Cook Guest House

This tranquil small town is situated at 830 metres (2,723 feet) on the Rioni River as it starts its way down from the high Caucasus towards the Black Sea. It is said to have been founded in the 2nd century BC by the Iberian King Parnajom. Its roots are much earlier: artefacts have been found here from the Bronze Age, and from the Kingdom of Colchis from the third to sixth centuries BC. By the Middle Ages it was a busy merchant town located on the crossroads between Imereti, Kartli, western Racha and the north Caucasus. The town was fought over by the kings of Imereti and the princes of Racha.