Kutaisi

Kutaisi is the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Colchis. For many years, when the Arabs occupied Tbilisi, Kutaisi was the capital of Georgia. Its golden age was the period between the reigns of King Bagrat and Queen Tamar (roughly 900 AD – 1200 AD) and many of its significant buildings date from this time. Now, it’s the major city of the Imereti region and the people here are renowned for their sense of humour. Kutaisi is also home to a special ‘khachapuri’ – the delicious cheese bread that’s unique to Georgia.

Kutaisi has a Colchis fountain in Davit Agmashenebeli Square based on gold jewellery found at the Vani archaeological site. This fountain opened in 2011 and replaced a statue of King David the Builder, which was moved to the Kutaisi railway station. 

The Kutaisi State Historical Museum exhibits qvevri burial pitchers used in Colchis for burying females, whereas men were wrapped in leather and hung from trees. A fertility figure from Baghdati (just south of Kutaisi) with both breasts and phallus dates from between the 8th and 6th Century BC and is the museum’s most famous exhibit although the museum’s collection of early icons from the 10th Century must run the figure a close second. 

North of the bus station is the modern parliament building that was only used between 2012 and 2019, designed by the Spanish architect Alberto Domingo Cabo, who was channelling his inner Calatrava when he designed this building. It looks like a sausage roll with a little pastry and where the sausage is glass. A 1980s war memorial that Vladimir Putin suggested be moved to Moscow previously occupied the land, however President Saakashvili had the memorial blown to pieces in 2009, perhaps in retaliation for the Russian invasion of South Ossetia the previous year. Unfortunately, some of the concrete from the memorial killed two people in the courtyard of their house a considerable distance away.