Kazbegi. The Military-Georgian Road is a Path Changing Persons and Destinies

“The beauty of travel is not always exhausted by the advance of destinations — towns and places — planned by the route. Very often, the beauty of travel lies precisely in the very path that opens a wonderful kaleidoscope, which, apart from nature, no artist can invent.

Grigory Moskvich

It was the majestic nature of the Caucasus that gave me the impetus that made a writer of a vagabond.

Maxim Gorky

Dear friends, we would like to offer you a fascinating tour of the Georgian Military Road. You will find beautiful mountain landscapes, lakes, waterfalls and of course monuments of historical and cultural heritage of this mysterious country called Georgia.

So, everything in order.

From the central highway we take the way north towards Vladikavkaz. We make the first stop on the shore of the Zhinvali reservoir.

Forty kilometers north of Tbilisi on the river Aragvi is located Zhinvali reservoir, providing the Georgian capital with water and electricity. The dam on Aragvi was built in 1985, its height exceeds one hundred meters, its width is four hundred meters. The volume of water in the reservoir is more than half a billion cubic meters.

1. Zhinvali reservoir is considered one of the most beautiful places in Georgia. The turquoise mirror of the reservoir stretching between the mountain peaks is unusually picturesque at any time of the year. Along the shore of the reservoir there is an ancient road, which since the time of the Russian Empire is called the Georgian Military. From almost any place of the route there are beautiful views of the reservoir.

Forty kilometers north of Tbilisi on the river Aragvi is located Zhinvali reservoir, providing the Georgian capital with water and electricity. The dam on Aragvi was built in 1985, its height exceeds one hundred meters, its width is four hundred meters. The volume of water in the reservoir is more than half a billion cubic meters.

2. On the shore of the Jinval Reservoir there is an interesting attraction - the medieval fortress of Ananuri, built in the sixteenth century to protect the surrounding lands. To this day, a part of the fortress wall, a watchtower and three churches located on the territory of the fortress have survived.
Ananuri is the main stronghold of the formidable Aragva Eristavs, guarding the way to the ancient capital of Dusheti, and centuries later - the main highway connecting Georgia with Russia.

From the huge complex to our days preserved stone fortress walls with the main quadrangular and several round towers, two domed temples, bell tower and other buildings.
The main building of the complex is the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin (midzineba), built in 1689. The facades of the temple are lined with hewn stone with carved reliefs depicting saints, animals and flowers. The interior decoration contains the remains of beautiful frescoes and wall paintings depicting 13 holy fathers, which are considered the best example of late medieval art in Georgia.
The second temple - the Church of the Savior (Gwtaeba) - a small cross-domed building with an extension of 1674. The oldest building of the complex is a tower with a pyramidal roof, the base of which is attributed to the XVI century.

3.We continue our way to the peaks of the Caucasus and after passing the ski resort of Gudauri we will stop at the Arch of Peace.

The next place to stop is the observation deck at the entrance to Kazbegi (called the “Arc of Friendship of Peoples”, preserved from Soviet times. The Arch of Friendship in Kazbegi is a monument built in honor of the friendship of the peoples of Russia and Georgia. It was built in 1983, on the two-hundredth anniversary of the Treaty of St. George on the accession of Georgia to Russia. A huge mosaic panel depicting important moments of Georgian history is interesting in itself. It is so colorful and bright that it resembles pictures from children's fairy tales. Unfortunately, time spares nothing, and pieces of the mosaic have already crumbled in some places, but in general the arch is in good condition. However, the most important thing is that it offers a picturesque view. Terek is splashing down. In these parts, it takes its origins, so it does not look at all formidable here, but rather resembles a stream. On the slopes of the mountains, herds of sheep and herds of horses peacefully graze, which can often be seen only by “close” them with the camera lens. There are mountains with eternal snow. There are hardly words that can convey this beauty. You just have to see it!

Having received a lot of impressions from the grandiose views that open from the observation deck, we go further.

4. Cross pass

We climb even higher and at an altitude of 2379 meters above sea level pass through the Greater Caucasus Range.

The name "Cross Pass" was received in 1824, when a stone cross was placed to indicate the point of the pass. This cross was seen by A.S. Pushkin, M.Y. Lermontov, A.S. Griboyedov passing here.

5. Kazbegi

Stepantsminda (Kazbegi)

After 4 hours, we get to Stepantsminda. For almost 100 years, until 2007, it was known as Kazbegi, but recently it was returned to its historical name. Stepantsminda is located 165 km north of Tbilisi, and only 11 km from the border with Russia.

The surroundings of Stepantsminda are very picturesque: the Terek River flows under the town, and the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus rise above it, among which Kazbek peak, 5033 meters high, stands out. There are scattered valley glaciers and forests, both deciduous and coniferous. Clean mountain air and therapeutic mineral springs of Stepantsminda are the basis of therapy for respiratory and digestive diseases.

The climate of Stepantsminda is moderately mountainous. Winters are mild with average temperatures of -5 °C, and summers are moderately warm with temperatures of +15 °C. During the year falls 800 mm of precipitation, most of which is snow. The main disadvantage in the weather is the cold mountain winds.

6. Darial gorge

The Darial gorge was “built” by Terek, digging a passage through the lateral ridge of the Greater Caucasus. Along the river since time immemorial there was a road, and the gorge was called “Gateway of the Caucasus”.

7. St. George's. Trinities in Gergeti

The Holy Trinity Church (Tsminda Sameba) is a cross-domed temple built in the XIV century in Georgia. The only temple of this type in Kazbeg district. It is located high on the mountain, at an altitude of 2,170 m at the foot of Kazbek, along the Georgian Military Road above the village of Gergeti.

This is the finish line of our journey. We're back in Tbilisi.