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 Sights – Medea Monument in Batumi
The Medea monument in Batumi was designed by Davit Khmaladze and erected in Europe Square in 2007. In Greek mythology, Medea was a daughter of King Aieti (Georgian: აიეტი), the king of Kolkheti in present day western Georgia. Medea helped Jason to steal the legendary Golden Fleece (Georgian: ოქროს საწმისი). The Kolkhetian people developed an expertise in the smelting … Continue reading
About Culture – Kote Marjanishvili State Academic Drama Theatre
The Kote Marjanishvili State Academic Drama Theatre (Georgian: კოტე მარჯანიშვილის სახელობის სახელმწიფო აკადემიური დრამატული თეატრი) was founded by the great theatre director and reformer of Georgian theatre Kote Marjanishvili (Georgian: კონსტანტინე [კოტე] მარჯანიშვილი). Originally established in Kutaisi in 1928, it moved to its current location in Tbilisi in 1930. The theatre building was renovated and reopened … 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 Sights – Ajara State Museum of Art
The Ajara State Museum of Art (Georgian: აჭარის ხელოვნების სახელმწიფო მუზეუმი) in Batumi was founded in 1998 and houses a collection of paintings, sculptures,graphic works and decorative art by Georgian and foreign artists. The museum’s 500 exhibits include paintings by famous Georgian artists such as Niko Pirosmani, Lado Gudiashvili and Elene Akhvlediani. The post-1950 collection, by contemporary … 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 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 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
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