An Archaeological Study Tour
Georgia & Armenia
October 3 – 22, 2007
Led by Dr. Mattanyah Zohar


The small republics of Georgia and Armenia have for thousands of years served as a crossroads of cultures. Archaeological evidence suggests that they are the sites of the oldest presence of humans outside of Africa, as well as the origin of wine making and metalworking. Nomads from Central Asia and traders from the ancient Near East, travelers and conquerors, all stopped here and left their mark. Out of these rich cultures came skilled craftsmen producing an art style that influenced all of Europe and filled the museums of these two countries with extraordinary works of art in gold, silver and other metals. The architecture of Georgia and Armenia is still another expression of their cultural identities and is most evident in their ecclesiastic buildings so uniquely designed and richly decorated with wall paintings, icons, reliefs and textiles quite different from one another. As we explore their mountain villages, bustling capitals and glorious landscapes, their history and their art and music, we will come to know the heart and soul of the Caucasus.

Wednesday, Thursday, October 3 & 4: TBILISI: Our Turkish Air flight departs from New York late Wednesday evening. We will transit in Istanbul where we have arranged day rooms at Polat Renaissance Airport Hotel, and continue on to Tbilisis Thursday night.


Friday, October 5: TBILISI: After an introductory lecture and lunch, our tour begins with an introduction to the country’s ethnic diversity at the Grishashvili Museum of History and Ethnography, housed in a 19th-century caravanserai, and continues at the Synagogue and the 6th-century Anchiskhati Basilica. Our stay will be at the new Marriott Courtyard Hotel, centrally located in the heart of the city.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Saturday, October 6: TBILISI: Touring begins at the the Metechi Church, which occupies one of the most important historical sites in the city. After walking up to Narikala Fortress, we continue to the Janashia Museum of Georgia, where the country’s major archaeological finds are displayed, including a fabulous treasury of gold from ancient Akhalgori and Trialeti, and jewelry from the Iberian rulers of the first century AD. After lunch we will stroll through the maze of twisting streets of colorfully painted wooden houses to visit the Herekle Bath, the oldest remaining of the 68 sulfur baths that once occupied this area.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Sunday, October 7: TBILISI: Touring today takes us to Mtskheta, an important religious and trading center and capital of the eastern Georgian kingdom of Iberia from the 3rd century BC through the 5th century AD. En route we will stop at the Armazis-Khevi acropolis, the center of power until Georgia converted to Christianity, replacing pagan temples with churches, the most important of which is the Cathedral of Sveti-Tskhoveli. Returning to Tbilisi, we visit the new excavations at Dzalisi. Dinner this evening will be accompanied by a performance of Georgian music.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Monday, October 8: TBILISI: This morning we will travel up the Military Highway, which runs north through the Greater Caucasus Mountains and forms a 400-mile spine that historically separated Europe and Asia. Crossing the Jvari Pass at 7,805 feet, we will examine the unique tower architecture at Ananuri, a fortress village. Upon our return to Tbilisi we will visit the icon collection in the Art Museum. This evening Dr. Mikheil Abramishvili will speak to us about ancient metallurgy.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Tuesday, October 9: KUTAISI: Our first stop today is Uplis-tsikhe, an unusual medieval cave town that developed over hundreds of years beginning in the first millennium BC. At its height it was an important trade center, occupying 22 acres. The invasions of Tamerlane and the Mongols in the 13th century marked the beginning of its decline. The remainder of the day will be spent at the Gelati Monastery complex, visiting the Cathedral, Church of St. Nicholas, Bell Tower, Chapel, and the Academy, which was built in 1104. The day ends in Kutaisi at our comfortable family-run guesthouse, where we will be the only guests.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Wednesday, Thursday, October 10 & 11: BAKURIANI: We continue our touring at the huge Nokalakhevi Fortress. We will visit the ruins of the palaces and churches within its thick walls, as well as the site museum, and continue to ancient Vani, a major city between 700 and 100 BC. We have seen the gold and silver from this rich site in the museum in Tbilisi. The remainder of the artifacts found here are displayed in the site museum. A wonderful and scenic drive via the Borjomi Gorge brings us to the village of Bakuriani (6,000 feet), where we will spend two nights at a lovely alpine lodge, the Apollo Hotel. Our destination Thursday is Vardzia. At 10,200 feet above sea level 3,000 caves were carved out of the soft tuff and occupied under King Giorgi III (1156–84) as a stronghold against the Turks and later as a monastic settlement. This evening the archaeologist working on the Trialeti Plateau, our destination tomorrow, will join us.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner daily

