The people of Georgia have been paying their last respects to Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, who died of carbon monoxide poisoning earlier this week.
Thousands of mourners filed past Zhvania's open coffin, draped in the Georgian flag, in the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi.
The authorities say the death was caused by a faulty gas heater.
Officials have dismissed the suggestion of foul play, although some Georgian newspapers have asked questions.
Symbolic gesture
The memorial service in the Holy Trinity cathedral was led by Georgia's Orthodox Patriarch Ilya II.
Speaking to mourners, President Mikhail Saakashvili told mourners of Zhvania's role in helping to bring about political transformation in Georgia.
" Georgia has come into its own as a state "
"Georgia has come into its own as a state. We have all made this happen, in large part thanks to the efforts of Zurab Zhvania," Mr Saakashvili said.
Among the dignitaries in Tbilisi for the funeral was US Senator Richard Lugar, who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin and World Bank President James Wolfensohn.
In a symbolic gesture, the Netherlands sent 1,000 red roses to be strewn on the path of the funeral procession.
Zhvania played an important role in Georgia's peaceful uprising in November 2003 which ousted President Eduard Shevardnadze and is known as the Rose Revolution.
Zhvania is to be buried in Tbilisi's Didube cemetery, alongside a number of other Georgian dignitaries. Mr Saakashvili is expected to name a new prime minister in the next few days.
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