Rostevani Street

Overview

Rostevani Street (Georgian: როსტევანის ქუჩა) is a street in the Saburtalo district of Tbilisi, in Didi Dighomi in the north-west of the city. According to OpenStreetMap (OSM), it runs from north to south, from Mirian Mepe Street to Giorgi Brtskinvale Street, and is about 2.3 km long.

The street bears the name of a character from Shota Rustaveli’s poem The Knight in the Panther’s Skin (Vepkhistkaosani): Rostevan, King of Arabia. It belongs to a group of streets named after the poem’s characters. Asmati, Davari, Fatmani, Farsadani, Shermadini, Khataeti and Vepkhistkaosani Streets are all close by.

Location

According to OSM, the street consists of eight sections with a total length of 2,277 m. The northern end is at Mirian Mepe Street (about 41.7874° N, 44.7643° E). The southern end is at Giorgi Brtskinvale Street (about 41.7669° N, 44.7657° E). The street is almost straight, and its ends are about 2.3 km apart in a straight line. The midpoint is at about 41.7769° N, 44.7646° E.

From north to south, the street crosses or meets:

• Mirian Mepe Street (northern end)

• Vepkhistkaosani Street

• Melik-Surkhavi 2nd Lane

• Davari Street

• Otkhi Atasi Meskhi (Four Thousand Meskhs) 1st Lane and Asmati Street

• Nino Abashidze-Orbeliani Street

• Farsadani Street

• Chashnagiri Street and Rostevani 1st Dead End

• Fatmani Street

• Eredvi Street

• Vakhtang Chelidze Street

• Khataeti Street

• Shermadini Street

• Paata Janiashvili Street

• Tsameti Asureli Mama (Thirteen Assyrian Fathers) and Ilia Sheklashvili Streets

• Grigol Chkhikvadze Street

• Rostevani 1st Lane and Rostevani 2nd Dead End

• Luarsab Andronikashvili Street

• Kviratskhoveli Street

• Giorgi Brtskinvale Street (southern end)

In OSM, the northern part is mapped as a residential street and the central and southern parts as a tertiary road. A section of about 130 m between Fatmani and Eredvi Streets is an unpaved track.

There is no metro station near the street. Based on OSM coordinates, the nearest station, Ghrmaghele, is about 2.0 km in a straight line from the southern end. A bus stop named “Rostevani Street” (No. 4508) is on Mirian Mepe Street at the northern end of the street.

The name: King Rostevan

In an article published on 27 February 2020, Tbilisi Post wrote that naming the unnamed streets of the new Didi Dighomi settlement after characters from The Knight in the Panther’s Skin caused much discussion at the time. The streets it lists include Rostevani, Avtandili, Tarieli, Tinatini, Asmati, Davari and others. We could not find the official naming decision or its date in public sources.

According to Georgian Wikipedia, the main part of the poem tells two linked stories, one set in Arabia and one in India. The poem opens with the Arabian story: Rostevan is the King of Arabia. Because of his old age, he gives the throne to his only daughter, Tinatin. Tinatin and the commander Avtandil love each other. The first stanza of the main part of the poem is a description of Rostevan.

Naming of neighbouring streets

Two Tbilisi City Council decisions published in the Legislative Herald of Georgia concern two poem-related streets in the area. Both streets join Rostevani Street:

• Decision No. 225 of 23 June 2015 — Mulghazanzari Street was renamed after the writer and State Prize laureate Vakhtang Chelidze.

• Decision No. 286 of 28 July 2015 — Melik-Surkhavi Street, with its dead end and passage, was renamed after the Four Thousand Meskhs who died in the Battle of Garnisi.

According to Wikipedia, Mulghazanzar is the kingdom of Nuradin-Pridon in the poem, and Melik-Surkhavi is the King of Gulansharo.

Nearby places

• Anbani Park — about 0.1 km from the northern part of the street.

• Church of the Thirteen Assyrian Fathers — on Mirian Mepe Street, about 0.1 km from the northern part of the street.

Distances are calculated from OSM coordinates, in a straight line.

FAQ

1) Where is Rostevani Street?
In Didi Dighomi, in the Saburtalo district of Tbilisi. The street runs from Mirian Mepe Street in the north to Giorgi Brtskinvale Street in the south.

2) How long is the street?
About 2.3 km according to OpenStreetMap (eight sections, 2,277 m in total).

3) Who is the street named after?
After Rostevan, King of Arabia, a character of The Knight in the Panther’s Skin. According to a 2020 article in Tbilisi Post, unnamed streets in the new Didi Dighomi settlement were given the names of characters from the poem, and Rostevani Street is on that list.

4) Who is Rostevan in the poem?
According to Georgian Wikipedia, Rostevan is the King of Arabia and the father of Tinatin. The main part of the poem opens with the Arabian story of King Rostevan, Tinatin and Avtandil.

5) Which streets does it cross or meet?
Among others: Mirian Mepe, Vepkhistkaosani, Davari, Asmati, Farsadani, Fatmani, Eredvi, Vakhtang Chelidze, Khataeti, Shermadini, Tsameti Asureli Mama, Luarsab Andronikashvili, Kviratskhoveli and Giorgi Brtskinvale Streets.

6) Does the street have side lanes?
Yes. OpenStreetMap shows Rostevani 1st Lane, Rostevani 1st Dead End and Rostevani 2nd Dead End.

7) Is the whole street paved?
No. According to OSM, the northern and southern parts are asphalt, but a section of about 130 m between Fatmani and Eredvi Streets is mapped as an unpaved track.

8) What is the nearest metro station?
Ghrmaghele, about 2.0 km in a straight line from the southern end of the street. From the middle of the street it is about 2.5 km.

9) Is there a bus stop nearby?
Yes. On Mirian Mepe Street, at the northern end of the street, OSM shows a stop named “Rostevani Street” (No. 4508).

10) What is nearby?
Anbani Park and the Church of the Thirteen Assyrian Fathers on Mirian Mepe Street, both about 0.1 km in a straight line from the northern part of the street.

Sources

• Rostevani Street (southern section) — OpenStreetMap (8 sections in total, incl. 949697713, 904266256, 58790529)

• Rostevani Street (northern section) — OpenStreetMap

• Stories of Tbilisi streets (27 Feb 2020, in Georgian) — Tbilisi Post

• The Knight in the Panther’s Skin (Vepkhistkaosani) — Georgian Wikipedia

• Tbilisi City Council decision No. 225 of 23 June 2015 (Mulghazanzari St → Vakhtang Chelidze St) — Legislative Herald of Georgia (in Georgian)

• Tbilisi City Council decision No. 286 of 28 July 2015 (Melik-Surkhavi St → Four Thousand Meskhs St) — Legislative Herald of Georgia (in Georgian)