Tiflis

Tiflis, the chief city of the government of the same name and the capital of Russian Caucasus, on the banks of the Kûr, 165 miles as the crow flies ESE. of the Black Sea. Since 1883 it has been connected by rail with Batoum on the Euxine and Baku on the Caspian, and is the chief centre of trade between Russia and Persia. The old city, which consisted of three distinct parts, and which traces its history as the capital of the Georgian princes back to the 5th century, has been greatly metamorphosed since the Russian occupation in 1795 and annexation in 1802. It is now divided into quarters assigned to the various nationalities, and possesses handsome public buildings, churches, schools, libraries, and observatories. In the middle ages the metal-workers of Tiflis were famous for their skill in engraving and inlaying, and their influence made itself felt in the brass-work of Venice; and to the present day the silversmiths and gunsmiths of the city maintain their character for excellence. Otherwise its manufactures (carpets and other textiles) are unimportant. In its neighbourhood are naphtha and thermal springs. The population in 1897 numbered 160,645, of whom about a third were Armenians.—For the government, see RUSSIA, and CAUCASUS; and see also GEORGIA.