Hello La Reina fans! Women's History Month is heating up!
Have you met Queen Tamar? She was the most amazing queen of the country of Georgia.
Georgia is a small country next to Russia, which has been making wine and art for six thousand years. Georgia is the land of the Golden Fleece from Greek mythology. Georgia was one of the first lands to embrace Christianity, and held onto it when sandwiched between the Islamic powers of Turkey and Persia. And who presided over this country's Golden Age from 1160-1213? A wonderful Queen named Tamar.
There is not enough room here to tell you how wonderful Tamar was.
Thanks to her, there is a Georgian Othodox Christian presence in Jerusalem. Thanks to her, even more artisitc influence was absorbed from the Byzantine Empire. Thanks to her, Shota Rustavelli wrote the great epic "The Knight in the Panther Skin". I have actually read this, and although it is rather Persian in outlook and the guys cry figurative rivers of tears like every other page, it is fun.
Thanks to her, there is a Georgian Othodox Christian presence in Jerusalem. Thanks to her, even more artisitc influence was absorbed from the Byzantine Empire. Thanks to her, Shota Rustavelli wrote the great epic "The Knight in the Panther Skin". I have actually read this, and although it is rather Persian in outlook and the guys cry figurative rivers of tears like every other page, it is fun.
She did so much it is unfortunate that 20 years after her death the Mongols overran Georgia and broke a lot of things. But that's OK, they took over most of the world.
By the way, Tamar was later made into a Saint.
She was buried in the stylish cathedral you see above, at a time when Western Europe didn't know shit about building things.
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