... The further development of these settlements, as it turns out, took a different path. Mtskheta became a city in the 6th-5th centuries. BC e. Kaspi has become an urban-type settlement, and maybe even a city...

In 327, King Mirian went hunting in the Mukhran forests, and from there he climbed Mount Thoti, precisely in order to look at the city of Kaspi from above. From this event begins the whole long history of the baptism of Georgia. Immediately after the Christianization of Georgia, the first churches appeared in Kaspi. The Tironi monastery in the center of Kaspi is considered to be such, although the exact time of its construction is unknown. Presumably in the 5th century, the temples of Kviratskhoveli (or V or VII) and the Virgin Mary (V or VI) appear. In the 6th century, the temples of Subnishani, Matskhovari appeared and, to the west of the city, the temple of the Archangels. To the northwest on Mount Tslevi, Thaddeus of Stepantsminda (one of the Assyrian fathers) builds a temple now known as the Tetrakhevi Monastery. There he will be buried.

In those years, it was a real trading city, perhaps even with walls and towers, and everything lasted so rosy until the beginning of the 8th century. In 730, the Arab invasion of Mervan happened, and all the cities on the left bank of the Kura were destroyed. Kaspi has turned into a modest village.

In Soviet times, he successfully ended up on the railway line, and they began to create industry here. There was a cement plant, a slate plant, an electric apparatus plant, a cannery and all related infrastructure. In 1959, Kaspi received the status of a city.

Caspi today

Nowadays, Kaspi consists of three sectors: the "Old City", the rural eastern outskirts and the southern industrial suburbs. From the west they enter the city along Stalin Street, from the east - along Chavchavadze Street. They meet at the bridge over the Lekhura - this is the heart of the Soviet sector. There is a railway station, a couple of bazaars, a newly built temple of Vakhtang Gorgasal, a local history museum, a bus station (on the banks of Lekhura), a city hall and a square with a monument to Saakadze. To the south, across the river, there are already factory districts.

From the bridge across Lekhura to the north, along the river, leads the street of David the Builder; it stretches for about 3 kilometers to the northern edge of the city, there it turns into a road and after 5 kilometers it comes to Igoeti, where it joins the Batumi autobahn. Total from the autobahn to the center of Kaspi - 8 kilometers.

The Lekhura River within the city of Kaspi

David the Builder Street divides the non-Soviet Kaspi into two halves. The eastern one is an uninteresting suburban building, and the western one is the same old part of the city on a hill. It is more rational to go there from the station square along Kostava street. It will be necessary to walk 500 meters past the municipality and the building of the First School, then a slight climb will begin. Above will be the building of the city police, behind which is a fork, and Kostava street turns right. After 200 meters around the turn on the right will be Tironi Monastery. It is he who seems to be considered the oldest building in the city, although now it has been greatly renovated.

Monastery of Tevdore Tironi Coordinates:

This temple was built very roughly in the 5th century, and now it is clear that the vault was restored and the southern wall, which tilted somewhat, was strengthened. On the north side, a fragment of the fortress wall was preserved. In this temple it is worth paying attention to the frescoes. They are modern, but noticeably different from ordinary remodels.

To find the rest of the antiquities, you need to go north along Kostava for another 200 meters and turn left, for example, along Tsereteli Street. To the right of Tsereteli there is a very small temple in a dilapidated state. It is usually considered that this Temple of the Ascension, built in the same way in the 5th or 6th centuries.

Left around the corner - shubnishani temple 7th century (sometimes called Kviratskhoveli). This is practically the very center of the old city.

Strictly in a straight line from Shiosubani to the west is a domed Church of St. George. You will have to go there in zigzags, and the temple itself is new in appearance, but it stands on the very edge of the hill of the old city and offers good views of the Kura valley from it.

Well, on the northernmost outskirts of the city you can find the Matskhovari (Savior) temple, which was founded almost in the 4th century, but was subsequently greatly rebuilt.

Caspian Museum of Local Lore

Kaspi has its own local history museum with two floors - it is located near the central square, a little to the east of it. There is a good archaeological department there. Currently (summer 2015) closed for renovations.

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The easiest way to get to Kaspi is by minibus, although you can try to go by train. Hitchhiking is also possible if you first get on the autobahn to Igoeti.

Kilometers: 30 kilometers from Gori by the southern road and 36 kilometers if on the autobahn. From Mtskheta - 33 kilometers by the southern road. From the center of Tbilisi 54 kilometers, from the northern outskirts (ZAGES) - 36 kilometers.

