# Timeline of Tbilisi

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Tbilisi, Georgia.

## Prior to 13th century

* 4th C. CE – Narikala Fortress built.
* c. 517 – First Sasanian officials with the title marzban ("margrave") take up residence in Tbilisi.
* 534 CE – Anchiskhati Basilica built (approximate date).
* 6th C. – Capital of Caucasian Iberia moves to Tbilisi from Mtskheta.
* 570 – Persians in power.
* 626 – Town besieged by Greeks.
* 627 – Town sacked by Byzantine/Khazar forces.
* 639 – Sioni Cathedral built (approximate date).
* 653 – Occupation by Arab leader Khabib Ibn-Maslama.
* 736 – Arab Emirate of Tbilisi is established.
* 764 – Town sacked by Khazars.
* 828 – Town besieged by Khazars.
* 851 – Town besieged by Arabs.
* 853 – Town besieged by forces of Arab Bugha Al-Turki.
* 1029 - Svetitskhoveli Cathedral rebuilt.
* 1068 – Town sacked by forces of Seljuk Turk Alp Arslan.
* 1122 – David IV of Georgia comes to power; relocates capital to Tbilisi from Kutaisi.

## 13th–17th centuries

* 1226 – City sacked by forces of Khwarazmian Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu.
* 1236 – Mongols in power.
* 1251 – Cathedral of Saint George built.
* 1284 – Metekhi Church of Assumption built.
* 1329 – Catholic diocese established.
* 1366 – Plague.
* 1395 – City besieged by Timur.
* 1444 – City sacked by forces of Turcoman Jahan Shah.
* 1467 – Norashen Church founded.
* 1477 – Aq Qoyunlu in power.
* 1480 – Armenian Cathedral rebuilt.
* 1522 – Persians in power.
* 1655 – Khojivank church built.
* 1668 – Earthquake.

## 18th century

* 1711 – Church of the Holy Seal built.
* 1717 – Zrkinyants St. Gevorg (church) built.
* 1727 – Upper Betlemi Church built.
* 1729 – Jigrashen Avetyats Church built (approximate date).
* 1737 – Saint Sargis Church built.
* 1753 – Church of Saint George (Kldisubani) built.
* 1756 – Saint Gevorg of Mughni Church rebuilt.
* 1775 – Church of the Red Gospel built (approximate date).
* 1778 – Krtsanis Tsiranavor Surb Astvatsatsin (church) rebuilt.
* 1788 – Kamoyants St. Gevorg (church) built.
* 1793 – Armenian school opens.
* 1795 – City sacked by forces of Persian Mohammad Khan Qajar.
* 1799 – Russians in power.

## 19th century

* 1801 – City becomes part of Russia.
* 1808 - Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin building completed.
* 1817 – Tbilisi Spiritual Seminary established.
* 1824 – Nersisyan School established.
* 1830 – Tiflis Gymnasium [ru] (school) founded.
* 1840 – Ivan Izmiryants becomes mayor.
* 1845 – Botanical Garden established.
* 1846 – National Parliamentary Library of Georgia established.
* 1848 – City becomes part of Tiflis Governorate.
* 1851 – Opera house and Dry Bridge (Tbilisi) [ka] built.
* 1858 – Mushthaid Garden opens.
* 1866 – Droeba newspaper begins publication.
* 1867 – Caucasian Museum founded.
* 1868 – Population: 61,000.
* 1870 – Lower Bethlehemi Church built.
* 1872
** Railway station built.
** Mshak newspaper begins publication.
** Alexander Nevsky Cathedral built.
* 1877 – St. Peter and St. Paul's Church completed.
* 1879 – City Assembly building remodelled.
* 1883 – Population: 104,024.
* 1885 – Military Museum built.
* 1887 – Rustaveli Theatre completed.
* 1890 – Armenian Revolutionary Federation founded in Tiflis.
* 1894 – Supreme Court of Georgia building built.
* 1897
** Garrison Cathedral built.
** Population: 159,862.
* 1899 – Alexandropol-Tiflis railway begins operating.

