HIGHLIGHTS OF EURASIA

■ JVARI MONASTERY is a sixth-century Georgian Orthodox monastery near Mtskheta, eastern Georgia. Jvari is a rare case of an early medieval Georgian church that has survived to the present day almost unchanged.

■ TBILISI is the capital and largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population around 1.5 million people. Tbilisi was founded in the fifth century by Vakhtang I of Iberia, and since then has served as the capital of various Georgian kingdoms and republics.

■ UPLISTSIKHE is an ancient rock-hewn town in eastern Georgia. Built on a high rocky left bank of the Mtkvari River, it contains various structures dating from the Early Iron Age to the Late Middle Ages, and is notable for the unique combination of various styles of rock-cut cultures from Anatolia and Iran, as well as the co-existence of pagan and Christian architecture.