historical-nonfiction:
1185 saw a woman, Tamar, on the throne of Georgia. She was really good at the job, overseeing a flowering of culture and learning. And she really wanted to build a lovely little monastery. There was, however, a problem: the Mongols. Georgia was in constant danger of being swallowed by the ever-expanding horde of destruction. So she decided to build the monastery into the cliffs. That way, even the Mongols couldn’t burn it down! Her idea became Vardzia, the cave “city”. And today it still stands, a really awesome tourist destination.