Sagurami Preserve
Sagurami Preserve
a preserve located 25 km from Tbilisi, near the city of Mtskheta, on the Sagurami Ridge between the gorges of the Aragvi, Kura, and Iori rivers. Sagurami Preserve was established in 1946 to protect the animal life and the natural complex of broad-leaved forests of eastern Georgia. Area, 5,247 hectares (1974). The most common plants are beech, hornbeam, oak, smooth-leaved elm, and wild pear; a number of plant relicts are found, including holly, box, yew, Caucasian whortleberry, and Colchis ivy. The animal life of the preserve includes the maral, roe deer, Eurasian brown bear, lynx, marten, European wildcat, fox, and golden jackal. Dzhvari Church, an outstanding architectural monument, is located in the preserve.