Kartlis Deda

Kartlis Deda (Georgian: ქართლის დედა; i.e., the Mother of Kartli) is a monumental statue in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi which has become one of the symbols of the city.

It was erected on the top of the Sololaki hill in 1958 when Tbilisi celebrated its 1500-year anniversary. The author of this twenty meter high aluminum figure of a woman in Georgian national dress is the prominent Georgian sculptor Elguja Amashukeli. The statue perhaps is said to symbolize the Georgian national character: in her left hand she holds a bowl of wine to greet those who come as friends, and in her right hand is a sword for those who come as enemies.