The Avlabari Bridge took its name from the Armenian quarter of the same name, located on the left bank of the Kura River.
The bridge connected this district with the Metekhi area.
It served as part of the trade routes linking the eastern and western parts of the city, as well as the roads leading to Erivan (now Yerevan) and further on to Persia.
The word Avlabar itself comes from Arabic and means “beyond the walls” or “outside the enclosure.”
The first wooden bridge at this site was built as early as the XVIII century, but it was repeatedly destroyed by the river’s current and had to be rebuilt several times.
In the 1820s–1830, the old structure was replaced with a sturdier one, and by 1870 it had acquired the appearance shown on the postcard, becoming one of the first metal bridges in Tbilisi.
This bridge remained in place until the mid-XX century, when it was replaced by the modern Metekhi Bridge.