Although only adopted as the official Georgian flag in 2004, the five cross design dates back to the 14th century.

The Georgian flag's historical inspiration is the red-on-white Jerusalem cross shown as the flag of Tblisi in the 14th-century map by Domenico and Francesco Pizzigano.

By the late 1990s, the design had become widely known as 'the Georgian historical national flag' as vexillologists had pointed out the Tbilisi flag in the Pizzigano chart.

Behind the president was Tbilisi's City Hall, its windows draped with American and Georgian flags.

It is sometimes supposed to be the earliest model of the current Georgian national flag.

And that Georgian flag says it all really........

There were large number of Ossetian flags also used by the South Ossetian secessionist authorities, flown alongside the Georgian flag in Kurta, near Tskhinvali.

The desk had the look of dating back to the Soviet era but there was a Georgian flag on one wall and a portrait of the current president behind the desk.

Beside every Georgian flag in every official building, we installed a European flag.

The locals gave to the delegation a warm welcome, which included waving of the newly adopted Georgian national flag with its five crosses.