Kura and Aragvi confluence

According to archeological evidence, the earliest human settlement in what is now Mtskheta is dated at II millennium BC. Burials from the Bronze Age demonstrate that by the 1st millennium BC, Mtskheta was already a significant settlement. During the 4th century BC, the Iberian Kingdom (a polity in Western Georgia) was conquered by Alexander the Great – Mtskheta subsequently grew due to large-scale construction. In 65 AD the city fell to the Romans.
Mtskheta was the city where Nino preached Christianity, her efforts led Georgia to adopt Orthodox Christianity in the IV century. Despite the fact that the capital was moved to Tbilisi during the VI century, Mtskheta retained religious importance – a fragment of the Holy Tunic was preserved here until the Persian invasion of 1617. The coronations of the majority of Georgian monarchs took place in Mtskheta – several rulers are buried in the city.