A woman drinks tea while standing at a window in Ushguli. Georgians visit the Jvari Monastery (built in the 6th century) in Mtskheta. Georgia was the second country to adopt Christianity as its religion. Three kids watch television in the village of Adishi. Only 6 children live in the village helping their families with farming when not attending school which is 3 hours drive from their home. Young people hang out at night around Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. Georgians visit the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta, the burial ground of the main kings of Georgia and the most important cathedral in the country. A few older ladies sit under the gate leading to the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta. Laundry hangs past the ruins of a deserted house in the village of Adishi. Most residents have left the village preferring more comfortable housing. Only 6 families have chosen to stay living among many buildings that are in ruins. A man (R) talks with two monks at the LaMaria Monastery (built in the 12th century) in Ushguli. Young Polish tourists stand on top of a historic Svan guard tower in the town of Mestia. Svanetia is a a region in north-west Georgia with a rich history dating to the 12th century. Many guard towers that were built at those times skater the region and give it a unique visual character. A man stands under a Russian-Georgian friendship monument built in soviet times alongside the Georgian Military Road connecting Tbilisi and Kazbegi. Georgia was under soviet occupation until 1991 when it declared its independence. A kid plays next to a deserted building built in soviet times in Zutzkhari. With the fall of the Soviet Union, many construction project were left unfinished. Vaho (15, L) and his brother Guram (8, R) pose for a portrait with their gun and birds they hunted on a dirt road close to Telavi. Two dogs wonder around among destroyed houses in the village of Adishi. Farmers herd sheep and cows alongside the Georgian Military Road connecting Tbilisi and Kazbegi. Two men eat Khinkali for breakfast. Khinkali is one of the most common dishes in Georgia. Vaho Babunashvili (46) eats breakfast next to Neli (63), the owner of a family guesthouse in Telavi. Neli's husband passed away 15 years ago. Given the tough economy following the separation from Russia, she had to convert her home into a guesthouse. A woman and her daughter shop at a street vendor's booth next to the entrance to the train station in Zugdidi. Dogs pass a painter in the old city of Tbilisi. A young woman prepares pancakes in a historic house built a century ago in Telavi. Telavi is the capital of Kakheti, a region famous for its agriculture and wine produce. A view of a room in a historic house built a century ago in Telavi, the capital of Kakheti.
Georgia A view of contemporary Georgia (2014), a country with a fascinating and troubling past and an uncertain future. The feature includes imagery from Tbilisi, Svanetia, Kakheti, and along the road to Kazbegi.