# Ortachala Street
- URL: https://explore-georgia.ge/en/tbilisi/krtsanisi/ortachala/ortachali-street
- Type: street
- City: Krtsanisi
- Coordinates: 41.6766, 44.8168

## Overview

**Ortachala Street** (Georgian: ორთაჭალის ქუჩა) is a street in the **Krtsanisi district** of Tbilisi, in the south-east of the city. It takes its name from the historic neighbourhood of **Ortachala**, through which most of it runs; its western part lies in the neighbouring **Krtsanisi** neighbourhood. The street links **Aleksandre (Aliosha) Jafaridze Street** and Krtsanisi 2nd Lane in the south-west with **Vakhtang Gorgasali Street** in the north-east.

According to OpenStreetMap (OSM) data, the main section from Aleksandre Jafaridze Street to Vakhtang Gorgasali Street is about **1.5 km** long; together with a short one-way section to Krtsanisi 2nd Lane, the roads bearing the street’s name total about 1.66 km. The street is paved with asphalt. In OSM address data it belongs to the Krtsanisi district, postcode 0114. The midpoint of the main section is at about 41.6766° N, 44.8168° E.

## Location

According to OSM, the south-western end of the main section is at the junction with Aleksandre (Aliosha) Jafaridze Street (about 41.6737° N, 44.8090° E). From there a one-way section of about 140 m leads south to **Krtsanisi 2nd Lane**. The main section runs north-east, meeting **Tsinanauri Street** (about 41.6762° N, 44.8138° E) and several smaller streets on the way, and ends on **Vakhtang Gorgasali Street** (about 41.6794° N, 44.8246° E).

The western section (to Tsinanauri Street) is about 490 m long, the middle section about 690 m and the eastern section, up to Gorgasali Street, about 330 m. On the eastern section OSM records two traffic lanes, street lighting and a carriageway width of 5.5 m. A group of smaller streets also bears the name of Ortachala: **Ortachala 1st–4th Lanes**, **Ortachala Dead End** and **Ortachala 1st–5th Dead Ends**.

According to the OSM neighbourhood boundaries, roughly the western 600 m of the street are in Krtsanisi and the rest in Ortachala. In OSM, bus stops named “Ortachala Street” stand at the south-western end (on Krtsanisi 2nd Lane) and at the north-eastern end (on Vakhtang Gorgasali Street). The nearest metro station is **300 Aragveli**, about 970 m from the street in a straight line.

## Name and history of Ortachala

The street is named after the neighbourhood; no separate official naming decision could be found. According to Georgian Wikipedia, which draws on the Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia, “Ortachala” combines Turkish *orta* (“middle”) and Georgian *chala* (“riverside floodplain”), meaning “middle floodplain”; Russian Wikipedia instead links the name to a Turkic word for “island”. In the 18th century Vakhushti Bagrationi called the place the “Chala garden”. The name originally belonged to an island formed where the Mtkvari split into two branches, and in the 19th century it was extended to the neighbourhood on the right bank of the river.

In earlier times the area lay outside the city walls, and the road to Ganja passed through it. In the 19th century Ortachala had Tatar and Greek quarters, a soap factory, a felt factory, a customs post and a Jewish cemetery, and its gardens made it a popular place of rest and entertainment for the people of Tbilisi. In 1954 the Ortachala hydropower plant was built on the Mtkvari.

## Nearby places

- **Public School No. 144** — about 90 m.
- **Ortachala Jewish Cemetery** — about 100 m.
- **Public School No. 72** — about 300 m.
- **Jani Kalandadze Park** — about 310 m.
- **Krtsanisiskhevi** stream — about 360 m.
- **300 Aragveli Bridge** over the Mtkvari — about 440 m from the north-eastern end.

Distances are straight-line, calculated from OSM coordinates to the nearest point of the street.

## FAQ

**1) Where is Ortachala Street?**
In the Krtsanisi district of Tbilisi, in the Ortachala and Krtsanisi neighbourhoods, between Aleksandre (Aliosha) Jafaridze Street and Vakhtang Gorgasali Street.

**2) How long is the street?**
According to OSM, the main section is about 1.5 km; with the one-way section to Krtsanisi 2nd Lane it is about 1.66 km.

**3) Which streets does it connect?**
Aleksandre (Aliosha) Jafaridze Street and Krtsanisi 2nd Lane in the south-west, Tsinanauri Street on the way and Vakhtang Gorgasali Street in the north-east.

**4) What is the street named after?**
The historic Ortachala neighbourhood of Tbilisi.

**5) What does “Ortachala” mean?**
According to Georgian Wikipedia, “middle floodplain” (Turkish “orta” + Georgian “chala”); Russian Wikipedia links it to a Turkic word for “island”.

**6) What was Ortachala known for in the 19th century?**
Its gardens, which made it a place of rest and entertainment for the people of Tbilisi.

**7) What is the nearest metro station?**
300 Aragveli, about 970 m in a straight line.

**8) Is there a school on the street?**
Public School No. 144 is about 90 m from the street and Public School No. 72 about 300 m, in a straight line.

**9) Which side streets share its name?**
Ortachala 1st–4th Lanes, Ortachala Dead End and Ortachala 1st–5th Dead Ends.

## Sources

- [Ortachala Street (western section) — OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1442160344)
- [Ortachala Street (middle section) — OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/62689036)
- [Ortachala Street (eastern section) — OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/75303839)
- [Ortachala Street (one-way southern section) — OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1363515378)
- [Ortachala (neighbourhood) — OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/18467370)
- [Krtsanisi (neighbourhood) — OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/18467369)
- [Ortachala Jewish Cemetery — OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/295949210)
- [Ortachala — Georgian Wikipedia](https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/ორთაჭალა)
- [Ortachala — Russian Wikipedia](https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ортачала)
- T. Beridze, “Ortachala” — Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia, vol. 7, Tbilisi, 1984, p. 569 (as cited by Georgian Wikipedia; in Georgian).

## This page in other languages

- [Georgian](https://explore-georgia.ge/ka/tbilisi/krtsanisi/ortachala/ortachali-street)
- [Russian](https://explore-georgia.ge/ru/tbilisi/krtsanisi/ortachala/ortachali-street)