About Sights – Jvari Monastery
Built in the 6th century, Jvari Monastery (Georgian: ჯვარი, ჯვრის მონასტერი) stands on a mountaintop at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers, overlooking Mtskheta, the former capital of Georgia. The monastery was built on the site of a large wooden cross erected by Saint Nino (Georgian: წმინდა ნინო) in the early 4th century. … Continue reading
About Sights – Georgian State Museum of Theatre, Music, Cinema and Choreography
Established in 1927, the Georgian State Museum of Theatre, Music, Cinema and Choreography (Georgian: საქართველოს თეატრის, მუსიკის, კინოსა და ქორეოგრაფიის სახელმწიფო მუზეუმი) is housed in a former palace built by German Prince Constantine Oldenburg in the late 19th century as a token of his love for a beautiful Georgian woman called Agraphina Japaridze. Recently refurbished, … Continue reading
About Achievements – The Saakashvili Presidential Library
Founded by former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, the Saakashvili Presidential Library is a political science and educational center that aims to promote liberal democratic values and the ideas of freedom, national unity and independence, free market economy and progress throughout Georgian society and the entire post-soviet space. Designed by the famous architect Jurgen Mayer … Continue reading
About Architecture – Lazika Pier Sculpture
Completed at the end of 2012, the Lazika Pier Sculpture was intended to mark the beginning of the development of a new city that was to be called Lazika (Georgian: ლაზიკა). Designed by J. Mayer H. Architects the 31 meter high sculpture is located on Georgia’s Black Sea coast at the end of a one hundred … 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 Sights – Astronomical Clock in Batumi
Made in Germany, the Astronomical Clock in Europe Square in the city of Batumi (Georgian: ბათუმი) adorns the restored facade of the former National Bank building. A chime indicates the full hour, a single ring the half-hour. Apart from the time of day, the clock also shows astronomical information – the placement of the sun and … Continue reading
About Architecture – Vernacular Architecture of Tusheti
Located on the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, Tusheti (Georgian: თუშეთი) is famous for its fortress-houses and fortified towers. Its vernacular architecture is based on local needs and construction materials and traditional dwellings were largely built using dry construction methods with stone walls and roofs made from large natural slates. Timber work was … Continue reading
About Architecture – Georgia Pavilion for the Shanghai World Expo
Talented Georgian architect Giorgi Khmaladze designed the “Georgia Pavilion” for the Shanghai World Expo 2010. By the end of the Expo, over 73 million people had visited – a record attendance – and 250 countries and international organizations had participated. On 16 October 2010, the expo set a single-day record of over 1.03 million visitors. Photos … Continue reading
About Architecture – Batumi Air Traffic Control Tower
The air traffic control tower in Batumi on Georgia’s Black Sea coast was put into service in May 2007. Batumi airport serves both domestic and international flights and its control tower is equipped with the latest navigation systems. Digital screens were installed on the control tower’s facade in 2012, permitting display of various graphical and digital images, advertisements … 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 Sights – The Leaning Clock Tower in Tbilisi
The leaning clock tower is located next to the Gabriadze theater (Georgian: შავთელის ქუჩა, გაბრიაძის თეატრი) in Tbilisi’s old town. The clock tower was created by the renowned Georgian puppeteer Rezo Gabriadze. On the hour, a window opens at the top and an angel strikes the bell. Below the clock, a screen opens and shows the … 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 Sights – The Orta Mosque in Batumi
The Orta Mosque (Georgian: ორთა ჯამე) in the city of Batumi on Georgia’s Black Sea coast was commissioned by Aslan Beg Khimshiashvili, a Muslim Georgian nobleman in 1886, and is one of the finest examples of Islamic art in Ajara. The mosque is popularly known as the “Jamia in the middle” for it once stood in … Continue reading
About Sights – The Vertical Garden in Tbilisi
Completed in 2010, the vertical garden near the Avlabari Metro Station in Tbilisi was created by French botanist Patrick Blanc. Blanc is the founding father of the vertical garden, also known as “le Mur Végétal” (the vegetable wall). The 107 square meter garden comprises 104 species of evergreen and blooming plants. Patrick Blanc has created vertical … Continue reading
About Sights – The Tbilisi State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre
Opened in 1851, the Tbilisi State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre was the first opera theater in all Transcaucasia. Situated on Rustaveli Avenue, in the centre of Tbilisi, it is the oldest opera house in Georgia. Designed by by the Italian Architect, Antonio Scudieri, the theater had a capacity of 800 spectators and was comparable to European … Continue reading
About Sights – Ushguli
Ushguli (Georgian: უშგული) is a small community of 4 villages located at the foot of Shkhara peak (Georgian: შხარა) in the central part of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range. Shkhara is the highest point in Georgia and the villages of Ushguli are considered to the highest habitation in Europe. The Ushguli villages contain buildings that are … Continue reading
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