Georgian Military Highway — Kazbegi Mountain Road
849.00 د.إ
The Georgian Military Highway at the Cross Pass in winter — the road a narrow cleared channel through 3-metre snowdrifts, the Gergeti Trinity Church on its cone hill above Kazbegi visible at the valley head, Mount Kazbek summit beyond.
Description
The Georgian Military Highway from Tbilisi to the Russian border at Zemo Larsi crosses the Caucasus at the 2,395-metre Jvari Pass (Cross Pass) — a mountain road that was cleared by Russian military engineers in the late 18th century and remains the sole year-round land connection between Georgia and Russia. In winter, the pass section is maintained clear of snow but the roadside accumulation reaches 3–4 metres on either side, creating a carved canyon effect along the highway. This image was made from the cleared road surface in February, looking northeast toward the Kazbegi valley: the road is a single lane cleared between high snowdrift walls, the Gergeti Trinity Church — the 14th-century monastery on its volcanic cone above Stepantsminda — is visible at the valley head, Mount Kazbek’s 5,047-metre glaciated summit rising behind it. Shot at f/8 on a 24-70mm zoom, the road compression draws the eye from the foreground snowdrift walls to the distant church.
