Georgia/Russia (2,535 m) – Sacred Pagan Site Mount Kazbek is one of the great mountains of the Caucasus region, and among the tallest mountains in both Russia and the nation of Georgia. It is associated with the local mythology of the area, and may be related to Greek legends as well. Although its name means “glacier”, the glacial coverage on the mountain is minimal due to … [Read more...]
MOUNT ELBRUS
Russia/Georgia (5,642 m) – Tallest Mountain in Europe (alternate) and Middle East Mount Elbrus may or may not be the tallest mountain in Europe depending on the definition. Located in the Caucasus Mountains in the border area between Russia and Georgia, it is part of the frontier between Europe and Asia. By most (though not by all) definitions it is part of Europe, and … [Read more...]
WALLED CITY OF BAKU
Baku, Azerbaijan Baku in Azerbaijan is the largest and best-preserved medieval walled city in the Caucasus region. Thanks in large part to its strategic yet out-of-the-way position on the west coast of the Caspian Sea, and a lot of good fortune, the city of Baku survived the ravages of the Middle Ages reasonably intact. Because of this, and because of of exceptional … [Read more...]
JVARI MONASTERY
Mtskheta, Georgia In the earliest centuries of Christianity, the Caucusus region represented the northeasternmost frontier of Christian missionary efforts. The Eastern Orthodox Church did not grow much beyond the Black Sea, that expansion being largely undertaken by the Oriental and Assyrian churches. Mtskheta, the capital of the region throughout most of the Roman period, … [Read more...]
ECHMIATSEN CATHEDRAL
Echmiatsen, Armenia The small nation of Armenia, wedged between the Slavic nations to the north and Turkey and Iran to the south, has the honor of being the world’s oldest Christian state, with a population that has somehow managed to remain largely outside of the Muslim sphere for the better part of fourteen centuries. The Bishopric of Armenia was the first major Christian … [Read more...]
