03Cities and regions

Imereti

Kutaisi and Imereti

Kutaisi is Georgia's third city, with about 161,000 people, on the Rioni River 221 kilometres west of Tbilisi. It is the capital of Imereti and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. On Ukimerioni Hill in the centre stands Bagrati Cathedral, an early 11th-century stone building restored step by step since the 1950s. A few kilometres northeast lies Gelati Monastery, begun in 1106 as a centre of learning; its main church was finished in 1130 and holds murals from the 12th century, and the complex is a World Heritage Site. Nature is close by too. Prometheus Cave runs for about 11 kilometres, of which 1,800 metres and six of its 22 halls are open to visitors. Martvili Canyon is 2,400 metres long and 50 to 70 metres deep, with waterfalls, and Okatse Canyon plunges to 100 metres. Allow two days for the city, the cave and the canyons; Kutaisi airport is 14 kilometres away.

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Population

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Distance from Tbilisi

1106

Gelati Monastery begun

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Open section of Prometheus Cave