Kartli

Kartli is a large region in central Georgia. Cities Tbilisi Gori Kazbegi Khashuri Mtskheta Rustavi Tskhinvali Other destinations Ananuri — a castle and monastery overlooking the beautiful Zhinvali Reservoir David Gareja — a 6th century cave monastery on a mountain lying just meters away from Azerbaijan, with beautiful frescos Dmanisi archaeological site — a bronze age settlement and the 1.8 million year-old fossilized remains of the first human in Europe have been discovered here Uplistsikhe — a 3,600 year old Silk Road cave city that was a major regional center of Caucasian pagan religion Mount Kazbeg — one of the highest mountains in Europe is also home to one of the most spectacularly situated monasteries in the world Shida Kartli Understand Talk Outside of Tbilisi and Mtskheta, you should not expect to encounter anyone who speaks any European languages. Georgian is the principal language throughout most of Kartli, but there is a significant section of southern Kvemo Kartli (around Gardabani), where most residents are Azeri speakers and you may be able to communicate effectively with knowledge of Turkish. In South Ossetia, you should actually avoid speaking Georgian because of the intense ethnic conflict between the Georgians and the Ossetes, who speak Ossetian, in addition to Georgian and Russian. Speaking Russian is only useful and recommended in areas where ethnic minorities live. Among the ethnic minorities Russian is the regional lingua franca and is spoken by many older people, and also by many taxi drivers. The younger generation is increasingly speaking English due to hostility towards Russia, and also because English is taught in schools since independence and has replaced Russian as a second language in schools nation-wide. When in need for help, look for younger people, as they are more likely to know some English. Get in Get around See Itineraries The Georgian Military Highway — one of the world's more spectacular roads, the highway cuts through the Greater Caucasus and was built by the Russian Empire in the 19th century to facilitate its conquest of the Caucasus Do Eat Drink Stay safe Get out This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!