Tbilisi: Where Past Meets Present-A Journey with Friends

We landed before dawn on Turkish Airlines. The arrivals hall was almost empty; our flight seemed to be the city’s wake-up call. Broad roads soon narrowed into the veins of Old Tbilisi, where wooden balconies hang like grape clusters. There I met my Canadian-based friend Samer, joined by Farah and Shakir—a pale-rose sunrise welcomed us.

History’s Pulse beneath Narikala

The fourth-century Narikala Fortress crowns the city. Below, Persian, Ottoman, and European façades mingle. In Abanotubani, sulfur steam rises from the baths, which gives Tbilisi its name (“tbili” = warm). Crossing the glass Bridge of Peace felt like watching the old city gaze into a modern mirror.

Tbilisi’s Only Mosque — Harmony in Stone

Amid the cobbled lanes stands Tbilisi’s only mosque—small in scale, vast in meaning. Its minaret rises beside church bells and sulfur domes, proving that the call to prayer can harmonize with chimes in a city seasoned by centuries of coexistence. One grasps Tbilisi’s tolerant soul from this spot before venturing deeper into its maze.

Rustaveli Avenue, a Stone Opera

Our hop-on bus rolled along Rustaveli Avenue—neo-classical opera house, old parliament, rose-hued theatre—while locals strolled with strong quiche coffee in hand.

Sameba Cathedral, Beacon of Identity

Across the Mtkvari River, the golden domes of Holy Trinity Cathedral glow over the skyline, symbolising Georgia’s post-independence revival.

Mosaic of People, Flavours and Nightlife

In Sololaki, we devoured khinkali dumplings and cheese-rich khachapuri, then slipped underground into an electronic-music club—evidence of Tbilisi’s rising nightlife fame.

Urban Challenges

Rush-hour jams, time-worn wooden houses, patchy infrastructure. Yet cable cars, façade grants, and riverside parks show a city determined to evolve without losing its soul.

Farewell

Tbilisi is not a pendulum between eras but the a river uniting two banks. I leave, assured its balconies still whisper new stories awaiting our return.