• Betlemi quarter

    Image: Daro Sulakauri

  • Betlemi quarter

    Image: Daro Sulakauri

  • Betlemi quarter

    Image: Daro Sulakauri

  • Betlemi quarter

    Image: Daro Sulakauri

Betlemi quarter

Clinging to the cliff underneath the oft-photographed Mother of Georgia Statue, this handful of streets, terraces and staircases are the finest part of Old Tbilisi. Betlemi Ascent is a massive flight of impressively engineered stone steps that lead up to a series of small plazas, painstakingly restored by local and international preservation experts. The 18th century Zemo Betlemi Church sits in a garden with a footpath up to Mother of Georgia. Pass under the bell tower onto Upper Betlemi Street to find some of the most gravity-defying balconies in the city. The Ateshgah Fire Temple is an amazing relic from the time when Zoroastrianism competed with Christianity in Tbilisi. You have to knock, but the friendly neighbours will show you in.