Micro-districts and block numbers: finding you quickly
On the Gldani estate people often know an address not by its street but by the number of the micro-district and the block, and several buildings can share the same number. At night, when the numbers are hard to read, a driver who does not know the area can spend half an hour looking for the right entrance. So during the call the operator will ask three things: the micro-district, the block number and the nearest landmark - a school, a corner shop or the closest stop. Our drivers know the Gldani numbering, and if necessary the team leader will ring back and ask someone to meet the vehicle at the entrance. The quickest option of all, though, is to send your location by WhatsApp: the driver then follows the satnav straight to the door without hunting for numbers.
Tower blocks and lifts
Housing on the estate is mostly prefabricated blocks of nine, twelve and sixteen storeys. Here the crew faces two main tasks.
The lift is out of order or too small
In many blocks the lift is either broken down or its cabin is too short for a coffin. In that case the deceased is carried down the stairs on a special flexible stretcher, while the coffin is made ready downstairs at the entrance. In a sixteen-storey block six staff do this, taking turns so that the movement stays smooth and steady. This work is part of the standard price.
A refrigerated coffin for an upper floor
When the farewell is to be held in the flat, the refrigerated coffin has to go up to the tenth floor or higher. For this we bring a sectional unit: it is carried in two halves, and each one passes easily round the turn of the staircase. The climb takes up to forty minutes, and the family pays nothing extra for it.
The courtyard and the neighbours: a Gldani tradition
Between Gldani's blocks lie spacious courtyards, and unlike other parts of the city, much of the mourning ritual takes place right there. Neighbours bring out benches, a marquee goes up, people gather by the entrance, and when the funeral day comes, the coffin pauses in the courtyard for a few minutes so that every resident of the building can say goodbye.
- A marquee in the courtyard: for forty to a hundred people, with lighting; we put it up in the morning and take it down after the farewell. In Gldani this is the most common format for the wake as well.
- Benches and tables: we bring them from our own store, so the neighbours do not have to carry their own furniture outside.
- Sound system: for a panikhida (memorial service) in the courtyard, so that everyone can hear the priest.
- A pause for farewells: the hearse waits by the entrance while the neighbours pay their respects, with no charge for the waiting time.
A marquee in the courtyard does not usually need a permit, but it is best to tell the head of the entrance or the chair of the residents' association, so that moving the parked cars can be agreed in advance.
Private-house areas: Mukhiani, Zahesi, Avchala, Gldanula
Beyond the estate, the Gldani district has a large area of private houses, and the rules are different there. The streets are narrow, in places unpaved and sloping, and the way to the house often begins with a gate and a yard. For an address like this the crew checks in advance whether the hearse can get down the street and where it can turn. Sometimes the vehicle stops on the main road and the coffin is carried the last hundred metres by hand.
In a private house the farewell is traditionally held in the yard or in a large room, and the family often needs a self-powered refrigerated coffin that keeps running for eight hours during a power cut. In winter some streets are icy or muddy, so the crew comes with an extra person. For a farewell in a private yard we always offer an awning: it shelters people from rain and heat, and the coffin from direct sun.
Burial: routes out of Gldani
Gldani families most often bury their loved ones at Mukhatgverdi. It is the city's largest cemetery, looking out over Mtskheta, and new plots are allocated here more regularly than anywhere else. The drive from Gldani takes twenty-five to forty minutes, depending on the micro-district and the traffic.
Many families have an ancestral grave in the cemeteries north of the district or in a village, because a large share of Gldani's residents moved here from the regions several decades ago. In that case we find out which cemetery holds the family grave and obtain the permit to open it, and for a burial in a village the hearse and bus travel out to the region. Securing a spot in a village graveyard usually means talking to the community or the church, and the coordinator helps the family reach an agreement by phone.
The cost of taking the body to a village
Outside the city the hearse is charged by distance, from Tbilisi and back, with waiting time included. Below are approximate costs for the most common destinations; we will give the exact figure for your village during the call.
| Destination | Approximate one-way distance | Hearse, round trip |
|---|---|---|
| Gori | 85 kilometres | about 255 GEL |
| Telavi | 95 kilometres | about 285 GEL |
| Akhaltsikhe | 205 kilometres | about 615 GEL |
| Kutaisi | 230 kilometres | about 690 GEL |
| Zugdidi | 320 kilometres | about 960 GEL |
The road to a distant region can take up to five hours, so embalming or a refrigerated section is essential, and the bus for mourners is charged at a separate rate.
