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Things To Do in Tbilisi

Mother Georgia Statue


  • Tbilisi, Georgia
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  • fizzytom from Newcastle upon Tyne
  • May 21, 2009
Mother Georgia, TbilisiMore Photos
Mother Georgia – or "Kartlis Deda" as she is known in Georgian – is an enormous statue that overlooks the Georgian capital Tbilisi from Sololaki hill. The statue was erected in 1958 to commemorate the country’s 1500-year anniversary. It measures twenty metres high and is contstructed from aluminium. When you get up close it looks like it was made from pieces of that kid’s toy Meccano, all bolted together. It was created by Georgian sculptor Amashukeli.

The sentiment behind the statue lives on. Georgia is a country that has had more than its fair share of invaders but always defends herself valiantly. This is represented by the sword which Mother Georgia holds in her right hand. In the other hand she holds a cup of wine, reflecting the renowned Georgian hospitality. I found this a perfect summation of the Georgia I experienced – "You’re very welcome but do behave yourself"

Depending on the weather Mother Georgia can gleam like a piece of polished silver or loom like a leaden shadow over the city. She’s not elegant, she’s sturdy and means business.

A good idea is to combine a walk up the hill to see the statue with a visit the nearby Narikala Fortress; if you have the time or inclination you might visit the Botanical Gardens which are down the hill behind Mother Georgia. As the statue can be seen from all over the city you shouldn’t have much trouble in finding a route up the hill. However, we found that when we smiled and said hello to locals, they pointed out the route to take which was useful as there are a few narrow lanes in the streets that lead up the hill.

I’m not reviewing the fortress here so I shall move on quickly and say that once you reach the fortress just keep walking towards the statue along a narrow path in the bushes and past a rather pretty "wishing tree"; when people want something badly they tie a piece of cloth or ribbon to a branch or twig in the hope that their wishes will be granted. We had to follow the custom too of course.

The problem with Mother Georgia is that she is much better appreciated from a distance. She is so huge and the viewing area around her is so small that you can’t get a great view. However you do get a better idea of the enormity of the statue.

Unfortunately there is a lot of litter, namely empty beer cans and bottles strewn around the area. As if litter wasn’t bad enough to have so much lying around in an area that is going to be visited by tourists was quite a surprise. Once we’d walked around the base a few times and tried for the perfect snapshot there was nothing else to do. It was worth the walk to take a look but looking is all you’ll do. However as you are quite high you’ll get some good views of the city below you too and the walk is quite scenic in its own right.
From journal Tbilisi - Georgia's Heartbeat