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A stone arch with a wrought-iron railing frames the view across the Mtkvari (Kura) River from the Metekhi ascent in the Avlabari district of Tbilisi, Georgia. A riverside road runs along the opposite bank, and residential houses climb a green hillside behind it. A tower stands on the crest as part of Narikala Fortress. Grey clouds hang over the hill. Narikala Fortress was founded in the 4th century. Most of its surviving fortifications date from the 16th and 17th centuries. The capital was completely destroyed 26 times over the course of its history.