Poti, located in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, is the largest port city in Georgia. Samegrelo-Zemo is the distinguished city of the Svaneti region and the coast where Jason and the Argonauts anchored during their famous Greek mythological journey in search of the Golden Fleece.
Ticari açıdan gelişmiş olsa da gezilecek ve görülecek yer bakımından kısıtlı seçenek sunuyor. Poti’yi bir saat içinde gezip geri kalan zamanda kahvenizi yudumlarken bir sonraki durağınızı planlayabilirsiniz:) Poti hakkında detaylı bilgi almak için Poti yazımı inceleyebilirsiniz. Gelelim Poti’de gezilecek görülecek yerlere…
Although it is commercially developed, it offers limited options in terms of places to visit and see. You can visit Poti in an hour and plan your next stop while sipping your coffee in the remaining time 🙂 You can review my General Information about Poti article to get detailed information about Poti. Let’s talk about the places to visit in Poti.
POTI LIGHTHOUSE
Poti Lighthouse is one of the oldest maritime facilities on the Black Sea coast. The lighthouse, made of cast iron, was built in England and transported to Georgia by steamship in 1864.
The lighthouse is still active today. Although it may seem forbidden to enter because it is surrounded and there is a guard at the door, you can enter if you ask the guard.
When you climb the spiral stairs inside the lighthouse (I counted 153 steps) and reach the top of the lighthouse, a magnificent view greets you.
There is also a small exhibition about the lighthouse and maritime history on the ground floor of the lighthouse. It feels like one could live inside the lantern forever 🙂
COLLECTIVE CHILDREN’S PARK
There is a collective children’s park (I don’t know its exact name, but I think this name describes well 🙂 right next to the Poti Lighthouse. When I first went, there were no children and the dozens of toys in the empty park looked a little scary. It was like the opening scene of a horror movie. It is not one of the places to visit in Poti, but it was a very interesting place for me.
On my second visit, I was able to get some information about it and also saw a few children playing in the park. The toys in the collective park were left in the park by families whose children were growing up for other children to play with. Thus, children who do not have toys or children who come to the park without toys can play with toys. Don’t you think the idea is nice?
The park is located right by the sea, away from the city center. That’s why all the children playing in the park were with their families. Amid the laughter of the children, I enjoyed the Black Sea and reviewed my plans for my next stop.
Bonus: Song, Dromale – Niaz Diasamidze
OKROS TBA
One of the places to visit in Poti, which should be at the top, is Okros Tba; but it is not well known by foreigners. Okros Tba, also known as Golden Lake, is located near the Maltakva river. The length of the lake is approximately 1000–1200 meters and its width is probably 120–150 meters. Its deepest point is 4-6 meters. When I visited, there were only a few people around fishing in the lake. There were Carp, Amur, Karchkhana, shamaya, Mullet and Sturgeon in the lake.
Oktos Tba is an artificial lake and was designed in accordance with Olympic standards. Water skiing competitions were held on the lake. In 1991, the European rowing championship was held on the lake.
Bonus: Song, Ai Mtazeda – Niaz Diasamidze
POTI ST. VIRGIN CATHEDRAL
St. Virgin Mary Cathedral is one of Poti’s prominent monuments and Georgia’s only NeoByzantine-style Orthodox church. Poti Mayor Niko Nikoladze, a Georgian writer and intellectual, chose a location in the city center so that the cathedral could be seen from all over Poti and directly contributed to its construction.
It was planned by Russian architects Alexander Zelenko and Robert Marfeld as a small version of the Hagia Sophia Church (Istanbul) with a capacity of 2,000 people; Its decorations are modeled on the Trabzon Sumela Monastery (medieval Christian cathedral). The construction of the church was completed in 1907.
Poti Cathedral has three icons: Saint Nino, Saint Andrew the First-Called, and Saint David the Builder, among the main decorations of the iconostasis.
When the Red Army invaded Georgia in 1923, the cathedral was converted into a theater by the Soviet government and the bells were donated to the industrialization foundation. In 2005, the cathedral was restored and connected to the Georgian Orthodox Church.
POTI CENTRAL PARK AND CLOCK TOWER
Niko Nikoladze Tower is also called Poti Clock Tower or simply Poti Tower.
The tower, which is the oldest structure in Poti, was actually part of a castle from the Ottoman Empire. There used to be a mosque next to it, but it has not survived to the present day. It was destroyed with the decline of Ottoman dominance in the late 16th century. The tower was renovated by Niko Nikoladze. Two floors were added to the tower and a clock produced in France in the 19th century was added.
The Tower and the Cathedral are located in the park in the city center of Poti, known as Central Park. The park is very well maintained and is used by people for different activities.
COLCHIS MUSEUM
We came to our last stop for places to visit in Poti: The Colchis (Colchis & Kolkheti) Culture Museum in Poti has a collection of archaeological and ethnographic artifacts related to the history of the ancient city of Phasis in the Poti region. There are items belonging to famous rulers from different periods (Alexander the Great, Byzantine Emperor Justinian, Russian Empress Elizaveta and others), gold coins and ceramic items from the 3rd century BC and the 16th century AD. I couldn’t get into it because I was there during the pandemic period ☹️ Next time…
That’s all I have to say about Poti. It’s Zugdidi‘s turn 🙂