Here be awesomely difficult questions. Scarier than dragons. If you want stuff you already know, probably best go somewhere else. It's all the choice of steins;gate.
Through geography and up to the administrative divisions. Feel like I’ve broke the back of the Wikipedia slog now and will get to the end before too long.
Questions
Lying south-east of Mount Elbrus in the Greater Caucausus, what is the name of Georgia’s highest mountain?
SHKHARA
Double-peaked Mount Ushba is said to be the home of which Georgian hunting goddess associated with animals like the ibex? She is a supposed rival of St. George and has a name that is the same as the surname of a famous painter.
DALI
Situated in the south of Georgia in the Lower Caucasus, which volcanic plateau that has wetlands and lakes has a name that makes up a mkhare with Samtskhe?
JAVAKHETI
Known in ancient times as the Phasis, which main river in the west of Georgia flows through the city of Kutaisi and empties into the Black Sea near Poti?
RIONI
Found on the slopes of Erusheti Mountain in the south of Georgia, what is the name of a monastic complex where excavated caves contain hundreds of rooms including churches and wine cellars?
VARDZIA
Both found in Georgia, the West and East Caucasian tur are members of which genus of animals that sits within the Bovidae family?
CAPRA
Born in France, who was the first woman appointed to be president of Georgia in 1998, this being considered a more ceremonial role with the major power being exerted by the Prime Minister?
SALOME ZOURABICHVILI
Mentioning a ‘global war party’ in his speeches that has been seen as anti-Western sentiment, which Georgian Prime Minister who came into the role in 2024 has labelled sanctions made against members of his government as offensive?
IRAKLI KOBAKHIDZE
Running from Baku to the Turkish city of Ceyhan via Tbilisi, the BTC pipeline was the supposed influence for an incomplete oil pipeline that was an important feature in the plot of which 1999 film?
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
Sites to visit there including Okatse Canyon and the Katshki Pillar, which mkhare of Georgia has Kutaisi as its capital?
I feel like I’m getting somewhere now. The history slog is done and I’m on to geography and starting to get some appreciation of just how awkward it is to navigate your way around massive mountain ranges.
Questions
Second Prime Minister of Georgia during its short-lived independence from 1918 to 1921, who subsequently led the Democratic Republic of Georgia in Exile from France until his death in 1953?
NOE ZHORDANIA
Only existing for just over a month in the fallout from the October Revolution, what did TDFR stand for in the name of a state that included Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan?
TRANSCAUCASIAN DEMOCRATIC FEDERATIVE REPUBLIC
Joseph Stalin’s mother Keke Geladze, Ilia Chavchavadze and Niko Pirosmani are among those buried in which Tbilisi pantheon that has a name meaning ‘holy mountain’? You can reach it via funicular and whilst there why not visit the nearby hilltop amusement park.
MTATSMINDA
Arrested in the late 1970s following a crackdown on human rights activists by Leonid Brezhnev’s government, who became the first President of Georgia when independence was restored in 1991?
ZVIAD GAMSAKHURDIA
Their flag containing a roundel of St. George slaying the dragon, which paramilitary group founded in 1989 was active in the Georgian Civil War and was involved in removing Zviad Gamsakhurdia from power in 1992? The organisation was outlawed in 1995, though it tried to reinvent itself as the Union of Patriots.
MKHEDRIONI
Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1985 to 1990 under Mikhail Gorbachev, who was the Georgian president who ultimately resigned following the non-violent Rose Revolution in 2003?
EDUARD SHEVARDNADZE
Called the ‘Russian law’ by its detractors, which four words follow ‘Proposed law on’ in the controversial bill that led to significant demonstrations within Georgia during 2023 and 2024?
TRANSPARENCY OF FOREIGN INFLUENCE
Also known as the Surami range, which group of mountains that connect the Greater Caucasus in the north to the Lesser Caucasus in the south effectively splits Georgia into western and eastern halves, these historically being known as Colchis and Iberia respectively?
LIKHI RANGE
Access to the Russian Republic of North Ossetia-Alania from Georgia is most commonly through the Roki Tunnel. This can be accessed via the breakaway state of South Ossetia from which Georgian mkhare that has Gori as its capital and still lays claim to the breakaway state?
SHIDA KARTLI / INNER KARTLI
The Terek river runs through which gorge that lies south of Vladikavkaz and north of the Georgian mkhare of Mtskheta-Mtianeti? Ancient names it was known by including the Iberian Gates, it is one of the few routes through the Northern Caucasus.