## 20th century

* 1902 – Erivan-Tiflis railway begins operating.
* 1907 – 26 June: Bank robbery.
* 1909
** Apollo Theatre (Tbilisi) [ka] opens.
** Alexander Khatisyan becomes mayor.
* 1913 – Population: 327,800.
* 1917
** Tiflis Governorate abolished.
** Conservatoire and Armenian National Council of Tiflis founded.
* 1918
** February–May: City becomes capital of Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic.
** May: City becomes capital of Democratic Republic of Georgia.
** Tbilisi State University and Tbilisi Medical Institute established.
** Benia Chkhikvishvili becomes mayor.
** National Archives of Georgia headquartered in Tbilisi.
* 1919 – Museum of Georgia active.
* 1920 – National Art Gallery opens.
* 1921 – February: City besieged by Bolshevist Russian Red Army.
* 1922
** City becomes capital of Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic.
** Art Academy founded.
* 1925 – FC Dinamo Tbilisi (football club) formed.
* 1927 – Tiflis Zoopark founded.
* 1928 – Georgian Politechnical Institute established.
* 1929 – Mtatsminda Pantheon (cemetery) established.
* 1930
** Museum of Literature founded.
** Marjanishvili Theater relocates to Tbilisi.
* 1931 – Zarya Vostoka building constructed.
* 1933 – Jewish Historic-Ethnographic Museum founded.
* 1935 – Central Stadium opens.
* 1936
** City becomes capital of Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic.
** City name changed from "Tiflis" to "Tbilisi."
* 1939
** Rustaveli cinema opens.
** Didube Pantheon (cemetery) established.
* 1941
** Georgian SSR Academy of Sciences and Tbilisi Aircraft State Association established.
* 1946 – Vake Park opens.
* 1950 – Art Museum of Georgia active.
* 1951 – Donkey Bridge [ka] rebuilt.
* 1952 – Airport and Poet's Bridge [ka] built.
* 1953 – Didube bridge [ka] built.
* 1956 – March: Anti-de-Stalinization demonstrations.
* 1958 – Institute of Manuscripts established.
* 1961 – Tbilisi Sports Palace opens.
* 1965 – Tbilisi co-hosts the EuroBasket 1965.
* 1966
** Tbilisi Metro begins operating.
** Baratashvili Bridge constructed.
** Open Air Museum of Ethnography founded.
* 1967 – Hotel Iveria built.
* 1970 – Saburtalo Pantheon (cemetery) established.
* 1972 – Tbilisi TV Broadcasting Tower erected.
* 1973 - Tbilisi National Park established
* 1974 – Human Rights Defence Group formed.
* 1975
** Tbilisi Roads Ministry Building constructed.
** Bank of Georgia headquarters built.
* 1976 – Boris Paichadze Stadium opens.
* 1978 – April: Demonstrations about constitutional status of Georgian language.
* 1979
** Tbilisoba begins.
** Population: 1,052,734.
* 1980 – March: Rock music festival held.
* 1983 – Republic Square constructed.
* 1984
** Wedding Palace built.
** December: Gas explosion.
* 1989
** 9 April: Anti-Soviet Demonstration quashed.
** 13 April: Church of the Red Gospel destroyed.

### 1990s

* 1990
** June: Aerial tramway accident.
** Population: 1,268,000 (estimate).
* 1991
** April: Georgia declares independence from USSR.
** December: Conflict between pro-Gamsakhurdia and Opposition forces.
** Georgian Academy of Agrarian Sciences founded.
** Ordzhonikidze Square renamed "26 May Square [ka]."
* 1992
** January: Conflict between pro-Gamsakhurdia and Opposition forces.
** Otar Litanishvili becomes mayor.
* 1993
** Konstantine Gabashvili becomes mayor, succeeded by Nikoloz Lekishvili.
** Apostolic Administration of the Caucasus established and headquartered in Tbilisi.
* 1995
** Abkhazian Regional Academy of Sciences founded.
** Badri Shoshitaishvili becomes mayor.
* 1996 – National Parliamentary Library of Georgia headquartered in city.
* 1998
** Vano Zodelava becomes mayor.
** Telasi privatized.
* 2000 – Basiani choir formed.

## 21st century

* 2001
** Mikheil Meskhi Stadium built.
** TbilAviaMsheni airline based in Tbilisi.
* 2002
** April 25: The 4.8 mb Tbilisi earthquake shook the area with a maximum MSK intensity of VII–VIII (Very strong – Damaging), causing 5–6 deaths and 52–70 injuries. Damage was estimated at $160–350 million.
** Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing privatized.
** Population: 1,081,679.
* 2003 – November: Rose Revolution.
* 2004
** Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba) built.
** Zurab Tchiaberashvili becomes mayor.
** Caucasus University established.
* 2005 – Giorgi Ugulava becomes mayor.
* 2006
** March: Protest against 2006 Russian ban of Moldovan and Georgian wines.
** Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline in operation.
** National Science Library (Georgia), Scouts of Tbilisi, and Museum of Soviet Occupation established.
** Freedom Monument erected in Freedom Square.
* 2007
** Demonstrations against Saakashvili regime.
** Old Tbilisi raion established.
** Free University of Tbilisi and Radio Muza [ka] founded.
* 2008 – August: Bombing by Russian Air Force during Russo-Georgian War.
* 2009
** Demonstrations against Saakashvili regime.
** Tbilisi Open Air (music festival), Tbilisi International Festival of Theatre, and Tbilisi Fashion Week begin.
** April: Tbilisi hosts the 2009 European Judo Championships.
* 2010 – Bridge of Peace (pedestrian bridge) built.
* 2011 – May: Demonstration against Saakashvili regime.
* 2012
** 13 February: Bomb attempt foiled.
** April: Lech Kaczyński monument unveiled.
** May: Anti-government demonstration.
** Population: 1,473,551.
* 2013 – Tbilisi hosts the 2013 European Wrestling Championships.
* 2014 – Sister city partnership signed between Tbilisi and Lublin, Poland.
* 2015
** April: Tbilisi hosts the 2015 European Weightlifting Championships.
** 14 June: Flooding in the Vere river results in at least 12 deaths and devastates the city's zoo.
* 2017
** Tbilisi International Airport established.
** June: Tbilisi hosts the 2017 European Fencing Championships.
** September-October: Tbilisi co-hosts the 2017 Women's European Volleyball Championship.
* 2018 – 5 November: Polish Library and Polish Institute in Tbilisi opened (see also Georgia–Poland relations).
* 2022 – Tbilisi co-hosts the EuroBasket 2022.