Rustaveli Avenue ( ka, რუსთაველის გამზირი, ''Rust'avelis Gamziri''), formerly known as ''Golovin Street'', is the central avenue in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...

named after the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

Georgian

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wr ...

Shota Rustaveli Shota Rustaveli ( ka, შოთა რუსთაველი, c. 1160 – after c. 1220), Mononymous person, mononymously known simply as Rustaveli, was a medieval Georgia (country), Georgian poet. He is considered to be the pre-eminent poet of ...

. The avenue starts at Freedom Square and extends for about 1.5 km in length, before it turns into an extension of Kostava Street. Rustaveli is often considered the main thoroughfare of Tbilisi due to the numerous governmental, public, cultural, and business buildings that are located along or near the avenue. The

Parliament of Georgia The Parliament of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს პარლამენტი, tr) is the supreme national legislature of Georgia. It is a unicameral parliament, currently consisting of 150 members; of these, 120 are proporti ...

building, the

Georgian National Opera Theater The Georgian National Opera and Ballet Theater of Tbilisi ( ka, თბილისის ოპერისა და ბალეტის სახელმწიფო აკადემიური თეატრი), formerly known as the ...

, the Rustaveli State Academic Theater, the

Georgian Academy of Sciences The Georgian National Academy of Sciences (GNAS) ( ka, საქართველოს მეცნიერებათა ეროვნული აკადემია, tr) is a main learned society of the Georgia. It was named Georgian S ...

Kashveti Church {{commonscat, Kashueti Church The Kashveti Church of St. George ( ka, ქაშვეთის წმინდა გიორგის სახელობის ტაძარი) is a Georgian Orthodox Church in central Tbilisi, located acro ...

, the

Georgian Museum of Fine Arts Georgian Museum of Fine Arts ( ka, ქართული სახვითი ხელოვნების მუზეუმი) is a private art museum located on the Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, Georgia (country). The construction brok ...

Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia The Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia ( ka, სიმონ ჯანაშიას სახელობის საქართველოს მუზეუმი), formerly known as the State Museum of History of Georgia, is one of the main ...

(part of the

Georgian National Museum The Georgian National Museum ( ka, საქართველოს ეროვნული მუზეუმი, tr) unifies several leading museums in Georgia. The museum was established within the framework of structural, institutional, and l ...

), and

Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi ( ka, სასტუმრო „ბილტმორ თბილისი“) is a luxury hotel in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, operated by the Millennium & Copthorne Hotels. The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi is the fir ...

among others, are all located on Rustaveli. In 1989, tens of thousands of Georgians gathered before the House of Government on Rustaveli Avenue. An attack by the Soviet

Spetsnaz Spetsnaz are special forces in numerous post-Soviet states. (The term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or .) Historically, the term ''spetsnaz'' referred to the So ...

forces killed many protesters in the

April 9 tragedy The April 9 tragedy (also known as Tbilisi massacre or Tbilisi tragedy) refers to the events in Tbilisi, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, on April 9, 1989, when an anti-Soviet, pro-independence demonstration was brutally crushed by the Sov ...

Accessibility

The thoroughfare is served by the

Tbilisi Metro The Tbilisi Metro ( ka, თბილისის მეტროპოლიტენი) is a rapid transit system in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. Opened on 11 January 1966, it was the fourth metro system in the former Soviet Union. Like othe ...

and buses.''Georgia: The Bradt Travel Guide'', Tim Burford, p.113ff.
/ref> It is one metro stop away from another historical artery of Tbilisi,

Agmashenebeli Avenue David Aghmashenebeli Avenue ( ka, დავით აღმაშენებლის გამზირი) is one of the main avenues in the historical part of Tbilisi, known for its 19th-century classical architecture. The avenue is located o ...

Life on Rustaveli Avenue

Rustaveli Avenue starts at Freedom Square. The first building on Rustaveli Avenue is Rustaveli Cinema, the biggest cinema in Georgia. Opposite the cinema are the Youth Palace and former Parliament Building of Georgia. Kashveti Church is located between the Art House of Tbilisi and the Art Museum. There are many beautiful buildings on Rustaveli Avenue; among them are the Tbilisi Opera House and the Rustaveli Theatre. The avenue is full of various cafes, shops, restaurants and other entertainment places. Rustaveli Avenue is a mix of modern and 20th-century architecture. Rustaveli Avenue is a place of many public protests, but it's also the place of many outdoor exhibitions, performances, etc. The avenue is one of the best architectural and tourist centers of Tbilisi.

Gallery

Golovinsky Prospekt, Tiflis (NatGeo 36, 1920).JPG Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi (B).jpg Tbilisi-Rustaveli-08-Rustaveli-Theater-2019-gje.jpg Tbilisi-Rustaveli-04-2019-gje.jpg Tbilisi, Tbilisi Parliament Building, Georgia.jpg Tbilisi-Rustaveli-10-Opernhaus-2019-gje.jpg Tbilisi Marriott.JPG Rustaveli Avenue P1000187.jpg

References

Streets in Tbilisi Tourist attractions in Tbilisi {{Georgia-transport-stub

Accessibility

Life on Rustaveli Avenue

Gallery

See also

References