Kutaisi: Jewish Quarter and Pantheon

What to expect

Winding through the streets and alleys, stepping into quiet courtyards, discussing the daily life and destinies of Kutaisi Jews, we will climb to the Mtsvane Kvavila monastery, where the small Kutaisi Pantheon is located - the cemetery of famous city residents. I will tell you about composer Meliton Balanchivadze, artist Valerian Mizandari, film documentarian Vasili Amashukeli, screenwriter Rezo Cheishvili, and others.

And you will also learn:

• When Jews appeared on the territory of Georgia.
• Whether the relationship between the local population and the Jewish diaspora has always been neighborly.
• What the mixture of Hebrew and Georgian languages is called.
• How many Jewish families live in Kutaisi today.
• Who Boris Gaponov is and why the central street of the quarter is named after him.

By the end of the walk, you will admire the view from above of the Jewish quarter, the Rioni River, and the Bagrati Cathedral. And I will recommend where else you can go in Kutaisi.