Sulfur baths
Thanks to the abundance of hot sulfur springs, Tbilisi has been famous for its sulfur baths since ancient times. There were several so-called large baths in Tbilisi, and the most famous were named after the owners: Sumbatovsky, Bebutovsky, Zubalovsky, Orbelianovsky, etc. The date of construction of all baths is different. This is approximately the 17th - 19th centuries. The oldest is the Irakli bathhouse, the ownership of which was fought over by members of the royal family and Georgian princes back in the 16th century.
The baths are built in the style of classical oriental architecture. These are low, squat buildings, covered on top with semicircular domes with large glass openings in the center, which served as windows illuminating the interior, since the baths themselves are below ground level. In the old days, people not only washed here, but also communicated, staying up until dawn, and the city matchmakers organized bridesmaids on special days. Dinner parties were held in the baths and trade deals were concluded. According to legend, the Georgian king Vakhtang Gorgasali was hunting in the valley and shot a deer. The wounded deer leaned into a hot sulfur spring gushing out of the ground, was instantly healed and disappeared into the thicket. The king ordered a city to be built on this site, which was named Tbilisi.