Georgian National Museum/Museum of Soviet Occupation
After circling the block of the Georgian National Museum three times because google maps swore the Museum of Soviet Occupation was in a separate building/location, I finally popped into the massive museum to ask for directions. It turns out the Museum of Soviet Occupation occupies the top floor of the National Museum and everything is included in one joint ticket. (Essentially it is not a separate museum, but an entire wing of the National Museum devoted to life during Soviet times, but to label it as such would just be too easy!)
As for the National Museum, it contains the usual mix of natural history, archaeological relics and ethnographic trinkets, all of which could warrant a quick peek if you’re looking to escape the heat in a pleasant air conditioned environment, but otherwise I’d suggest taking the grand staircase directly to the history lesson on the top floor.
Like their Armenian and Azerbaijani neighbors, Georgians took advantage of the Russian revolution in 1917 to declare their own independence the following year. Freedom didn’t automatically equate to things being smooth sailing for the new republic; tensions with Armenia lead to led to over-extended defenses that stood no chance against the Bolshevik invasion in 1921 that forced all three Caucasus nations to become founding members of the Soviet Union. This occupation would last seventy years until Georgia once again declared independence in 1991.
Georgians resisted Soviet rule with bloody consequences. The aristocracy was always going to be a prime target for the Bolsheviks, but members of academia, the intelligentsia and the arts were often imprisoned and killed alongside those formerly in positions of power. In total, between 1921-41, 72,000 Georgians were shot and killed; 200,000 others were deported.
Nearly 400,000 Georgians fought for the Red Army in WWII, but this did not stop rebellions against the Soviets to cease at home. Between 1942-52 another 5,000 Georgians were shot and killed and 190,000 others were deported. One of the bloodiest riots occurred later in 1956 when 100 university students were shot and killed in Tbilisi.
As the Soviet Union weakened, Georgians increased their efforts to gain independence, which finally came to pass on April 9, 1991. Sadly, independence did not equal peace and prosperity; the 1990s proved to be just as bloody and filled with war as the previous years of occupation. Two regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which had been autonomous oblasts in the Soviet Union, contained large Georgian populations and were believed to be part of Georgia by the Tbilisi government. This caused two wars to break out and hundreds of thousands of people were displaced. Russia intervened and the two regions are still in dispute today.
Corruption was also at an all-time high during the 1990s. Georgia may have been independent, but all of the politicians were still holdovers from the Soviet era. Between the civil wars and the mistrust in the government, the Georgian people had reached a breaking point. For nearly a month in 2003, the citizens marched on the parliament in Tbilisi with roses in their hands, calling for the current president to resign, which he eventually did in a bloodless transfer of power. This became known as the Rose Revolution and marked a turning point for cleaning up corruption in Georgia. (Georgia recently elected their first female President, Salome Zourabichvili, who will serve until 2024.)
Jewish Tbilisi
While a great majority of Georgians are members of the Georgian Orthodox Church, there has always been a tight-knit community of Georgian Jews. The made their home in Old Town and, where you will find the main synagogues and cultural institutions, the most import of which is The Great Synagogue of Tbilisi.
The Great Synagogue was completed in 1903, becoming one of the central pillars of the Jewish community in turn-of-the-century Tbilisi. In 1923, two years after the occupation of Georgia began, the Soviets took control of the synagogue. It was not until the 1990s when the building was returned to Jewish leaders.
Nearby in the traditional Jewish Quarter of Old Town is the David Baazov Museum of Jewish History. The museum (in one incarnation or another) was established in 1914, but was shut down for 18 years during the Soviet occupation. The Nazis never conquered Georgia, but nevertheless the Georgians are quick to point that not a single Georgian Jew was killed in the Holocaust. The community and their synagogues were spared the horrors that other Jews during WWII could not escape. The museum is small, but has interesting artifacts and exhibits on how Georgian Jews celebrate the major holidays.
Dry Bridge Flea Market
I confess that shopping isn’t high on my travel to-do list, but hitting up the Dry Bridge Flea Market is an experience not to be missed. The market oozes into every little side street and back alley on the west side of the Mtkvari and the sky’s the limit on what you can find here. The whole thing is like Ariel’s Part-of-Your-World treasure trove on the Little Mermaid: it’s got gadgets and gizmos aplenty; there are whozits and whatzits galore. Of course, for history buffs the biggest draw is the vendors selling old Soviet coins, medals and busts of Lenin and Stalin. There’s also a large collection of old knives and sabers- all of which are most certainly not TSA approved.
Abanotubani (Sulfur Baths)
The Abanotubani, otherwise known as the sulfur baths, were one of Tbilisi’s unexpected highlights for me. Truth be told, I would never have gone had I not been peer-pressured by two newfound friends at Pushkin 10 Hostel. It’s just not my thing- or so I thought- but I loved the experience so much that I returned the next day as well. (You really do have to make a conscious effort to push yourself to try new things sometimes.)
Several companies operate baths under the dome-shaped brick complex- the oldest dating back 300 years- and there are both public and private baths. The three of us decided upon the Orbeliani Baths, which offer private rooms complete with a bath, sauna and tea service. To go alone would have been a little pricey, but splitting the room three ways for an hour was more than reasonable. The water is HOT (my two friends were not bath virgins like I was and they had a good laugh at my gasps when I first got in!) and your skin does smell like rotten eggs afterwards, but I’ll be damned if there isn’t something magical in the water because I felt completely rejuvenated and ready to run a marathon post-dip. It’s easy to laugh off the purported health benefits of healing joint pain and increasing circulation as marketing ploys, but after experiencing the sulfur waters myself, I’m a believer.
In the evenings, the people of Tbilisi come to hang out around the baths and listen to street musicians sing and dance. It’s a nice place to buy some ice cream, people-watch and soak up the sunset and sounds of the city.