I need a concerted effort to get this Georgia research finished. May just need to say at least ten questions a day until it’s clear, however long that takes. Other tasks will have to take a back seat for now.
Questions
Having a four-letter name, which medieval defensive towers built during the Georgian golden age are associated with a specific region that makes up part of a mkhare’s name in north-western Georgia?
SVAN (TOWERS) (In the Svaneti region)
Named for a region in ancient Armenia that now lies within Turkey’s borders, which treaty of the late 4th century saw the Eastern Roman Empire confirm the loss of Iberia to the Sassanid Empire of Shapur III?
PEACE OF ACILISENE
Tbilisi was supposedly founded when which 5th century Iberian king discovered some hot springs while out hunting? An equestrian monument to him can be found on a cliff in the capital’s Metekhi district.
VAKHTANG
Also known as the Colchidian War or Great War of Egrisi, which conflict that lasted from 541 to 562 and is named for a historical region that lay on the Black Sea coast saw the Byzantines pitted against the Persians during the respective reigns of Justinian I and Khosrow I?
LAZIC WAR
Founded by David the Builder and providing great views of the surrounding valleys, which monastic complex that is not far from Kutaisi has been listed among UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites?
GELATI MONASTERY
David the Builder moved the Georgian capital from Kutaisi to Tbilisi in the aftermath of victory over the Seljuks at which 1121 battle? The country celebrates a festival named after it on August 12 each year.
DIDGORI (The festival being Didgoroba)
Queen Tamar of Georgia helped establish which empire that claimed to be the successor state of Byzantium after the Fourth Crusade ended with the 1204 Sack of Constantinople? Situated on the southern Black Sea coast, its rivals included the Empire of Nicaea and Empire of Thessalonica.
EMPIRE OF TREBIZOND
Called ‘the Brilliant’ and sharing his name and regnal number with a monarch from the United Kingdom, who expelled the Mongols from Georgia in the 14th century after a lengthy period of rule under them?
GEORGE V
Having its capital at Batumi, which autonomous republic in the south-west of Georgia was incorporated into the Russian Empire following the 1878 Treaty of Berlin after a period of over 200 years under Ottoman rule?
ADJARA
Lying to the north of the autonomous republic of Adjara, which mkhare with its capital at Ozurgeti lost its status as a principality when it was annexed by the expanding Russians during the 19th century? In ancient times it was part of the Kingdom of Colchis.
GURIA
Canonised as St Ilia the Righteous by the Georgian Orthodox Church, which writer who is considered to be the father of Georgian nationalism was ambushed and murdered by assassins near Mtskheta in 1907?
This completes my re-write of questions I already had for this country. I won’t be happy if I don’t at least get through making notes on its Wikipedia page before I head there in September, but I also need to do the same for Armenia.
Questions
Georgia is an exonym that was presumably not created to sow confusion with the well known American state. How is the country known in its own language, this being partly derived from a central historical region where Tbilisi can be found?
SAKARTVELO (The region being Kartveli)
Adopted in 2004 following the Rose Revolution and composed by Zacharia Paliashvili, how does the Georgian national anthem “Tavisupleba” translate into English?
FREEDOM
Named for a neighbouring country and making up over 5% of the population, what is the second largest ethnic group in Georgia?
AZERBAIJANIS
Resigning in 2024, who during his three years in the office of Georgian Prime Minister submitted an application for his country to join the European Union? He had also been in the role from 2013 to 2015, becoming one of the youngest world leaders when he first started.
IRAKLI GARIBASHVILI
Occurring on the death of Gurgan II, the King of Iberia at the time, which year is traditionally given as the founding of the United Georgian Monarchy? Bagrat III had been the Abkhazian king at the time and became known as the ‘Unifier’.
1008
After a period of struggle that had seen fighting against the Ottoman Empire and the burning of Tbilisi by the Persians, in which year was Kartli-Kakheti annexed by Russia? Other parts of Georgia like the port of Poti were added in subsequent decades.
1801
An important source on the history of the Crusades, which French theologian wrote “Historia Orientalis”? This bishop of Acre explained Georgia’s name by the popularity of St. George.
JACQUES DE VITRY
A set of works compiled over centuries, the “Georgian Chronicles” gives which legendary descendant of Japheth as the father of the Georgian people?
