Ancient Dmanisi, which used to be an important point on the Silk Road, is now an archeological site in about 10 kilometers far from contemporary town of Dmanisi with population about 3,000 people.
This area has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, but as it turned out during the archaeological excavations held in 1991, there used to be the migration path of primitive men from Africa to the European continent. During the excavation the remains of Homo erectus were found at the territory of Dmanisi settlement.
Nowadays this specie of ancient people is referred as Homo georgicus and can be regarded as the first Europeans. You can see amazing archaeological records and reconstructed images of men and women of Bronze Age in the museum, which is located in the archaeological area of Dmanisi settlement.
But not only primitive tribes made their way through Dmanisi. The old name of the town «Bashkechit» means “main pass” in Azeri language. This proves that Dmanisi was an important transit point for trade caravans on one of the smaller routes of the Silk Road. In the 7-8th centuries, Dmanisi was the center of a small Arab Emirate «Dumanuss». Modern Dmanisi takes its name roots from that period.
Nowadays, there are two interesting religious and historical monuments in the ancient settlement: the remains of the city’s fortification and church of Dmanisi Sion built in the 7th century.