Neighbours helping neighbours: a custom still alive
In Gldani's blocks an old rule still holds today: when someone in the entrance dies, the neighbours help the family not only with sympathy but with practical work. The women cook for the wake, the men set up benches, tables and the marquee, and mourners who call at the house leave the family money in an envelope, so that the cost of the funeral does not fall entirely on one household.
We take this custom into account. If the neighbours are cooking the wake themselves, we bring only the equipment and the marquee, without ready-made dishes. If the men want to carry the coffin themselves, we take the pallbearers off the estimate and leave one member of staff for the lowering. And for a family covering part of the cost from mourners' envelopes, we offer to defer payment until the day of the funeral.
Hall and wake in Gldani
Our funeral hall in Gldani holds up to a hundred and twenty people, and the yard has space for up to twenty cars. It is the answer when the family lives in a small flat, or in winter, when a farewell in the courtyard is hard going. The hall has heating and air conditioning, so it is comfortable in any season. When it comes to the kelekhi, the shared memorial meal, Gldani families more often choose the courtyard under a marquee or a local restaurant, where both a Lenten table and a regular one come at a fixed price.
Prices in Gldani
Prices in Gldani are the same as in any other district of Tbilisi: a high floor, the lack of a lift or waiting time in the courtyard do not add to the bill. Many families opt for a moderate budget, and for that there is the budget package and interest-free instalments.
| What you need | Price | Gldani specifics |
|---|---|---|
| Budget package | from 1,200 GEL | coffin, shroud, hearse, preparation of the body, paperwork |
| Refrigerated coffin | 80 GEL per day | the sectional model for upper floors costs no more |
| Refrigerated coffin with its own power supply | 130 GEL per day | private houses where the power goes off |
| Marquee in the courtyard | from 250 GEL | forty to a hundred people, lighting included |
| Courtyard wake, ready-made dishes | 30 GEL per guest | equipment extra, 60 GEL per ten guests |
| Hearse to a village cemetery outside Tbilisi | 1.5 GEL per kilometre | counted there and back, waiting on site included |
Frequently asked questions
How long will you take to get to Gldani?
Up to forty minutes, depending on the micro-district. At night, when the roads are clear, it is often under half an hour. To find the address quickly, give us the micro-district, block number and nearest landmark when you call.
The lift is broken and we live on the twelfth floor. What do we do?
Nothing at all. A crew of six will come, carefully carry the deceased down the stairs on a flexible stretcher, and the coffin will be prepared on the ground floor. In Gldani this is an everyday situation, and it does not affect the price.
Is it possible to hold both the farewell and the kelekhi in our own courtyard?
Yes, in Gldani it is the most common arrangement. We bring and set up the marquee, benches, tables and sound system ourselves, and as a rule nothing has to be officially approved for a shared courtyard. It is still advisable to let the chair of the residents' association know.
Our family grave is in a village. Can the burial be there?
Yes. The hearse and, if needed, a bus for mourners travel to the region at the mileage rate. The coordinator agrees the place in the village cemetery with the community or the church, and we will find gravediggers locally or bring them from Tbilisi.
What does a hearse from Gldani to a village cost?
Beyond the city limits we charge 1.5 GEL a kilometre, counted from Tbilisi there and back. To Gori, for example, it comes to about 255 GEL, to Kutaisi 690. We will work out the exact sum from the name of the village during the call, and neither waiting time nor a night journey pushes the price up.
Which cemetery do Gldani residents use most?
Mukhatgverdi, the city's largest cemetery, where fresh plots become available more often than elsewhere. From Gldani it is twenty-five to forty minutes away. We check for a free plot on the day you call.
Do you offer instalments?
Yes. For costs above two thousand GEL there are interest-free instalments over up to six months. We take the application by phone, it is approved within a few hours, and the funeral preparations carry on in the meantime.
In Gldani a farewell belongs to the whole courtyard, and our job is to help the family and the neighbours get through these days with dignity and calm. Day or night, dial +995 568 33 03 18, give us your micro-district and block, and a crew pulls up at your entrance within forty minutes, with the marquee and benches standing in the courtyard by morning.