Leselidze Street

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Although Leselidze Street was widened and partially reconstructed in 1924, it still bears a strong resemblance to its previous self, when each turn of its 800-meter (2,624-foot) winding way revealed another caravanserai, workshop, or stall reminiscent of the old medinas of Fez or Tangiers. In the 19th century if you wanted to buy a khanjali (Georgian dagger), soft leather boots, or felt cloak, you didn't go to a shop on Rustaveli Avenue but rather to the stalls in Leselidze Street where merchants were so cramped for space they did most of their business out in the open.

The street mixes the mercantile with the spiritual. As well as being famous for its shops, Leselidze boasts a synagogue, an Armenian Gregorian church, and a Georgian Orthodox church. A second smaller synagogue is nearby.

At the junction of Sioni and Leselidze streets, you can turn right, down to the precincts of one of the largest and most important buildings in this neighbourhood: Sioni Cathedral.