Two stories define Sakartvelo. War and faith.

We know this ancient country as Georgia. But that’s not what Georgians call it. For them, it is Sakartvelo, land of the Kartvelians. Kartvelian means ‘a person of Kartli’—the historical name of the region since the 4th Century BCE.

Caught between powers hungry for regional domination, Georgia has spent millennia keeping itself and its identity intact in the face of attacks.

As the third country in the world to adopt Christianity in 327 CE, religion runs deep in the Georgian veins. It was faith that strengthened their resolve. It was equally imperative to protect that same faith.

Together these two stories are the story of Georgia. And the Georgian. Continue reading →