Not long ago a monument to the great choreographer George Balanchini (George Balanchivadze) was established in the square. The sculpture was performed by Vaja Mikaberidze. The left square of the building is especially attractive, it was successfully reconstructed in 1965 (architect A. Mikaberidze).

The decorative square on both sides of the Opera House skillfully combines ancient stellas and sculptures. In the depth of the square there is a monument to the great Georgian composer, director, teacher Zakaria Paliashvili (sculptor M. Berdzenishvili, bronze, 1971).

Then we go past another house - the former Military Gymnasium (1875). It was built mainly due to the fact that when native citizens went outside the Caucasus to get education, it had a harmful effect on their health. Since 1882 - Cadets' Corpse, since 1909 - Tiflis Cadet Corpse of the Great Prince Michael Nikolaevich.
Then you can see a monumental building - the former Georgian branch of Marxism-Leninism Institute (architect A. Shukin, 1938). Its frieze is decorated with basreliefs made by Jakob Nikoladze. Since 1993 the Constitutional Court has had its sittings here. Nowadays reconstruction is going on and it is planned to build a hotel by the company Kempinski Hotels in it.
Nearby you can see a monument to the distinguished Georgian philosopher of the 20th century Merab Mamardashvili, which was created and gifted to the city by the sculptor Ernst Neizvestni.

Griboedov street is in parallel to Rustaveli Avenue (closer to the mountain). Here is Tbilisi State Conservatoire after V. Sarajishvili, which was founded in 1917. Tbilisi conservatoire has deserved a dignified reputation of an educational establishment which is famous for its wonderful performers of classical music. Among them are pianists Alexander Toradze and Eliso Virsaladze, a violinist Liana Isakadze, a bass singer Paata Burchuladze, a singer Nani Bregvadze. Georgia has the National Symphonic Orchestra. In the corner of the second floor stands the statue of Beethoven. The largest organ in Tbilisi is in the major hall of the conservatoire.

Tbilisi state academy of arts is also in this street (in a former palace of Arshakunian). The palace was built in the 50s of the 19th century (architect Grigor Ivanov). In 1869-1886 the palace housed the artistic circle. The Artistic academy was establis-hed in this palace in 1922. The facade of this three-story building is in European style and its interior has the features of Iranian decor. In 1902 the left part of the build-ing was reconstructed in accordance with the design of Svimon Kldiashvili.

Rustaveli avenue is completed with the monument to the poet Shota Rustaveli by a sculptor K. Merabishvili.

This part of the avenue still is called for-mally Zemeli. Zemeli in German means a roll (Semmel). At the same time there was a huge drugstore, which belonged to a German chemist Zemmel. Unfortunately this drugstore does not exist anymore. "Melik-Azariants House" is located instead. This gigantic, spread into the whole quarter building was owned by a merchant Alexander Melik-Azariants belonging to the top guild. And it still bears the name of its first owner. Even at the beginning of the 20th century there were power and water sup-ply systems, heating system, telephone network, a nursery, a cinema theatre, a photo saloon, Arts Gallery, and a garden with a fountain and exotic plants. Many-entrance construction with its wide windows, bay windows and tower takes up an entire quarter and nowadays it remains the evi-dence of the construction boom at the beginning of the 20th century. The stone mourning wreaths on its towers remind of a 25 yearold merchant's daughter, who died soon after the completion of the construction works. People say, that the merchants of the whole city came and dropped their jewelry there - for good luck. But the house did not bring happiness to Melik-Azariants - he died in poverty at Soviet times and was buried with his friends' money.

Just opposite MelikAzariants house stands a pompous building with beautiful low colonnade in Italian style, a solemn angular tower, revetted with Bolnisi tuff - it is a building of the Academy of Sciences of Georgia (architects K. Chkheidze and M. Chkhik-vadze, 1953). There is a through arcade bet-ween the columns. Via it you can go to the lower station, which has an oval design, of the cableway leading to the upper plateau of Mtatsminda (at present the cableway is not functioning). On the steps of the academy artists and craftsmen sell their works.

The symbol of Rustaveli avenue is Mtat-sminda which means the holly mountain. It got its name at the end of the16 century, but the other its name “Mamadaviti” (the mount of David) given earlier in the 6th century. A grate Georgian poet Nikoloz Baratashvili used to write "when I am bored its enough to have a look at mount Mtatsminda and I am fine".
On halfway to the peak of the mountain Mtatsminda, on one of its slopes, is located the church of Saint David, who came to Georgia in the 6th century. He built a cave and a small church, rightly say a chapel on the "holy mountain", and settled there. In the 16 century two monks from Athens David and Nikoloz Gabashvili built a church on a small rock of a holly mount in honor of Iberians Virgin. That church existed more than two hundred years. In 1809 it was restored after the order Georgian patriarch Antony II. When the city used to be invaded, citizens were kept in that monastery. When people had problems they always went there and felt better. Furthermore Georgian kings found there comfort there while having minutes of grief. King Erekle II, after having lost his son Solomon, overpowered to the holy mountain with his servants. The church spring escaping from the cleft of the cliff is associated with one ancient belief, that young girls were gathered on Thursdays, in order to pray to Saint David as to the patron saint of family happiness and to conjecture secret desire. Then went around the church three times, moistened a pebble in the spring water and applied it to the church wall. If the pebble was retained, it meant that the desire of a lucky girl could be ca-rried out.