Designated a Unesco World Heritage site, Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Georgia lies in a picturesque valley at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers and is only half an hour's drive from Tbilisi.
Mtskheta was the capital of the eastern Georgian kingdom of Iveria from the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD and it was here that King Mirian and Queen Nana were converted to Christianity by St. Nino in the 4th century.
Many of Georgia's oldest and most beautiful churches can be found here. These include Javari (6th-7th century), and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (11th century) where fragments of the robe of Christ are kept and Samratovo convent which stands on the site of Georgia's first church and contains the tombs of King Mirian and Queen Nana.
