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Motsameta Motsameta (8th-11th cc) - monastery near Kutaisi. The brothers David and Konstantine Mkheidzes, the Lords of the region, were assassinated here by Arabs in the 8th c for refusing to reject their Christian belief. Their sacred relics are kept in a crypt of the church. A monastery was built on the site of the church in the 11th c by King Bagrat. Georgian word "Motsameta" in English means "Place of Believers". Not far from Motsameta (in about a mile) there is "Sakazhia" cave where upper Paleolithic items were discovered by archaeologists. |
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Geguti Geguti - the summer residence of Georgian Kings (ruins of a palace near Kutaisi). Hunters lodge with large fireplace dates back to the 8th c. Construction of the residence was continued in the 12th-13th cc. Geguti was the favorite place of David the Builder, Demetre I, George III, Queen Tamar. |
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Nikortsminda Nikortsminda - To the north of Kutaisi, in the hilly Racha region, is Nikortsminda church which was built by King Bagrat III in the 11th Century. Nikortsminda is notable for its stone carvings. |
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Sataplia Sataplia Nature Reserve ("Honey-bearing") - Mount Sataplia is an extinct volcano, 9 km to the northwest of Kutaisi. Within it are caves with stalactites and stalagmites, and an underground streams. Concrete paths and lighting enable ordinary people to visit the caves. Paleolithic tools were discovered and fossilized footprint traces of dinosaurs have been unearthed near the cave entrance who passed across the mountainside millions of years ago. |
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