Ch 43, Day 2: Georgia's Painful History

 33.5
kms, July 15, 2021

Usually
the big highlight of a hiking through a country is reaching its
capital. In Armenia, that took more that three weeks. Here in
Georgia, the Traveler hopes to reach the capital of Tbilisi in 2
days, and is really looking forward to that.

But
that doesn't mean there's nothing to look forward to after that. What
really excites him is reaching the snow covered mountains up along
the border with Russia. He hopes it will be an opportunity to
experience Alps-style mountain grandeur on a much, much tighter
budget.

But
let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Right now it looks like
there's still a lot more trudging along in withering heat. He
determines he's not going to let this affect his morale.

The
highway climbs a gentle ridge north of Marneuli. Here is a large
statue of a woman with two young boys in front, the boys holding a
giant sheathed sword.

The
Traveler goes for a closer look. It doesn't quite have that
brutalist Soviet feel—but he still can't figure out... is it an old
Soviet war memorial? A Georgian independence memorial? Is that
supposed to be Mother Russia and her two “children” Georgia and
Armenia? Not likely, as Georgia seems to be trying to put its
Russia-rule phase in the past as quickly as it can. Here the
Traveler gazes to the south to the open plain where the Pambak River
flows into the Mtkvari/Kura, the “Mother River” of the the
Caucasus. Then the, farmland abruptly ends and the arid hillsides
begin.

The
Traveler has to admit, he's a bit of a blank slate when it comes to
knowledge about this country. He already had some knowledge of
Armenia before visiting there, having seen films and learned about
their genocide.. having lived in an Armenian neighborhood in Los
Angeles, eating from an Armenian bakery and getting his hair cut by
an Armenian barber. He already has ideas and emotions connected to
that culture, its couragous yet tragic history and its connection
with the rest of the world. Armenians, like Jews, have worked hard to
make sure the world knows the wrongs that have been done to them.

But
Georgia? He's embarrassed to admit that he knows very little. But
he's is eager to learn. And since he will be hiking across the
entire country, he will have plenty of opportunity to do so.

Not
far up ahead is a semi-abandoned grove and a monument of sorts, that
looks somewhat abandoned, 8 pillars joining to form a tower at the
top, with what looks like a symbolic “crown of thorns” of sorts?
Nearby are broken stones with Medieval style engravings of battle
scenes. A plaque, written in Georgian has the date “1625”.

It
seems to be a monument to a battle. A monument no one really cares
about any more. Later the Traveler looks it up, and sure enough, in
1625 the Georgians were rebelling against the Safavid Persian Empire.
Abbas I, the Persian emperor ordered his governors in the Caucasus to
round up their soldiers to help put down this rebellion, and they
did, a large army being sent from present day Azerbaijan.

The
Persians army numbered some 60,000 men and the Georgian were merely
20,000 men with outdated weapons. But when the Georgians swept down
from the highlands that separate this valley from Tbilisi, they
routed the Persian army and it looked liked their victory was
guaranteed. But as they started celebrating a bit too early, the new
reinforcements from Azerbaijan, came and the tide was turned. It
ended up being a disaster for the Georgians with many of their
generals and nobles killed. Georgia would continue to be a conquered
regions shuffled between the “Big Three” of this part of the
world: the Persians, Ottomans and Russians.

When
the Traveler reads about this, he is suddenly reminded of his
conversations with Azeri Georgians the day before. As often happens
in this part of the world, it would be very easy for Georgians to
scapegoat ethnic Azeris as the “traitors who destroyed their
country” 400 years ago. It would be easy for Azeris in Georgia to
dream of living the “Glory Days” when “they” ruled this part
of the world.

But
no... it doesn't seem to be happening. Both Georgians and Azeris are
living in the present, not the past, it seems. Hopefully things will
stay this way. Sometimes agitators do like to dust off forgotten
grudges to stir up trouble and division for their own ends.

There
is something different going on here in Georgia, and the Traveler
wants to learn more.

History
of Georgia

So
what is the history of this country and the Georgian identity? He
figures he should start with a quick overview, at least.

However,
as the Traveler hikes through this country, he will realize more and
more that defining “Georgia” can be quite elusive. Already he's
spent a day hike through a part of the country where people proudly
identify as Azeri. Later he will explore other parts of the country
where people identify as Svan, Migrelian or Adjari—identities which
predate a clear Georgian identity. Some of these people will quickly
clarify “I'm Svan and Georgian” or “I'm Migrelian and
Georgian”.

From
the 6^th to 1^st century BC, the Kingdom of
Colchis was formed, which some regard as the first Georgian state—as
the term “Colchians” was used for the various tribes along the
Black Sea—far from what is now the “heart” of Georgia. There
was another empire further inland, Iberia (not related to present day
Iberia) which the Traveler will learn more about later.

