vardzia

Recently I spent the weekend with my host family visiting Vardzia, which is just about one of the most amazing sites to see in Georgia. Ya know what’s almost as exciting as going to an interesting place? Looking through someone else’s photos of her trip there! Amirite or amirite? So grab a cool drink and sit down with me for a spell and I’ll tell you all about it.

Built in the 12th century by King Tamar, it was an elaborate cave city constructed to protect against invading Mongols. This city, literally carved into solid rock, was an underground maze of 600 rooms encased in mountain and accessible only by a secret tunnel. Sadly, less than 100 years after its creation over half of it was detroyed by an earthquake.  What remains is an amazing labyrinth of ruins that is breathtaking to see and walk through. While they have thankfully installed some guardrails for safety’s sake, there are few restrictions: visitors can climb over, in, and around this remarkable structure.

My trip to Vardzia was special in many ways, one of which is that my host father grew up in the neighboring village.  The family owns a little cottage just down the road, which means we have a wonderful place to stay when we visit and that we are treated as members of the community, not just tourists. For example, here is the two-room school house my host father attended as a child:

Way up top there is the school house. This mountain sits directly across the river from Vardzia.

Vardzia is situated along the River Mtkvari (or Kura), the same river that eventually runs through Tbilisi, the capital.  Here’s a view of it from the road that leads to Vardzia:

The River Mtkvari.

The landscape in the area is fantastic and (because, apparently, everything in my life must relate back to some pop culture reference from the 80s) it reminded me of the movie The Princess Bride. The scenes where Westley overpowers Fezzik and then outwits Vizzini. I don’t know, it’s been a while since I’ve seen the film, so I could be off here, but you tell me if this doesn’t look very similar:

See, look at those boulders. And can you not picture Westley and Buttercup rolling down those hills?!

I tried to explain this exciting discovery to my host family but I just got a lot of blank stares. Anyway, moving on, the trip up to the mountain ruins is long and hot, but quite lovely.  Along the way we passed this wishing tree:

I admire the ingenuity of those who, wanting to make a wish but having forgotten to pack a ribbon, tear up a plastic bag and tie it on the tree. Molodets!

So Vardzia was constructed on the orders of King Tamar, who was actually a woman.  She is referred to as King to reflect her status as the sole sovereign ruler of Georgia from 1160 until 1213, a period of time known as the country’s Golden Age. King Tamar is revered as a great leader and military strategist, as under her reign the territories of Georgia grew and the Mongols were held at bay. All over Georgia there are statues of her, including one right here in the center of Akhaltsikhe. The name Tamar and all its variants is a favorite here in Georgia and, in fact, both of my host families have named one of their daughters Tamar. In short, Georgians love their Queen known as a King. Despite her greatness and legendary status, no one is quite certain where she is buried. One legend has it that she is buried at the foot of Vardzia in this spot:

Some believe this headstone marks the spot of King Tamar's tomb.

Alas, it’s just a legend.

So at this point you are probably saying, “Um, are you going to actually show me any pictures of Vardzia, or is it all going to be plastic trees and muddy rivers?” I know. It’s like you go to see the latest George Clooney film, but first you have to sit through 10 trailers for Justin Bieber movies. So let’s get to the Clooney, shall we? Here is a view of Vardzia as we were approaching:

Approaching Vardzia.

In the distance you can barely make out the rooms. Here is a closer look:

Vardzia in the sunlight.

And here’s an even closer view:

And there it is.

Before the earthquake these rooms were underground and encased in rock. What a feat of human genius that they they were able to construct something like this in the 12th century. Right into the face of a mountain:

A room cut into rock.

Behind all the exposed rooms there are many tunnels leading to other inner chambers. For those who aren’t claustrophobic or suffering from a heart condition, you can climb through the caves:

The caves were cool and pleasant. On a hot day it's worth risking a panic attack to get relief from the sun.

There aren’t really directions, signs, or tour guides. A visitor finds herself meandering about without any clear path to follow. Luckily my host sisters knew the way and I followed. (There were a few times when I wondered how many unfortunate European tourists went in but never came back out.) We would go down into the caves, walk hunched over through the tunnels, and then at the most unexpected moment be spit back out into the sunlight:

Out of the tunnel and into the light.

After Vardzia was destroyed by that earthquake in the 13th century, it continued on for hundreds of years as a monastery. There are actually some very dedicated monks who still live there and care for the chapel and the ruins. The chapel is small but beautiful, full of icons and frescoes. Here is an example of one located just outside of the chapel:

This friendly saint seems to be saying "Hello! Welcome! Do come in for some tea."

The view looking out from some of the rooms and towers is also spectacular:

If one wanted to keep watch for invading Mongols, this might be a nice place to stand.

Finally, we made our way all the way across the mountain and the city.  Here is a shot from the other side:

A view of Vardzia from the other side.

So that’s a (long) summary of my visit to the ruins of Vardzia. Since my family has a house nearby, I’m sure I will be making my way back to the area many times. In fact, in a few weekends we are headed there to celebrate მარიამობა, or Mariamoba, or St. Mary’s Day. There is talk of lamb slaughtering. Stay tuned…