Georgian ceramics, embroidery and jewelry are all distinctive, and may be bought in art salons or special tourist shops. Visitors may also develop a liking for locally produced wines and brandies. Antiques such as rugs and icons attract a heavy export duty and must be licensed for export by the Ministry of Culture. Goods acquired in markets or from private individuals will not come with an export license, whereas official tourist shops usually take responsibility for certification.

Currency Information:

Currency
Lari (GEL) = 100 tetri. Notes are in denominations of GEL500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. Coins are in denominations of 50, 20, 10 and 5 tetri.

Currency exchange
Euros, Roubles or US Dollars can be exchanged at special exchange shops, while other currencies must be exchanged in banks. Cash is the preferred method of payment, and visitors are advised to carry notes in small denominations. There is unlikely to be a substantial difference between rates offered by banks or bureaux de change.

Credit and debit cards
Credit cards are accepted in certain hotels. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.

Travelers cheques
Euros or US Dollars are recommended.

Currency restrictions
The import and export of local currency is unrestricted. The import of foreign currency is permitted. The export of foreign currency is limited to USUSD 500 or equivalent.

According to legend, the church is built on the spot where Christ’s crucifixion robe was dropped to the ground in AD 328, having been brought from Jerusalem by a local Jew, and fragments of the robe are said to be kept inside the cathedral.

The existing church has some impressive royal tombs, a fine icon stand and distinctive carved decoration, including bulls’ heads and semi-pagan fertility symbols. Also of interest are the Samtavro Monastery (still functioning although founded in the 11th century, it is famous as the burial place for the first Christian king, Mirian and his wife Nana) and the sixth-century Jvari Cathedral, the design of which became a prototype for Georgian ecclesiastical architecture.

Prospekt Rustaveli, Tbilisi’s main thoroughfare, features an assortment of stylish public buildings testifying to the city’s prosperity at the turn of the century. The Georgian State Museum on Prospekt Rustaveli houses a collection of icons, frescoes and porcelain, as well as an outstanding display of jewelry discovered in pre-Christian Georgian tombs.

The Georgian Museum of Arts, in the center of town, includes many works by the much-loved 19th-century ‘primitive’ artist, Niko Pirosmani. The Narikala Fortress, first established by the Persians in the fourth century AD and most recently rebuilt in the 17th century, is a good vantage point for views over the old city. Visitors can still experiment with health-giving sulphur baths in a domed, oriental-style 19th-century bath house just north of the Metekhi Bridge. Popular with visitors today, Georgian sulphur baths were also frequented by writers such as Pushkin and Tolstoy.

The open-air Museum of Ethnography, located in a western suburb, has interesting examples of rural buildings and artifacts. Davit Aghmashenebeli Prospekt is the base for the Georgian State Philharmonic Orchestra and the internationally known Georgian National Dance Troupe.

Gori
The birthplace of Iosif Dzhugashvili, better known to the world as Stalin, lies 95km (59 miles) west of Tbilisi. The town has the last surviving public statue of Stalin in the former USSR, as well as a park and a museum devoted to Stalinist hagiography. The latter has been ‘temporarily’ closed for several years, ostensibly for renovation, but more probably to give the curators pause to decide how to display their exhibition in view of prevailing attitudes to the local hero. It also contains the ruins of a 12th-century fortress and a 16th-century church dedicated to St George.

Excursions
Some 10km (6 miles) east of Gori is Uplistsikhe (Fortress of God), a large complex of natural caves. Inhabited from the sixth century BC to the 14th century AD, the caves were gradually transformed into increasingly sophisticated dwellings, shops and public buildings, including the most ancient theater in Georgia, dungeons and enormous wine cellars. The Ateni Sioni Church, 10km (6 miles) south of Gori, stands in a beautiful setting and is highly prized for its 11th-century stonecarvings and frescoes.

Tori
The spa town of Bordzhomi, 150km (93 miles) west of Tbilisi in the Tori region, produces much acclaimed mineral water. It is possible to hike in the surrounding hills. Bakuriani is located 29km (18 miles) southeast of Bordzhomi at an altitude of 1700m (5580ft). Before the current breakdown of order, Georgian tourist authorities were working to promote the studarui on the Georgian Military Highway as an international ski resort, proclaiming its clean air, uncrowded slopes and marvelous setting. There is a luxury hotel complex run by the same company that owns the Metekhi Palace in Tbilisi. 10km (6 miles) from Bakuriani, heading towards Bordzhomi, is the 12th-century Daba Monastery, and nearby a 60m (197ft) waterfall. During the summer it is also possible to visit Lake Tabatskuri, sunk into a hollow high in the mountains.

Atlanta is the capital and largest city of Georgia, a state of the United States of America. It is the county seat of Fulton County, although a portion of the city (the 1909 annex) is located in DeKalb County. According to the latest census estimates (as of December, 2004), the city had a population of 425,000 and the fast-growing Atlanta metropolitan area totaled 4,708,297, making it the ninth-largest metropolitan area in the United States and the 41st-largest city proper. Atlanta is arguably a poster-child for cities worldwide experiencing rapid urban sprawl, population growth, and commercial development. As a result, Atlanta is a common case study for college students who study Urban Geography around the globe.

The Atlanta area was originally inhabited by Cherokee and Creek Indians, and was named Standing Peachtree. In 1823, the area was opened to white settlement. It remained mostly woods until 1836, when the area was chosen as the southern “Terminus” of a railroad from Chattanooga. A local settlement called “Thrashersville” (near present-day Philips arena, home of the Atlanta Thrashers) was renamed “Terminus,” but in 1843 the town was renamed “Marthasville,” after the wife of the governor of Georgia. The business community, however, was concerned that such a name wouldn’t sell, and a new name, “Atlanta,” was chosen in 1845 as much more marketable. Hence, from the start “Atlanta” began as a transportation hub and marketing center. The town was incorporated as the “city” of Atlanta in 1847, and by 1860 the population was 9,554.

Atlanta was largely destroyed by Union forces during the Civil War, but was chosen as the state capital in 1868, having been established as the site of command for Union soldiers and the Reconstruction administration. In the 1880’s, a revival was led by newspaperman Henry Grady, who advocated Atlanta as the “capital of the New South.” By 1890 Atlanta had 65,000 residents and was one of the 50 largest cities in America, a distinction Atlanta has held for over 110 years. In the 20th century, Atlanta was a center for the American Civil Rights Movement and served as the host city for the Centennial 1996 Summer Olympics.

One of the city’s nicknames, “The Phoenix City”, relates to its rise after the Civil War. The phoenix appears in many of Atlanta’s symbols, including its seal and flag. In the 1940s and 1950s, former Atlanta mayor William B. Hartsfield called Atlanta “The City Too Busy to Hate”. In addition, it has also been called the “New York of the South” in response to one of Georgia’s own nicknames, “The Empire State of the South.” Atlanta may also be known as ATL, a colloquialism for the city (also the IATA airport code for the airport).

Atlanta is circled by Interstate 285, which has come to delineate the interior of the city from the surrounding suburbs. This has given rise to calling residents inside the “Perimeter” (local parlance for I-285) as ITP (Inside the Perimeter) and those in the suburbs OTP (Outside the Perimeter). The Perimeter is Atlanta’s equivalent to the Capital Beltway around Washington, DC.

Atlanta has such a great economic impact on the state and the surrounding region that cities and towns up to 60 miles away are considered ‘exurbs’, defined by the fact that people depend on their livelihoods by commuting to work in the city, rapidly growing what is called Metro Atlanta.