Georgia
happens to have a rather unfortunate geographic location, squeezed
between mountains and the Black Sea, making it the obvious passageway
for pretty much any ambitious army passing through this region.
Reading about its history, the Traveler is confused as he reads about
invasion after invasion.. occupation after occupation... with brief
periods of respite when Georgians (as they came to identify
themselves) has some level of autonomy. But even during the “good
times” the regions was often chopped up into tiny
kingdoms—divisions that still haunt this country today. The
Greeks... Romans... Byzantines... Seljuks... Persians... Arabs...
Turks... all took turns sweeping across this land, wrecking havoc
along the way.

Georgia
did enjoy a brief “Golden Age” under Queen (yes, queen) Tamar the
Great. She led Georgia from being the conquered to the conquerer in
the late 1100s, driving back the Turks and taking over what is now
Armenia and forming an actual empire. It looked like Georgia had
finally caught a break and was joining the exclusive club of the “Big
Players”.

Not
so fast. Yeah, once Georgia finally was able to stand up to the
neighborhood empires, another empire, the Khwarezmian attacked and
defeated Georgia in 1225 allegedly killing 100,000 people for
refusing to renounce Christianity. Then, a bunch of dudes from the
other side of the planet swept through on horseback, crushing this
region once again. Yeah, those guy, the Mongols.

The
struggle with the Mongol overlords went back and for for nearly 200
years, sometimes Georgia was able to hold its ground and even regain
some of its territory. Other times it was re-invaded over and over
again. In the late 1300s, Georgia was invaded 8 times—by just
emperor!

“Timurlane
was more interested in conquering the Ottomans,” a young Georgian
explains “Georgia was just on his way. But that would mean that
Georgia would be devastated whenever Timurlane passed through.” He
gets a chuckle as he tells about the crude, insulting messages Timur
would use to taunt the Ottoman sultan.

Whenever
the Traveler talks to a Georgian about the seemingly endless
invasions and tragedies, he doesn't get the sense that they carry
this weight of sorrow and anger from the suffering and abuse of their
ancestors. The Traveler almost gets the feeling that Georgians are
proud of this.

“So
many times we've been attacked... people have tried to wipe us out...
but here we are! We're still standing!” seems to be the attitude.

It's
a very different approach to history than what the Traveler saw in
Armenia. A much more “glass half full” attitude.

And
the more the Traveler learns about this country the more he shares in
this awe for how Georgians have managed to preserve their identity
and come as far as they have despite the odds.

He
continues up over a ridge that it topped with a giant Georgian cross.
Georgians did flip flop a bit between being Muslim and Christian.
During Ottoman and Persian rule, many did see conversion as a way of
“working their way up” within those empires. But nowadays, the
Georgian Christian faith is closely intertwined with the Georgian
identity—although there is a small minority of ethnic Georgians
near the Turkish border who identify as Muslim.

One
nice gesture Turkey and Georgia agreed on, was that Turkey would be
allowed to rehabilitate some old mosques in Georgia, and Georgia
would be allowed to rehabilitate some old monasteries in Turkey. If
only all Christian and Muslim neighbors could interact that way! The
Traveler muses.

Tucked
in the valley up ahead is another oasis of green around the village
of Koda, then up over another ridge is Kumisi with even
a more scattered feel. It does seem that there are quite a few
family plots that aren't being used much—even though this area is a
reasonably short commute to the nation's capital. Villages feel like
they haven't been developed too much since Soviet times—with the
exception of the shiny, windows-covered police stations...

The
Quiet Road throught the Highlands

The
Traveler is getting tired of following the busy highway and it looks
like there is a back road he can take up into the highlands and then
down into Tbilisi, Georgia's capital on the other side. He is
running a bit late, but he still decides he'll go ahead and try this
route. So, he takes a quiet road that heads northwest, that slowly
climbs up into the highlands that Georgian's once used to launch the
spectacular attack on the Persians some 400 years ago. There are
just a couple of little farmplots along the way, using wells to water
what looks like parched, arid soil. They look more like courageous
pioneers in new territory, not folks who have been farming this land
for generations.

It's
a bizarre feeling to know he's approaching one of the greatest cities
of the Caucaus—and yet it feels that he's wandering off into a
forgotten and and abandoned region. The little traffic there is
veers off across a ravine to the village of Sameba on the other side,
and the road gets so bad it's barely driveable. It seems this was an
old highway, now only used by a rare, very determined driver.

It
gets even more isolated as the Traveler gets off the road to take
shortcuts through the switchbacks, occasionally gazing back at the
wide open Mtkvari River plains behind him. He is all alone—except
for a herd of sheep with no shepherd, grazing the little green there
is amidst the thorny scrub.

And
then, civilization again. At first a couple scattered houses, then
the pleasant village of Tabakhmela, which feels quite modern
with paved road, middle class houses and spiffy new buses that
shuttle folks from here to Tbilisi. After getting here on an
abandoned road, this place feels like a metropolis in the middle of
nowhere.

No
one seems to notice the Traveler as he wanders through, perhaps
because he's approaching a big city where people don't notice each
other as much. Here, it seems clear the ethnicity is predominantly
Georgian, not Azeri any more.