Around Kaspi

From the city center you can climb Mount Thoti- it will be 6 kilometers off-road slope. In the west, 9 kilometers away - the village of Metekhi and Metekhi temple XIII century. There are some more mysterious Aspian cemeteries"in view of grottoes carved into the rock. This is about 500 meters from the western edge of the city. You can get there, go to the Old Cemetery, go beyond it into the fields and then turn down the slope. Not marked in any way. "Burial grounds" are rooms carved into the sandstone rock. It can be seen that much has already collapsed over time, and only in one rock these rooms are relatively well visible. It's hard to say what it was.

KASPI KASPI

KASPI, a city (since 1959) in Georgia, in the Lower Kartaliniya region, on the Kura River. Railroad station. Population 15 thousand people (2004). Plant "Kaspielektroapparat"; food flavoring (including canning) industry, production of building materials. Regional Museum.

encyclopedic Dictionary. 2009 .

See what "KASPI" is in other dictionaries:

The city of Kaspi კასპი Flag Coat of arms ... Wikipedia

A city (until 1959 a settlement), the center of the Kaspsky region of the Georgian SSR. Located on the left bank of the Kura at the confluence of the river. Lekhura. Railway station on the Tbilisi Samtredia line, 48 km northwest of Tbilisi. 12 thousand inhabitants (1970). Industry… … Great Soviet Encyclopedia

S. Tiflis province., Gori district, at the river. Kure. In ancient times, it was a city founded at the beginning of the appearance of Georgians in history. OK. 440 A.D. Chr. Ossetians ravaged the city, but it was soon restored, finally destroyed in the 7th century. Murvan Abul ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

kaspi- at. horse. Mangystaudy mekendegen halyktardyn biri. Munda ezhelgі saktardan bүgіngі kөp ұltty council halyқtaryna deyіn k as p and l er men alandar, oғyzdar men қypshaқtar, қalmaқtar men noғailar turgan (Madeniet zhane turmys, 1973, No. 3, 10) ... Kazakh tilinin tusindirme sozdigі

In Dagestan, republican subordination, 14 km southeast of Makhachkala, its industrial satellite. Located on the shores of the Caspian Sea, on the Primorskaya lowland, near the foothills of the Greater Caucasus. The nearest railway station ... ... Cities of Russia

The name of the city of Lagan in Kalmykia in 1944 91 ... Cities of Russia

Caspian- caspian / sk / y ... Morphemic spelling dictionary

Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, Caspian, ... ... Word forms

Caspian, Caspians, Caspians, Caspians, Caspians, Caspians, Caspians, Caspians, Caspians, Caspians, Caspians, Caspians (Source: “Full accentuated paradigm according to A. A. Zaliznyak”) ... Forms of words

- (until 1947 the village of Dvigatorstroy), a city in Russia, Dagestan, on the coast of the Caspian Sea, 14 km from the Makhachkala railway station. 68.4 thousand inhabitants (1998). Factories: "Dagdiesel", precision mechanics, stone processing. Regional Museum. * * *… … encyclopedic Dictionary

Books

• Daily Life in the United States in Prosperity and Prohibition by André Caspi. The era of 1919-1929 in the United States, called the period of prosperity, is one of the most controversial in the history of this country. "The final victory over poverty" and the nation as a "consumer society", ...

Kaspi (Georgian კასპი)- a small regional center Shida Kartli 48 km from Tbilisi. The city is located on the left bank of the Kura at the confluence of the Lekhura River. Railway station on the line Tbilisi - Samtredia.
The minibus departs from the Didube metro station. The cost is 2 lari.
The population is about 15,000 people.

I think it’s worth warning from the very beginning that Kaspi is not the city that crowds of tourists are rushing to. There are no sights like Svetitskhoveli, Mtskheta, etc. here. Kaspi is a city with an interesting past, but this past must be seen. There are several historical monuments, a local history museum (in fact, an archaeological one).
But there are quite a lot of "historical brands" in the Kaspi region.

