Atashgah in Tbilisi

Persian armies conquered Tbilisi again and again, yet Georgia remained firmly Christian. Why? Did the Persians deliberately avoid converting the population to Zoroastrianism, seeking peaceful coexistence, or was the empire’s ancient faith reserved for its own administrators and elites? The ruins of Tbilisi’s Fire Temple point to a striking paradox: an imperial religion present at the heart of the city, yet never fully imposed. This tension reveals a complex encounter between power, faith, and cultural coexistence.