4. Duisi - Birkiani (duration 1 hour)
Going from Duisi to Birkiani, 300 m above a pipe bridge (first brook/ channel in Birkiani from Duisi’s side) we turn left surrounded by gardens. We go about 500 meters with this road. By car you can travel about 300 meters, further you have to travel on foot. On the right among trees we first see a Georgian temple, then other ruins.
St. George Georgian church was build in XI - XII century. Ruins are kept in good condition.
The tree which grown in the walls as well as spring adds this place a lot of charm. It is a calm, shadowy, place encouraging to stop for a moment. There are other building ruins, maybe be monastery or palace (pretty solid walls, well kept)
During Easter Georgian highlanders and individual Kistinian families come to the temple, pray, eat breakfast together, light candles. So cold Wahhabists used to eradicate these practices in 1990’s
One night they blew up the majority of Georgian churches in the neighborhood, wanting to eliminate the "pagan habits” this way, and to preach "pour Islam” to them. Also that temple suffered from that act, however not so much to convince the locals not to come here. They only maybe confess less openly to it.
