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Geotour

Photos: Kober (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons

Grakliani Hill

Kartli · Archaeology

Getting there
About 50 km (50 min) west of Tbilisi, a short walk up from the Tbilisi–Gori highway near the Kaspi turn-off
Best time
April–November
Recommended stay
1–2 hours

About Grakliani Hill

Grakliani Hill is an open archaeological excavation beside the Tbilisi–Gori highway near Kaspi, about 50 km west of Tbilisi. Found during road building in 2007 and dug each summer by Tbilisi State University, it shows layers of settlement from the Stone Age to the early centuries AD: Bronze Age graves, clay altars of a 7th-century BC temple and later stone foundations, some under a protective canopy. It is a short stop of 1–2 hours for travellers interested in archaeology, best with a guide who can explain what you are looking at.

Tours Including Grakliani Hill

See the tour

Must-See Attractions

  • Temple altars

    The clay altars of the 7th-century BC temple, where the disputed 2015 inscription was found.

  • Excavation terraces

    Stepped trenches down the hillside showing layers from different periods.

  • Protective canopy

    The covered section with exposed stone foundations and clay structures.

  • Hilltop view

    Views over the Mtkvari valley and the highway to Gori.

Nearby

  • Samtavisi Cathedral

    An 11th-century cathedral with carved facades near Igoeti, about 5 km (10 min).

  • Uplistsikhe

    The rock-cut town above the Mtkvari, about 35 km west (35 min).

  • Mtskheta

    Jvari Monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, about 35 km east (35 min).

Location41.9964° N, 44.4061° EView on map

Good to know

Getting there

About 50 km (50 min) west of Tbilisi, a short walk up from the Tbilisi–Gori highway near the Kaspi turn-off.

Best time

April–November

Best time

Spring and autumn are comfortable on the open hill; summer is hot but is the digging season, and winter visits are possible though muddy.

Recommended stay

1–2 hours

Fees

No ticket; it is an open excavation rather than a museum, with little signage.

Guide

The site means much more with an archaeology-minded guide; excavation happens mainly in summer, when you may see the team at work.

What to bring

A hat, water and sturdy shoes; there is little shade and the paths are dusty and uneven.

Time needed

1–2 hours.

History & culture

History

The site was discovered in 2007 during work on the Tbilisi–Senaki highway, and a Tbilisi State University team led by Vakhtang Licheli has excavated it since. The finds include stone tools, an Early Bronze Age cemetery, a temple of a fertility goddess from the 7th century BC with several altars, and later stone buildings. In 2015 the team found signs carved on an altar that it proposed as a previously unknown local script; the reading and dating of the inscription are still debated.