My visit to Gori, Georgia: In the shadow of Stalin

My travels have always been an opportunity to discover places with their natural beauty, but they are also a gateway to delving into history. I have a well-established habit of visiting historical landmarks that hold people's memories, from museums to ancient cities to the homes of figures who shaped events. I think history is not only read in books, but can be touched on walls, smelled in the details of places, and felt in the silence of alleys.

With this motivation, during my short visit to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, I dedicated a day to visiting Gori, the birthplace of Joseph Stalin. Regardless of the differing opinions about this controversial figure, Stalin's biography remains a pivotal part of twentieth-century history that cannot be overlooked.

I left the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, with my traveling companion, friend, and relative Shaker Al-Tamimi, heading west in a rental car toward Gori, the birthplace of Joseph Stalin, the man who changed the face of the twentieth century. The distance was relatively short, no more than 90 kilometers. Still, the journey felt like a time traveler, taking me back to the beginning of the last century, where one of the most controversial political and human stories began.

I arrived in Gori after about an hour and a half of driving through greenery and soft hills. The city was quiet and straightforward; at first glance, it didn't seem to have given birth to a figure of Stalin's stature. The traces of historical memory quickly emerged as I approached the Stalin Museum, a building that stands proudly in the center of the city, as if still retaining the awe of the past.

My museum tour began at the small wooden house where Stalin was born in 1878—a modest, one-room house with a tiled roof, now surrounded by a marble pavilion that protects it from the ravages of time. I contemplated its simple details and wondered how a child born in this place could later become one of the world's most powerful rulers.

I then moved on to the main museum building, a Stalin-style building with its massive facade and heavy columns. The museum houses photographs, documents, and personal belongings of Stalin, from his military uniform to the smoking pipes he used. It also houses rare photos from his youth, a map of his military campaigns, and propaganda films that reflect the image of the leader as the authorities intended.

What particularly caught my attention was the green carriage Stalin used for transportation during World War II, which stood in the museum garden as if still awaiting his final departure. I entered the carriage and contemplated its simple interior, imagining how many fateful decisions might have been made.

A visit to Gori was not just a tourist trip; it was a silent confrontation with history, a history that carries within it many questions about power, justice, and the price people pay when power is reduced to a single person.

I left the museum with a heavy heart and walked briefly through Gori's quiet streets before returning to Tbilisi. I knew I had visited a place that could not be viewed with one eye; A place that arouses admiration and fear, forcing you to contemplate the meanings of power and destiny.