Monastery of Geghard, Armenia - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Monastery of Geghard, Armenia

Weather: Sunny, 31/53F.

Route: From Haghpat 211 km south on AH83 and M4.

Significance: The Geghard Monastery was started in the 4th century and has buildings through the 13th century. Some of the buildings are cut from the rock. The surrounding area of the Upper Azat Valley has dramatic cliffs.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

The Geghard Monastery in the Upper Azat Valley (from whc.unesco.org)

Christian carvings the rock walls of a cave (from whc.unesco.org)

Monastery of Haghpat, Armenia - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Monastery of Haghpat, Armenia

Weather: Sunshine and clouds mixed, 31/44F.

Route: From Gobustan 528 km WNW on M2.

Significance: This monastery was founded in the 10th century CE and was a important center of learning through the 13th century.  The complex is specific to Armenian religious architecture.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

The monastery (from whc.unesco.org)

Interior dome (from whc.unesco.org)

Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, Azerbaijan - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, Azerbaijan

Weather: Overcast skies and windy, 42/50F.

Route: From Baku 65 km SW on E119/E60.

Significance: There rock carvings here spanning 40,000 years. There are over 6,000 inscriptions.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Petroglyph of people (from whc.unesco.org)

Petroglyphs of hunters (from whc.unesco.org)

Baku, Azerbaijan - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Baku, Azerbaijan

Weather: Partly cloudy and windy, 46/62F.

Route: From Derbent 255 km SSE on E119.

Population: 2,293,100

Places to visit: Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center, Flame Towers, Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, Highland Park, Dagustu Park, Maiden Tower, Heydar Mosque, Palace of Shirvanshahs, Fortress Walls of Icheri Sheher, National Museum of History of Azerbaijan, Nizami Museum of Literature, Qala Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum Complex.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Aerial view of the old town (from whc.unesco.org)

Maiden Tower (from whc.unesco.org)

Derbent, Russia - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Derbent, Russia

Weather: Mainly sunny, 49/62F.

Route: From Tbilisi 590 km ENE on E117 and E50.

Population: 123,720

Significance: Derbent is between the Caucasus mountains and the Caspian Sea. It was the main way for armies to travel between the Eurasian Steppes and the Middle East. The city was established in the 8th century BC and became a Persian city starting in the 6th century BC, however there were people living in the area as long as 5,000 years ago. The Persians kept control of the city until the Arab invasion of Persia in the 7th century. Parts of the wall are from the 5th century and the fortress is from the 14th century.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

The walls of Derbent (from rbth.com)

View from the fortress (from whc.unesco.org)

Tbilisi, Georgia

 Place: Tbilisi, Georgia

Weather: Sunshine and clouds mixed, 46/62F.

Route: From Chazhashi 393 km ESE on E60.

Population: 1,171,100

Places to visit: Tsminda Sameba Cathedral, Funicular, Narikala Fortress, Georgian National Museum, Museum of Illusions, National Botanical Garden of Georgia, Open Air Museum of Ethnography, Memorial History of Georgia, National Gallery, Mtatsminda Pantheon, Art Palace of Georgia-Museum of Cultural History, J. Stalin's Underground Printing House Museum.

Images:

Aerial view of the city (from tripsavvy.com)

Modern architecture along the Kura River (from travelandleisure.com)

Upper Svaneti, Georgia - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Upper Svaneti, Georgia

Weather: Sunshine and clouds mixed, 29/47F.

Route: From Gelati Monastery 171 km north on SH-11.

Significance: There are over 200 tower houses in the town of Chazhashi. These houses were built mostly for defensive purposes as the region faced endless waves of invaders over the centuries.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site 

Images:

Aerial view of the area (from whc.unesco.org)

The town of Chazhashi with its tower houses (from whc.unesco.org)