Cross Pass

Cross Pass, also known as Gudauri Pass, lies on the Georgian Military Road linking Russia and Georgia. The name Cross dates to 1824, when a stone cross was erected here and later seen by Pushkin, Griboyedov, and Lermontov. The alternative name comes from nearby Gudauri. The Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument, built in 1983 for the bicentenary of the Treaty of Georgievsk, stands at the pass, and its viewpoint overlooks the mountains and Aragvi Valley. Travel can be difficult because snow, avalanches, and ice sometimes close the road. A future tunnel beneath the pass is intended to provide year-round access.

A legend claims that before the Common Era the Persian king Cyrus I ordered a cross erected on the pass during a campaign against southern Scythia. Defiant Scythian leaders were supposedly crucified there, making the place a symbol of power and intimidation.