In 327, King Mirian lived in the vicinity, on Mount Thoti. Then, according to legend, "darkness descended." After that, the king prayed to the "god of Nina" (meaning Saint Nino), and the darkness departed. This moment became epoch-making for Georgia. After this incident, the king was baptized and approved Christianity as the state religion.
So, in the Caspian some time later, in the period from the 4th to the 7th centuries. the first churches appeared that still exist today (Theodore Tironi, the Most Holy Theotokos, the Ascension). Churches appeared in the vicinity: Matskhovari (now it is located within the boundaries of modern Kaspi), the Church of the Angels southwest of the city. Northwest of Thaddeus of Stepandtsminda in the 6th century. founds a monastery known as Tetrakhevi.

Until the 8th century, the Caspi developed. It was a wealthy city as it stood on a trade route. Most likely, it was surrounded by a fortress wall, which was so necessary in those days. And in 730, the Arabs marched here under the leadership of Mervan Kru (Deaf). Many cities ceased to exist, including Kaspi. After this event, Kaspi remained a small village until the middle of the 20th century.

Since the railway passed near Kaspi, factories began to be built here. Thus, a slate plant, a cement plant, and an electric apparatus plant appeared. And in 1959, Kaspi received the status of a city.

Caspi today. Kaspi can be conditionally divided into three parts. The center of the Soviet Kaspi is the square where Chavchavadze, Stalin and David Agmashenebeli (Builder) streets meet. In the center there is a railway station, a museum of local lore, a city hall, a square named after. Saakadze. The bus station and the church of Vakhtang Gorgasali are located on the street. David Agmashenebeli, near the center. The southern part of the city is mainly industrial areas.

Museum of Local Lore. Opening hours: 09.30 - 17.30. Day off: Sunday, Monday. .

The archaeological collection is based on materials from excavations carried out in Kaspi, Ren, Metekhi. Artifacts related to the era of the middle and late bronze, early iron (III - I millennium BC) are exhibited here, there are also exhibits related to antiquity and the Middle Ages. There are materials associated with the Trialeti culture (mainly the first half of the 2nd millennium BC) - ceramics found in burial mounds, clothing samples (XIV-XII centuries BC), harnesses, axes, arrowheads ( XIII-VII centuries BC). Antiquity: a silver disc found in the village of Sasireti (III century BC), a bronze statuette of Dionysus (the god of winemaking) (III-II BC), oichonia (ceramic vessels) (I century AD) .). The Middle Ages is represented by various ceramic dishes.

st. David Agmashenebeli goes from the north, along the Lekhura River, and divides the city into two parts: an uninteresting eastern part - and a western part, including the "old city", where most of the historical monuments are concentrated. In the eastern part of the city there is only one inconspicuous church Matskhovari (5th or 6th century). Thoroughly updated.

st. Kostava originates from Saakadze square. It takes you to the old city. Here is the Church of Teodore Tironi (Georgian თეოდორე ტირონის ეკლესია). Above walk 250 m from the police building. This church is one of the most ancient buildings in Kaspi. That's just a modern painting. Near the temple there are remains of the fortress wall. It is not entirely clear whether it only enclosed the church or was part of the city wall. As it seemed, the wall was updated, perhaps more than once.

Church of Teodore Tironi

st. 26 of May. Near the police building Kostava intersects with the street. 26 of May. If you walk along this street for 500 meters and turn left into the alley, you will find yourself in a rather nice new church of St. George. It is located on the outskirts of the "old town" and offers good views.

st. Tsereteli. From the temple of Tironi, after passing another 200 meters, you can turn onto an inconspicuous street. Tsereteli. On this street, one after another follow:

Church of the Ascension (Georgian ამაღლება - amagleba).

Temple of the Holy Mother of God

Kviratskhoveli (Georgian კვირაცხოვლის ეკლესია - kviratskhovlis eklesia). The ruins of this church are located in the center of the old city. To find the church, you need to go around the kindergarten building on the left (it is directly opposite the entrance to the Church of the Virgin).

All these temples were built between the 5th and 7th centuries.

On googlemaps, the names of the churches do not match the names given above. This article provides names from the words of local residents.

Neighborhood of Kaspi. If we talk about the reach of attractions in terms of hiking in the vicinity of Kaspi, the following historical monuments should be mentioned:

Caspian "cemeteries" (Caspian necropolis). A curious place just 500 meters from the western outskirts of the city. What is marked as burial grounds is a complex of rooms carved into soft rock, dating back to the 6th century. On the map (half a kilometer from the outskirts of the city) only one of the most interesting rocks with such premises is marked. It should be noted that along the way you can see several of these caves.
Getting there is pretty easy. Street May 26 rests on the street. Tsereteli. If you go to the right, you come out to the churches of Kviratskhoveli, the Blessed Virgin and the Ascension. If you turn left, Tsereteli Street leads to the outskirts and smoothly turns into a dirt road leading to the cave complex. The rock with multi-level rooms is perfectly visible from above (the dirt road goes down sharply at the very beginning). It should be noted that another inconspicuous cave is located almost at the very beginning of the dirt road. As soon as the descent begins, on the left you can see a rock where one room has been carved.

