subject: why visit mtskheta during your visit and travel to georgia [print this page] If you travel from Tbilisi along the road to the northwest, soon you will be charmed with most beautiful, brightly colored orchards and vineyards. The latter on, you will be divided by the Georgian Military Road most peculiar with its beauty and variety. The road is of 2101 kilometer long (Tbilisi - Vladikavkaz). It was a bridge connecting northern warriors with the South still in B.C. This road was used to get to the ancient civilized states, namely, to politically powerful kingdom of Iran.
The Georgian Military Road fascinated such persons as: A. Griboedov, A. Pushkin, L. Tolsloy, M. Lermontov, I. Repin, P. Chaikovsky, M. Gorky, V. Mayakovsky and many other famous Russian writers, painters and composers. A. Chekhov wrote to his friend from Tbilisi: - "This is not a road. it is a poetry, a fine, fantastic story, written by a demon and dedicated to Tamar... I think you have seen the Georgian Military Road. You have not traveled along it yet, then pawn your wives, your children... and travel along it. I have never seen such a beautiful sight."
To the south, on the valley elevated like a palm, your sight will be attracted by the houses with red tiled roofs built by wise strong peasants. This is an old Georgian village Dighomi, mentioned in the old Georgian chronicle "Kartlis Tskhovreba" (Life of Kartli) as dated of the period of the first king of Iberian, King Parnavaz.
In the historical past Dighomi is known as Dighuami or Dighvami. Dighomi Canyon is bordering the village.
On the left bank of the Canyon, at the Georgian Military Road there were found ruins of a bronze roofing of Neolithic period (the 4th-3rd cc B.C., the turn of the millennium). At the bottom of the Canyon, on the slopes the archaeologists excavated multi-layered ruins of a settlement. the major strata of which are of late Bronze and early Iron ages (the 15th-6th cc B.C.). The settlement existed in late Ancient and early Feudal epochs as well. To the east of the hills, on the Dighomi field there were discovered the ruins of the settlement of early Feudal epoch and burial grounds of various periods.
Dighomi field was a place of hunting for the Kings. The village land plots were settled by the court, church and princely peasants.
To the left of the road in 10 km distance, on the slope one can come across a fine building (architect L. Alexi Meskhishvili) of the Georgian Agrarian University. Then a car goes downhill and through the arc of a railway bridge you can catch sight of Zemo Avchala hydro power plant ("Zahesi"). From its turbines there flows out the river Mtkvari water turned into electricity spreading like life light upon the Tbilisi outskirts. ''Zahesi", born in the period of a totalitarian Soviet State, has been regularly working hard since 1922.
On April 3 1927, Tbilisi received its first electricity, thus their dream came true (but in XXI century people of Mtskheta still suffers not having electricity. The problem is our government prefers to sell it in Turkey for better prize:) Justice for all! - Besiki).
To the left over the narrow railway line broad-shouldered beautiful mountains of green velvet overlooked like eagles. The slopes of these mountains are full of caves that sheltered people during the wartime. The caves look like chimneys. At the right bank of the river Mtkvari, near "Zahesi", while building a railway in 1875 the builders found an epigraphic inscription left by the Romans in the 1st-2nd cc AD: "Emperor Caesar Vespasian Augustus, great pontifex, empowered with the power of a tribune seven times, declared as emperor twelve times, six times consul, seventh time designated, leader of his country censor and emperor Titus Caesar, son of Augustus, five times empowered by tribune powers, four times consul, the fifth time designated, censor and Domicianus Caesar, son of Augustus, three times consul, the fourth time designated to the King of Iberia Mithridates, son of King Parsman and Yamasaspos, friend of Caesar and the Romans and to his people these walls have been tribute."
