Georgian Lessons Addendum #2: Architecture in Tbilisi

Just a building on an unremarkable street in Tbilisi, Georgia

Another visual addendum to our Georgian Lesson series and then I think I’m done… or maybe not. One of the most fascinating aspects of visiting Tbilisi last year was the architecture. It had a style all it’s own built up literally through millennia. I was absolutely taken by the curving lines, which seemed of a piece with the alphabet, of the buildings and streets. So allow me to share them with you. Tbilisi is a great great place to get lost. And you never know when you turn some corner on a humble street when a unique structure will present itself to you. Not only that I loved the sense of age and decay. This may not last, since city planners are doing more to revitalize various parts of the city. Though it does seem rather random. But go now before things get too ‘nice’.

Narikala Fortress above the city, originally made in the 4th Century AD.

Walking down a street you look over and see a building that seems to be occupied, until you notice the broken windows, then realize that except for the ground floor it is deserted and…

It is an old Stalinist Gothic.

A door beckons, unpainted for decades, ornate, rusting.

A closer look reveals further mysteries.

Baroque grills and patterns weave above you while walking down a nameless street. But does anyone besides this wandering traveler notice?

Unseen gargoyle faces peer out from above black windows.

Mysteries seem to be lurking beneath the surfaces of daily life.

Balconies dot the cityscape.

This is a curious direction for some of the rust and decay.

A street in Tbilisi: balconies, wires, church.

This wouldn’t be out of place in Prague.

Even industrial doorways beckon with secret symbols.I will eventually get back to Tbilisi to explore more corners of this most fascinating of capitals.

Thanks for traveling with me to Tbilisi, Georgia. I think I’ll do one more addendum featuring videos taken along the way. But for now enjoy the architecture.

Byrne Power

Haines, Alaska

3/24/2017