Vardzia is a cave monastery site in southern Georgia, excavated from the slopes of the Erusheti Mountain on the left bank of the Mtkvari River, thirty kilometres from Aspindza. The main period of construction was the second half of the twelfth century. The caves stretch along the cliff for some five hundred metres and in up to nineteen tiers. The Church of the Dormition, dating to the 1180s during the golden age of Tamar and Rustaveli, has an important series of wall paintings. The site was largely abandoned after the Ottoman takeover in the sixteenth century. Now part of a state heritage reserve, the extended area of Vardzia-Khertvisi has been submitted for future inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List

Birds are seen at Kizilirmak Bird Paradise in Turkey's Samsun on April 22, 2021. Kizilirmak Delta Bird Sanctuary, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List and hosts 359 to 487 species of birds in Turkey, became more active with the arrival of spring. (Photo by Mehmet Kumcagiz/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Luke Jerram's “Museum of the Moon” at English Heritage's Illuminating Rievaulx installation at Rievaulx Abbey, near Helmsley, North Yorkshire, England on September 18, 2019. (Photo by Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty Images)

Highland dancers compete at Inveraray Highland Games on July 19, 2022 in Inveraray, Scotland. The games are held in the grounds of Inveraray Castle celebrate Scottish culture and heritage with field and track events, piping, highland dancing competitions and heavy events including the world championships for tossing the caber. (Photo by Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images)

A sauna building sits above the clouds at 9,280 feet (2,752 meters) at the Rifugio Lagazuoi in the Dolomite Mountains near Cortina d' Ampezzo in northern Italy July 17, 2015. The Dolomites are home to the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park and were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in August, 2009. (Photo by Bob Strong/Reuters)

A view of snow blanketed ancient giant statues and remains, dating back to 2.000-year-old Commagene Kingdom, located in the 2.150-meter-altitude Mount Nemrut, which is listed in the UNESCO's World Heritage List, in Kahta district of Adiyaman, Turkiye on February 02, 2024. (Photo by Ozkan Bilgin/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Sikh Nihang's Singh (Sikh warriors) walk along the empty Heritage Street after strict lockdown norms for weekends and public holidays were imposed as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Amritsar on June 13, 2020. (Photo by Narinder Nanu/AFP Photo)