KARTLOS
Located east of Kutaisi and north-west of Tbilisi, which city in Georgia has a name that means ‘Land of hornbeams’?
TSKHINVALI (The capital of South Ossetia)
A clear reference to a famous Soviet, what was the name of the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali between 1934 and 1961?
STALINIRI
Also known by the Georgian name of Mtkvati, on which river that rises in Turkey does Tbilisi stand? Its tributaries include the Aras and it empties into the Caspian Sea within Azerbaijan’s borders.
KURA
Having a ‘Great’ prefix to distinguish it from the ‘Little’ tributary that feeds into it, on which river do Gori and Tskhinvali stand? Its source is found in South Ossetia and it ultimately flows into the Caspian Sea via the Kura, a river that also has the native name Mtkvari.
LIAKHVI
Queen Tamar’s Bridge is a medieval construction situated not far from which Black Sea coast city that has a beach and serves as the capital of Abkhazia?
SUKHUMI
Excerpts from it being adapted into Georgia’s national anthem, which opera by Zacharia Paliashvili is based on a medieval Georgian folk poem and features two names in its title?
ABESALOM DA ETERI / ABESALOM AND ETERI
Featuring the tried and tested narrative of a love story with tragic consequences, on which medieval Georgian folk poem is Zacharia Paliashvili’s opera “Abesalom da Eteri” based?
ETERIANI
In 2017 it was reported that the earliest evidence of what product had been found in Georgia following investigations into 8,000 year old pottery shards? The earliest known example to still contain its full contents was found near Speyer in Germany.
WINE
Thought to be one of the earliest known from the Neolithic period, which double-barreled culture takes its names from sites in Georgia and Azerbaijan respectively? The Armenian site of Aratashen is sometimes added to make it a triple-barreled.
SHULAVERI-SHOMU / SHULAVERI-SHOMUTEPE
Around at the same time as Constantine the Great, which King of Iberia and founder of the Chosroid dynasty is credited with establishing Christianity as Georgia’s state religion? He is buried at Samtavro Church in Mtskheta.
MIRIAN III
Egrisi was located on the coast of the Black Sea in present-day western Georgia. An important location in Greek mythology, by what exonym is it much better known?
COLCHIS
The incorporation of the Golden Fleece into the famous Greek myth may have come from using that woolen product to sift gold dust from rivers in the Georgian region. One of those to incorporate this into their telling of the story was which writer of “Argonautica”?
As Georgia is one of the countries I’m aiming to tick off my checklist in September it’s time to start doing some research.
Questions
Plying his trade at Dinamo Kutaisi and Dinamo Tbilisi during the 1940s and 1950s, Otar Korkia was a Georgian player of which sport? He has an Olympic silver medal from 1952.
BASKETBALL
Thought to have reached the country through its location on the Silk Road, the Georgian speciality khinkali would see you eating what type of food if you ordered it in a restaurant?
DUMPLING
His works including “Giraffe” and “Fisherman in a Red Shirt”, Georgian naive painter Niko Pirosmani was also known by which shorter mononym?
NIKALA
A version performed by Alla Pugacheva featured lyrics inspired by Georgian painter Niko Pirosmani. Which Russian song’s music was composed in 1981 by Latvian Raimonds Pauls?
MILLION ROSES / MILLION SCARLET ROSES
Home to a museum displaying works by Niko Pirosmani that is located in Kakheti, the easternmost region of Georgia, which picturesque town with cobblestoned streets is a popular tourist destination that lies at the heart of a wine growing region?
SIGNAGI
Which politician and military commander played an important but contradictory role in Georgia’s history in the early 17th century? He was known as Grand Mouravi and has an equestrian statue in an eponymous Tbilisi square that shows him unsheathing his sword.
GIORGI SAAKADZE
Five skulls were discovered between 1999 and 2005 at which archaelogical site in Georgia, with these being some of the oldest hominin fossils that have been found outside of Africa?
DMANISI
Major administrative divisions in Georgia that are equivalent to regions are known by what native term? There are nine of them including Imereti, Kakheti and Mtskheta-Mtianeti.
MKHARE
Situated in the south-east of the country, which mkhare has Rustavi as its capital and was where Dmanisi Man was found? Natural wonders include the waterfalls of Tsalka Canyon.
KVEMO KARTLI
Ultimately emptying into the Caspian Sea via the Khrami and Kura, which river gives its name to the valley where Dmanisi Man was found?
Whittipedia 