Uplistsikhe
უფლისციხე
An ancient cave town carved into sandstone along the Kura River, dating back to the 1st millennium BC, with surviving remains of a theater, temples, and a royal palace.
Uplistsikhe means “Fortress of the Lord.” It lies about 10 kilometers east of Gori and is an ancient city carved out of the sandstone cliffs on the bank of the Kura. Its origins go back to the 1st millennium BC. It was an important town on the Silk Road and at its peak housed up to 20,000 people. Surviving features include a great hall, a theater, wine cellars, a pharmacy, and underground escape passages, and a 10th-century brick church stands on the hilltop. Admission is about 15 lari. It is open roughly 10:00–18:00. The rock surfaces are smooth and unshaded, so wear non-slip shoes and bring water. It is about an hour’s drive from Tbilisi and is often visited on the same day as the Joseph Stalin Museum in Gori.
Opening hours
Approx. 10:00–18:00
Nearby sights
- Joseph Stalin Museum, Gori
- Dashbashi Canyon & Diamond Bridge
- Shio-Mgvime Monastery
- Mtskheta
- Jvari Monastery
- Lisi Lake
- Open Air Museum of Ethnography
- Turtle Lake