Friday, Saturday, October 12 & 13: TBILISI: Friday brings us into the Lesser Caucasus to the many archaeological sites on the Trialeti Plateau. We will visit the settlements, fortresses and tombs from which the weapons, jewelry and household implements we saw in the Museum of Georgia were excavated. Our last day in Georgia will be spent visiting the Sioni Church at Bolnisi and exploring the 9th-century fortress city of Dmanisi. We will return to Tbilisi for an afternoon at leisure before our special Georgian dinner. Marriott Courtyard Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast daily, 1 lunch & 1 dinner

Sunday, October 14: YEREVAN: We will transfer to the border, where our Armenian guide awaits. After completing the formalities, we will begin our touring at two of the finest representatives of Armenian architecture, Haghpat and Sanahin Monasteries, both dating from the 10th-13th centuries. Our touring in Armenia will be in the environs of Yerevan, allowing us to use the renovated Marriott Hotel in Yerevan as our base for all but one night of our stay.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Monday, Tuesday, October 15 & 16: YEREVAN: Touring begins with Garni, a Roman temple built on a site that has been inhabited since Neolithic times. Evidence of previous cultures surround the temple. We then continue to the 13th-century Geghard, with interesting small rock-cut chapels and hermitage. Lastly, we will visit the wonderful, recently renovated History Museum. Tuesday’s touring begins at the world-famous collection of illuminated Armenian manuscripts at the Matenadaran and continues at Etchmiadzin, the seat of the Armenian patriarch and place of pilgrimage. The most important materials are displayed in small site museums throughout the city. We will see several of these museums as well as the remains of the 7th-century Cathedral of St. Gregory at Zvartnots, the cyclopean fortress at Metzamor, and the Sardarabat Archaeological and Ethnographical Museum. Monday evening our dinner will be accompanied by a performance of traditional music and dance.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch daily & 1 dinner

Wednesday, October 17: SISIAN: Leaving Yerevan, we drive south to Khor-Virap Monastery on the site of ancient Artashat. Legend has it that St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 12 years here in a well. We will explore the ancient city before continuing through a beautiful canyon to Noravank Monastery. Our next site is called Zorats Stones, which hardly describes the incredible landscape of tumuli and seemingly endless lines of standing stone circles that we will explore before moving on to a unique Tower Tomb in the village of Aghitu. We will overnight at the Basen Hotel in Sisian.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Thursday, October 18: YEREVAN: A spectacular drive along the Vorotan River Gorge brings us to Tatev Monastery. Built on the site of a pagan temple, the monastery grew in stages from the 9th through the 17th centuries. After visiting the monastery we will return to Sisian for lunch before driving back to Yerevan. Marriott Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Friday, Saturday, October 19 & 20: YEREVAN: We will spend Friday out of Yerevan visiting two ancient cities and the 7th-century Amberd Fortress, positioned on the slopes of Mt. Aragats with views over the plain. At Shamiran we find the remains of a fortified city perched between two gorges. We then visit the ancient city of Agarak, which spans the Early Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period. Saturday our touring resumes with visits to three famous sites, Urartian Erebuni, Karmir Blur (Red Hill), where excavations have uncovered an Urartian settlement, and 4th-millennium-BC Shengavit with its small museum. This evening we will exchange toasts at our farewell dinner.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch daily & 1 dinner

Sunday, Monday, October 21 & 22: TBILISI: After exploring Yerevan’s Sunday Market, we will drive through a landscape of enormous outcrops of obsidian to Lake Sevan, a turquoise jewel and a delightful place for lunch. We then recross the border into Georgia and return to the Marriott Courtyard Hotel. Our Turkish Air flight departs for New York on Monday morning with a direct connection in Istanbul.

Meals: Breakfast & 1 lunch