Tableaus of Tbilisi - Laine Cunningham

Tbilisi is an exhilarating jumble of ancient architecture alive with a vibrant culture.

As the capital of the Republic of Georgia, Tbilisi is the country’s largest city. Situated near the Silk Road, Tbilisi has long been important in world history. Today the city showcases medieval, neoclassical, Art Nouveau, modern, and Stalinist architecture.

With its past steeped in multiculturalism, tourists can explore time periods encompassing Soviet rule and Georgian independence. Old Town Tbilisi offers local art, wine houses, and family restaurants. Local cafes serve traditional khachapuri bread alongside meat dumplings called khinkali.

After luxuriating in a sulfur bath, cross the famous Dry Bridge. Explore the Holy Trinity Cathedral, the third largest Orthodox cathedral in the world. A funicular ride to Mtatsminda Park keeps kids engaged while adults enjoy the view. Visit Kartlis Deda, the stunning statue of a woman guarding the Republic of Georgia, by hopping the aerial tramway.

Every block offers flavors from the traditional supra, or feast. Meats are grilled while you wait. Churchkhela, a candy made of boiled fruit juice and nuts, is traditionally made in the fall. Many eating establishments make their own house wine.

Stroll along Rustaveli Avenue, meet the city’s free-roaming cats and dogs, and explore Tbilisi’s Old Town and architecture with the full-color photos in Tableaus of Tbilisi: From Rustaveli Avenue to Narikala Fortress (a Travel Photo Art book).

In the Travel Photo Art series, traditional tourism panoramas mix with arthouse aesthetics. These slim, passport sized productions are your passport to new perspectives on famous places. Peer around corners and discover a unique way to interact with monuments and memorials you thought you knew.

This popular series includes titles that mix text with the pictures. Books like Notre Dame Cathedral: Our Lady of Paris, featuring photos taken months before the 2019 fire, become keepsakes associated with a specific site. Titles like Lidice Lives and Terezin and Theresienstadt are deeply meaningful for families touched by the Holocaust.

Laine Cunningham, a three-time recipient of The Hackney Award, writes fiction that takes readers around the world. Her debut novel, The Family Made of Dust, is set in the Australian Outback, while Reparation is a novel of the American Great Plains. She is the editor of Sunspot Literary Journal.