Betlemi Quarter and Churches

The Betlemi quarter is the slope of old houses, stairways and courtyards that rises from Kote Afkhazi Street towards the Mother of Georgia statue and the walls of Narikala. It takes its name, the Georgian form of Bethlehem, from its two churches: Lower Betlemi sits among the houses near the bottom, and Upper Betlemi stands higher up at the head of a long flight of steps known as the Betlemi stairs. Between them, narrow lanes wind past wooden balconies, vines and small gardens, and each turn opens another view over the Old Town roofs.

Most people pass through on the way up to Narikala or down from Kartlis Deda, but the quarter rewards a slower look. From the terrace by Upper Betlemi you see Sioni Cathedral, the Mtkvari and Sameba across the river. Near the foot of the slope, a courtyard on Gomi Street hides the Ateshgah, the ruin of a Zoroastrian fire temple. Steps are steep and worn, so take your time, and remember that these are lived-in homes.

The slope below the fortress lay inside Tbilisi's old walls and was settled early. The Ateshgah survives from the centuries when Persian rulers controlled the city and Zoroastrianism was practised here, and it was later put to other uses before falling into ruin. Both Betlemi churches were rebuilt more than once, and most of the houses around them date from the 19th century, after Agha Mohammad Khan's army burned the city in 1795.