Mtskheta (Georgian: მცხეთა) is a city in Kartli province of Georgia. One of the oldest cities of Georgia, it is located approximately 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Tbilisi at the confluence of the Aragvi and Kura rivers. Mtskheta is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The city has a population of 19,423 (2008) and is the administrative center of the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region. Due to its historical significance and several cultural monuments, the "Historical Monuments of Mtskheta" became a UNESCO World Heritage ... Show more Site in 1994. As the birthplace and one of the most vibrant centers of Christianity in Georgia, Mtskheta was declared as the "Holy City" by the Georgian Orthodox Church in 2014. Remains of towns at this location have been dated to earlier than the year 1000 BC,[citation needed] and Mtskheta was capital of the early Georgian Kingdom of Iberia during the 3rd century BC – 5th century AD. It was a site of early Christian activity, and the location where Christianity was proclaimed the state religion of Kartli in 337. Mtskheta still remains the headquarters of the Georgian Orthodox Church. Show less