Curious moment. The Caspian caves are located almost on the same line with the cave city Uplistsikhe on the left bank of the Kura. Between Kaspi and Uplistsikhe, several more such cave complexes are found. For example, near the railway station Grakali. From the village of Saireti, along the road leading to Gori (and at the same time to Uplistsikhe), you need to drive 3.7 km. Thus, we get to the railway bridge. After crossing the bridge, you need to go another 1 km to the east along a dirt road.
In architectural terms, these caves are not as interesting as their Caspian counterparts. But out of curiosity (if you have a car and desire) it's worth a look.

Monastery Tetrakhevi. It is worth spending a few hours walking to the Tetrakhevi monastery. To get to the monastery, you need to cross the bridge on the Metekhi highway (4.5 km from the city center). The road to Metekhi turns left, and we need to turn right, along the dirt road. The distance from the bridge to the monastery is 4 km. If you go by car, you need to take into account that at the moment only 2 km of the road (from the bridge) are passable. The primer is very eroded in one place. The remaining 2 km must be covered on foot.
This monastery is associated with one of the Assyrian fathers - Thaddeus of Stepantsminda. First, he founded a monastery at the foot of Mount Zedazeni, later moved to Urbnisi, where he founded the Church of the First Martyr Stephen. And finally, Thaddeus founds a monastery, now known as Tetrakhevi, where he was buried.
The church is in ruins. Inside, in the southern vestibule, in a box (!) Human bones are collected. Perhaps these are the remains of Thaddeus of Stepandtsminda. To the east of the church there are traces of a water pipe. A well is found to the south.
The name Tetrakhevi itself is translated as "White Gorge". The abundance of limestone makes this area really white.

Relocation logistics. Approximate time for a walk along the Kaspi with an inspection of the "burial grounds" (fortunately nearby) is 3-4 hours. It seems to me that the following route along the Kaspi is more optimal:
Take a minibus to the bus station. Museum of Local Lore - square them. Saakadze - ascent along the street. Kostava, inspection of the Church of Teodore Tironi - then until the turn to the street. Tsereteli (primer). On st. Tsereteli visit the Ascension, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Kviratskhoveli, then we go to the intersection with the street. 26 of May. On this street, if you wish, you can look into the Church of St. George, or go further along Tsereteli to the end. And there we already go outside the city, and go down to the "burial grounds".
From the "burial grounds" you can continue the route to the Tetrakhevi monastery. But it is worth considering that it will take at least another 3 hours, no less.

A complete list of historical monuments of the region is given in the description of the » Caspsky Municipality

How to get to Kaspi. From Tbilisi (Didube metro station) to Kaspi, a minibus costs 2 GEL (2013).
From Kaspi, if you are late for the last minibus, you can get on the Borjomi train (train number 617), which arrives at 20:00. Ticket price - 1 GEL. Stop time in Kaspi 1-2 minutes, drive to Tblilisi 1 hour 10 minutes.
The information is current as of June 16, 2014.

Minibuses Metekhi→Zemo Chocheti→Akhalkalaki→Akhaltsikhe and minibuses to Gori (Metekhi→Zemo Chocheti→...→Gori) were spotted at the Kaspi bus station.
Below is the mileage:

Tbilisi (Metro station Didube) → Caspian bus station (along the autobahn, through Igoeti) - 55 km.
Mtskheta (from the bridge) → Kaspsky bus station (along the southern road, through Dzegvi) - 35 km.

Kaspi → Metekhi - 10 km.

Zemo Chocheti → Ertatsminda - 5 km.
Ertatsminda → Rkon Monastery - 12-13 km (priming road)

Zemo Chocheti → Uplistsikhe - 25 km.

Kaspi → Samtavisi - 10 km
From the turnoff to Samtavisi - 2.1 km
Samtavisi → Kvemo Chala - 2.2 km
Kvemo Chala → Pantiani → Skhvilo castle - 4.5 km (priming road)