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Geotour

Dmanisi

Kartli · History

Getting there
About 85 km (1.5–2 h) south-west of Tbilisi via Marneuli or Bolnisi on paved roads, with a short approach road to the site
Best time
April–October
Recommended stay
Half a day

About Dmanisi

Dmanisi, in Kvemo Kartli about 85 km south-west of Tbilisi, is where some of the oldest human fossils found outside Africa came out of the ground: skulls of early Homo about 1.8 million years old. The same promontory above the Mashavera and Pinezauri rivers carries the ruins of a medieval trading town with its 6th-century Sioni church. You see the covered excavation pits, walk the town walls, citadel and bathhouse, and visit the small site museum. It is a half-day trip, easy to combine with Bolnisi Sioni on the way.

Tours Including Dmanisi

See the tour

Must-See Attractions

  • Hominin excavation pavilion

    The covered dig where the 1.8-million-year-old skulls were found; in summer you may see archaeologists at work.

  • Dmanisi Sioni

    A 6th-century basilica with a carved 13th-century porch and Georgian inscriptions.

  • Medieval town and citadel

    Walls, a bathhouse, cellars and streets on the rocky promontory between two gorges.

  • Site museum

    A small exhibition on the finds and the excavation.

Nearby

  • Bolnisi Sioni

    A 5th-century basilica with some of the oldest dated Georgian inscriptions, about 30 km back towards Tbilisi (35 min).

  • Dashbashi Canyon

    The glass-floored Diamond Bridge and canyon walks near Tsalka, about 1–1.5 h north by road.

Location41.3333° N, 44.3333° EView on map

Good to know

Getting there

About 85 km (1.5–2 h) south-west of Tbilisi via Marneuli or Bolnisi on paved roads, with a short approach road to the site.

Best time

April–October

Best time

Spring and early autumn are mild and green; summer is hot on the open promontory but is excavation season, when you may see the dig in progress.

Recommended stay

Half a day

Time needed

1.5–2 hours for the excavation, town and museum.

Fees

A few GEL for entry, more with a guided tour of the site; we confirm current prices and opening days when booking.

Heads-up

The original skulls are kept at the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi, not at the site.

Walking

Uneven paths over the ruins and steps down to the church; wear sturdy shoes and bring a hat, as there is little shade.

History & culture

History

The promontory held a fortified town from the early Middle Ages; Dmanisi grew into a major trading centre on the caravan routes of the 9th–13th centuries and declined after the Mongol and Timurid invasions. Archaeologists have excavated the medieval town since 1936. In 1983 they noticed animal bones under the medieval cellars, and in 1991 a human jaw was found. Between 1999 and 2005 five skulls of early Homo were recovered, dated to about 1.77–1.85 million years ago. Skull 5, published in 2013, is among the most complete skulls of early humans ever found.

Accommodation

Very little: a few village guesthouses in the Dmanisi area. Most travellers visit on a day trip from Tbilisi.