Finally
he reaches a busy road which links this highland area to Tbilisi
proper, and once again the Traveler finds himself walking along busy
traffic. He already misses the quiet abandoned highway...

And
then he sees it. The Great City of Tbilisi sprawled out in a valley
below. He quickens his place, hoping to be able to get some good
pictures of the panorama before it gets dark. Here, there are more
upscale houses being built. It seems this is where some of the
wealthier folks of Tbilisi are moving to to enjoy a view of the city
below.

Again,
the Traveler opts to take a side road to avoid the busy road, but
this side road turns out to be pretty busy too—and dangerously
narrow, full of traffic of commuters heading home from work.

Finally
he leaves Tabakhmela behind as the road zigzags down a
scrubby, semi—wooded mountainside, mostly undisturbed. Below he
gets intriguing glimpses of different facts of the city... forests of
modern apartment buildings on one side... a fortress atop a cliff
overlooking a beautiful river on the other... urbanization stretching
out into the far sides of the valley. The Traveler is getting more
and more excited about exploring this great city, the biggest city of
his hike through Europe to date.

The
problem is it's getting dark and increasingly dangerous to walk along
the windy, shoulderless road. The Traveler get's off into the scrub
to see if their are any other alternatives. According to Google
Maps, he is very close to Narikala Fortress which overlooks the city.
But it turns out there's a deep gorge separating the Traveler from
this fortress. But he does find a semi-trail through the scrub, which
is a bit treacherous as the ground is littered with little cactuses
nestled in the grass. Not a good thing when it's getting dark.

The
Traveler scurries on, sometimes having to blaze his own trail,
crossing his fingers hoping he won't end up at dead end atop a cliff.
Finally he finds the trail again and heaves a sigh of relief, as it
seems clear this trail will take him to the city. Here he can
finally pause and soak in what he is seeing.

The
View of Tbilisi

The
Traveler gazes out to the fascinating cityscape. It's clear, from
one sweeping gaze, that there's a lot going on here. There are
intriguing old-looking neighborhoods packed on the mountainside.
Towering skyscrapers elsewhere. The Beautiful Mtkvari River running
through the middle. Across it are bridges—some old... one
super-modern looking, a covered bridge with a grand swooping roof (a
pedestrian bridge, it turns out, dubbed the “Peace Bridge”)...
There are beautiful building clinging to the side of a long cliff
overlooking the river... A giant balloon rising up over the city...
the clifftop castle... and charming lit up churches and chapels at
high points, clearly the highlights of this cityscape.

Yes,
this is a city to immerse himself in. It's clearly very different
from Yerevan. Yerevan was beautiful and really made the Traveler
feel at home. But there was a bit of sameness to it. Tbilisi looks
like a very eclectic city with a sorts stuff mixed together. And
arriving on a cactus covered trail he sort of blazed himself through
the mountains, reaching this view right as the sun is disappearing in
the west, is the grandest intro the Traveler could imagine.

He
continues on down, following the trail, as it suddenly reaches a
mountainside neighborhood, where it reaches a stairway that feels
he's entering someone's inner courtyard... but no, in a matter of
seconds he goes from hiking a rugged mountainside to a narrow dead in
alley that feels like a mix between a Moroccan medina and a Brazilian
favela. Soon it turns into a slightly larger road that reaches the
bottom of the Leghvtakhevi Canyon, which is a stream that is packed
with culture and fascinating architecture built around—and even on
top of it. A beautiful Iranian-style mosque a short ways upstream...
Building will grand multi-floor balconies... and the main one: a
large Turkish bath complex that feels straight out of the Ottoman
era.

Of
course... it was. The Ottomans once ruled this city, and they
inflicted a lot of pain and destruction on Georgian culture, as did
all of the other invaders and occupiers. But they also built
stuff—cool stuff... and, Georgia clearly seems to embrace and
maintains the structures that remain from these different eras.

The
Traveler goes inside, thinking a Turkish bath would be a nice reward
after a long day of hiking, but it's a but more expensive than he's
willing to pay... so he settles for a deligious meal in a classy
restaurant near the river. Around him are people from around the
world. Many folks from the Middle East—including women covered
from head to toe alongside their husbands. And even though Georgian
relationship with Russia is still difficult—and Georgians can't
visit Russia, Russian tourists are welcome to visit Georgia.

The
Traveler just sits back and soaks it all in. This city is going to
be a lot of fun... he knows it. And, like Yerevan, lodging at a
hostel is quite cheap here. He finds one up a quiet side streat
right near Liberty Square, in the heart of the city.

Here,
he does have an experience that does slightly mar his intro to
Tbilisi, but it's not Georgia's fault. His room is full of Egyptians
who just glare at him when he enters the room as if he's invading
their territory, so he decide not to bother trying to make friends.
They seem unschooled in “hostel etiquette” and go on to talk
loudly and watch videos pretty much the entire night, making it
difficult to sleep. He's not sure if they are just uneducated
tourists, or coming here to look for work, but the experience does
bring back flashbacks of some of the more unpleasant encounters in
the Middle East...