About Architecture – Old Photographs of the Dinamo Stadium in Tbilisi

Designed by Archil Kurdiani, the Dinamo stadium in Tbilisi was completed in 1935 and had a capacity for 23,000 spectators. It has been reconstructed several times and is now known as the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena. CLICK on the logo to visit GEORGIA ABOUT on Facebook and see photos and news about Georgia. Click LIKE on the page and become a friend of GEORGIA … Continue reading

About Sights – Romanov Palace in Likani

The Romanov Palace (also known as Likani Palace) was designed by Leopold Bilfeldt as a summer mansion for Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich of Russia. Built by the famous architect Leonti Nikolajewitsch Benois (Leon Benoise) between the years of 1892-95, the palace is situated on the bank of the Mtkvari River in Likani (Georgian: ლიკანი) in Samtskhe-Javakheti region. … Continue reading

About History – Camels in 19th Century Tiflis

Situated at the juncture of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, Tiflis (Tbilisi) was an important trade and transit route that provided the shortest and most convenient way of bridging the two continents. For centuries, long colorful caravans of camels, donkeys and horses brought silk and other exotic merchandise to the bazaars of Tiflis. Merchants stabled their animals, stored … Continue reading

About Celebrations – Didgoroba

The Battle of Didgori (Georgian: დიდგორის ბრძოლა) was one of the most decisive battles in Georgian history. Georgian King David IV’s victory and subsequent reconquest of Tbilisi, which had been under Muslim rule for over four centuries, liberated the entire region from Muslim influence and marked the beginning of the medieval Georgian Golden Age. The event is commemorated each … Continue reading

About History – Water Collectors of 19th Century Tiflis

The water from the Mtkvari River in Tbilisi was used for drinking, sanitation and irrigation from the earliest times of the founding of the city. In 1862, a small centralized filtered water supply network, known as the Korganovi Enterprise, was created but most of the city’s inhabitants continued to rely on unfiltered water collected from the … Continue reading

About Art – Hand Colored 19th Century Photographs of Tiflis

In the late 19th century, Tbilisi (called Tiflis during the time of the Russian Empire) was the seat of the Tsar’s viceroy and served as the Imperial capital of the entire Caucasus. Several renowned photographers undertook photographic studies of the city and its people, including Georgian photographer Dmitri Ivanovich Ermakov. Photos courtesy of Tbilisi Government. … Continue reading

About Art – The Photography of David Guramishvili

Georgian artist and amateur photographer David Guramishvili (1857-1926) entered the Academy of Arts in Munich in 1886 where he became interested in photography, especially of life in the streets. These photographs are part of a series called ‘Bazaar’ and were taken in Tiflis (the name for Tbilisi during the time of the Russian Empire). CLICK on … Continue reading

About History – Georgian Maneti

The maneti (მანეთი) was the currency of the Democratic Republic of Georgia (საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკა), which was established in May 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire and existed until February 1921 when the country was invaded by the Soviet Red Army. The maneti was subdivided into 100 kapeiki (კაპეიკი). Only banknotes were issued and each note bears a facsimile of the signature of … Continue reading

About Achievements – Alexander Kartveli

Alexander Kartveli, born Alexander Kartvelishvili, (Georgian: ალექსანდრე ქართველიშვილი) 1896–1974) is considered to be one of the most important aircraft designers in US history and the world. Born in Tbilisi, he moved to the U.S.A. in 1928 to design fighter aircraft. His major projects included the design of the P-47 Thunderbolt fighter plane used by the … Continue reading

About History – The Golden Treasure of Vani

Colchis (Georgian: კოლხეთი) was an ancient Georgian kingdom in Western Georgia known in Greek mythology as the destination of Jason and the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece. Renowned as a region rich in gold, the excavation of a series of rich burials and other discoveries at the town of Vani (Georgian: ვანი) … Continue reading

About History – Conservation of the Gelati Frescos

Gelati (Georgian: გელათის მონასტერი) is a monastic complex near the city of Kutaisi in the Imereti region of western Georgia. The Monastery is among the most important cultural landmarks of Georgia and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The complex contains the Church of the Virgin founded by David the Builder (Georgian: დავით აღმაშენებელი) in … Continue reading

About History – Photographs of 19th Century Svaneti

During the period 1889-1896, the famous mountain-climber and pioneer of photography, Count Vittorio Sella made a number of climbs in the Caucasus Mountains in the Svaneti region of Georgia and photographed the remote fortified communities that were virtually hidden from the world. Svaneti (Georgian: სვანეთი) is situated on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus mountains in the northwestern … Continue reading

About Architecture – 19th century Megrelian “Sajalabo” House

This early 19th century Sajalabo house was dismantled piece by piece from its location in the village of Ontopo in Samegrelo region and rebuilt at the Giorgi Chitaia Open Air Museum of Ethnography (Georgian: გიორგი ჩიტაიას სახელობის ეთნოგრაფიული მუზეუმი ღია ცის ქვეშ) in Tbilisi. A typical Sajalabo house was a one-room windowless structure with an earthen … Continue reading

About History – Photographs of Zugdidi in the 1930’s

Zugdidi (Georgian: ზუგდიდი) is the capital of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region in western Georgia. The name “Zugdidi” means “big/great hill”. The following photographs show how it looked during Soviet times in the 1930’s. Photos courtesy of Zugdidi Municipality. CLICK on the logo to visit GEORGIA ABOUT on Facebook and see photos and news about Georgia. Click LIKE on the page and become a … Continue reading

About History – Hand Colored Photographs of Farming in 1950’s Georgia

With its rich natural abundance of fertile soil, clean water and favorable climate, Georgia has been producing a wide range of agricultural products for more than 3,000 years. During the Soviet era, Georgia  was a leading agricultural country within the Soviet Union, providing up to 10% of inter-republic trade in the highest quality food. Soviet era … Continue reading

About History – Georgian Military Road

The Georgian Military Road (საქართველოს სამხედრო გზა) is the historic name for a major route through the Caucasus from Georgia to Russia. The 208 kilometer road from Tbilisi (Georgia) to Vladikavkaz (Russia) follows the traditional route used by invaders and traders throughout the ages. Although the route has been used since ancient times, the Georgian … Continue reading