Khudadov Forest is a planted urban woodland on Tbilisi’s left-bank slopes, with a history that reaches from nineteenth-century greening to revolutionary memorials and present-day restoration. Named for physician and city council member Nikoloz Khudadov, it began taking shape in 1893. Its story combines the growth of the city, the memory of the 1905 uprising and efforts to care for a damaged green space.
Setting: Tbilisi, on the left-bank side of the Mtkvari River.
Origins: Tree planting initiated in 1893 by Nikoloz Khudadov.
Historical importance: A cemetery associated with the 1905 fighting and later Soviet burials.
Recent change: A phased municipal forest-restoration and recreation project, with some improvements reported completed in 2025.
Location and the Origins of the Forest
Khudadov Forest occupies hillsides on the left-bank side of the Mtkvari River in Tbilisi. A historical account of the city’s place names, reproduced by Kvira from Tamaz Kvirkvelia’s 1985 book, places its beginnings at the edge of Nadzaladevi. Modern City Hall project information identifies the restoration site as being in Chugureti district. These descriptions use different historical and administrative contexts.
According to Kvirkvelia’s account, planting began on state-owned land in 1893 at the initiative of physician and council member Nikoloz, or Niko, Khudadov. Residents soon attached his name to the woodland. Its origins are therefore part of Tbilisi’s history of deliberate tree planting.
The 1905 Fighting and Its Memorials
During the 1905 Revolution in the Russian Empire, nearby Nadzaladevi was a center of workers’ resistance. Historical research published by the Soviet Past Research Laboratory’s Public Archive, drawing on contemporary newspapers, describes fighting near the forest that December. Nine workers associated with that confrontation became the focus of local commemoration.
The cemetery began with burials after the fighting, before Soviet rule in Georgia. After 1921, Soviet authorities used the burial ground for Bolshevik figures. Maro Bochoridze was buried there in 1930. An obelisk erected in 1955 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the fighting, while the nearby street name “Nine Brothers” commemorated the nine workers.
In 1989, the remains of Filipe Makharadze, Mikha Tskhakaya and Silibistro Todria were transferred from the Mtatsminda Pantheon to the Khudadov cemetery. This was a later stage in the burial ground’s history, separate from its origins in 1905.
The street name also changed. Netgazeti’s 2022 account, based on archival material and an interview with historian Irakli Khvadagiani, reports that it had been renamed for the Nine Kherkheulidze Brothers. The old name’s revolutionary association and the later commemorative name should not be confused.
Damage, Planting and Restoration
Waste dumping has been a documented problem in the woodland. On June 5, 2024, municipal teams removed construction and household waste and planted 150 seedlings, according to Tbilservice Group’s report. That record gives a dated account of both the damage and work to address it.
On November 5, 2024, Tbilisi City Hall announced the start of a phased restoration project. Its first stage included the central route, outdoor lighting and planned planting. The wider proposal included recreation facilities such as sports and children’s areas, a café and an amphitheater.
A later report published by Commersant on August 11, 2025, relaying a City Hall response to BusinessPressNews, said the central path had been rehabilitated, lighting installed, a parking area arranged and 14,426 trees and other plants planted. It reported that maintenance was continuing. These are reported completed works at that date; they do not establish that the whole park project or every proposed facility has opened.
How large is the forest? Published figures vary: Tbilservice Group described approximately 99 acres (40 hectares) in June 2024, a project architect discussed a 148-acre (60-hectare) design area in the 2025 report, and City Hall’s November 2024 announcement quoted a roughly 247-acre (100-hectare) area. Without a common mapped boundary, those figures should not be treated as interchangeable measurements of one exact site.
Planning a Visit
For visitors interested in Tbilisi’s urban landscape, Khudadov Forest brings together planted woodland and a complicated memorial history. Plan around the specific entrance or path you intend to use, rather than assuming that a broad forest label on a map identifies a maintained entrance.
Check current municipal notices and signs on site for works or access changes. Wear footwear suitable for sloping paths, carry water, avoid restricted work areas and treat graves and memorials respectfully. Published project plans do not guarantee operating cafés, toilets, staffed visitor services or step-free access throughout the forest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Khudadov Forest named after?
It was named after Nikoloz Khudadov, a physician and member of Tbilisi’s city council who initiated tree planting in 1893.
Why is there a revolutionary cemetery near the forest?
Its origins lie in burials after the 1905 fighting near Nadzaladevi. Soviet authorities later used the site for Bolshevik burials and commemoration.
Has the forest’s restoration been completed?
The project was announced in stages. A 2025 report attributed to City Hall confirmed several completed improvements, including the central path, lighting and planting. It did not confirm completion of every proposed recreation facility.
Is Khudadov Forest exactly 99 acres (40 hectares)?
About 99 acres (40 hectares) is one published estimate. Other project reports use larger areas. The figures lack a shared boundary definition, so an exact total would be misleading.
What Did We Learn Today?
Khudadov Forest reflects more than a century of change in Tbilisi: planned planting, workers’ resistance, Soviet memorial practices and renewed care for an urban green space. Understanding it means keeping the original cemetery distinct from its later Soviet use, and separating completed restoration works from the wider park’s proposed facilities.
Sources & Data Notes
Checked November 9, 2026. Historical and municipal sources are mainly in Georgian. The restoration updates above retain their original dates. The August 2025 progress information is a media report quoting City Hall, not an on-site inspection or a guarantee of conditions today. Area estimates refer to reports without a reconciled boundary survey.
- Kvira, January 8, 2021, reproducing Tamaz Kvirkvelia’s historical place-name account: left-bank setting, Khudadov’s role and the 1893 planting.
- Soviet Past Research Laboratory, “Bolshevik Pantheon on Khudadov Street,” April 1, 2012: contemporary newspaper references, the cemetery’s development, 1955 obelisk and 1989 transfers.
- Radio Tavisupleba, June 3, 2020: the 1989 transfers from Mtatsminda.
- Netgazeti, January 22, 2022: additional historical context and the changed street name.
- Tbilservice Group, June 5, 2024: cleanup, seedling planting and its approximate area figure.
- Tbilisi City Hall, November 5, 2024: restoration commencement, district, planned facilities and project scale.
- Commersant, August 11, 2025, relaying BusinessPressNews reporting: the City Hall progress response and architect’s design-area estimate.
