Vardzia Cave Monastery

Vardzia is a cave monastery in southern Georgia. Builders carved it from the Erusheti Mountain cliff face.

The caves stretch for 500 meters along the rock. Workers arranged them across up to 19 tiers.

The eastern section holds 79 separate dwellings. These contain 242 rooms, including a pharmacy. Even caves needed a prescription counter.

A 3.5 kilometer aqueduct brought water from Zeda Vardzia village. The complex also includes access tunnels and defences.

Vardzia sits high on a cliff above the valley floor.

The Church of the Dormition dates to the 1180s. Painter Georgi signed his name inside the altar. Georgi treated the altar like a bathroom wall.

Queen Tamar appears on the north wall. Her portrait lacks the ribbon worn by married women.

The site was abandoned after the Ottoman takeover in the 16th century. It is now a state heritage reserve.