About Development – Electric Patrol Vehicles for Batumi Boulevard

The police in Batumi (Georgian: ბათუმი) in Ajara on Georgia’s Black Sea coast have been equipped with new electric vehicles for patrolling the city’s famous Batumi Boulevard. The environmentally friendly vehicles are a convenient way for police to patrol the popular boulevard. The size of the vehicles means that there is less disturbance to pedestrians. Efficient … Continue reading

About Sights – Kazbegi National Park

Kazbegi National Park (Georgian: ყაზბეგის ეროვნული პარკი) is located in the Greater Caucasus Mountains in northern Georgia and covers an area of 8707 hectares. Mountainous and rugged, it contains spectacular gorges and canyons carved from the rock by the Tergi River (Georgian: თერგი). The park contains Georgia’s third highest peak – Mount Kazbegi (Georgian: ყაზბეგის მყინვარწვერი) (5,047 … 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 Sights – Deda Ena

April 14 is the Day of the Mother Tongue – Georgian language – in Georgia. On 14 April 1978 the Georgian people protested against the decision of the central soviet authorities to revoke the status of Georgian (as one of the minor languages in the Soviet Union) as a state language and replace it with … 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 Art – Paintings of Old Tbilisi by Giovanni Vepkhvadze

Georgian artist Giovanni Vepkhvadze was born in Tbilisi in 1949 and graduated from Tbilisi’s State Academy of Arts in 1973. His work has attracted international acclaim and his series of paintings depicting Old Tbilisi are especially well known and admired. CLICK on the logo to visit GEORGIA ABOUT on Facebook and see photos and news about Georgia. Click LIKE on the page and … 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 Celebrations – Bidzinaoba Celebration

The Bidzinaoba celebration (Georgian: ბიძინაობა) is held annually on 1 October in Akhmeta (Georgian: ახმეტა) in Kakheti region. The celebration honors Bidzina Cholokashvili (Georgian: ბიძინა ჩოლოყაშვილი) (died c. 1660), a Christian martyr canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church. Cholokashvili was one of the leaders of the Bakhtrioni Uprising and was tortured and killed for refusing … Continue reading

About Sights – Narikala Castle at Night

Narikala (Georgian: ნარიყალა) is an ancient fortress on a steep hill overlooking the Mtkvari River in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. At night, the walls and towers of this imposing castle are illuminated, creating a dramatic backdrop to the balconied houses of the Old Town. The fortress overlooks the bow shaped Bridge of Peace (Georgian: მშვიდობის ხიდი) pedestrian bridge that spans the Mtkvari … 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 Bridge of Peace at Night

The wavy steel and glass canopy of the Bridge of Peace (Georgian: მშვიდობის ხიდი) pedestrian bridge that spans the Mtkvari River in Tbilisi is fitted with thousands of LED lights that are switched on 90 minutes before sunset, illuminating the river and the buildings on both banks. The 150 meter (490 ft) bridge was designed by the Italian architect Michele De Lucchi and was … Continue reading

About Sights – Tbilisi’s Old Town in Winter

Tbilisi’s Old Town is picturesque all year and especially so in winter. The Old Town (Georgian: ძველი თბილისი) is one of the oldest parts of the city and nestles on the mountainside under the 4th century Narikala fortress (Georgian: ნარიყალა). The Old Town is part of the Tbilisi Historic District and contains a number of officially designated … 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 Culture – Ethnic Georgians Living in Turkey

Communities of ethnic Georgians live in remote villages on the Turkish side of the Machakhela River, which is a trans-boundary river between Georgia and Turkey. Georgian traditions and customs still continue, including traditional wine-making. Photos courtesy of the President’s Administration. CLICK on the logo to visit GEORGIA ABOUT on Facebook and see photos and news about Georgia. Click LIKE on the page and … Continue reading