MODI 3 by modi mag

April - May

GEORGIA ON THEIR MIND Mikheil Saakashvili Homo Georgicus Argonauts Vardzia David Sarajishvili Sergo Parajanov

TAV Georgia was awarded with the Golden Brand Award the most influential Business Award in Georgia TAV Georgia was awarded with the Golden Brand in the category of Transportation and Service – Favorite Brand, on the annual Golden Brand Ceremony, commonly known as Business Oscars in Georgia and held by the Global Idea and FINANCIAL. Golden Brand reveals and awards companies which have achieved utmost success in their branding business on the Georgian market. The brand popularity is revealed by the preliminary survey making key focus on creative branding-related solutions. Entrees were judged by about 100 experts in business and economy, heads/professors of the business schools and universities, business administration specialists, advertisement, consulting & marketing companies, governmental and non-governmental bodies considering the popularity, reputation and successful achievements throughout the year carried out by the nominated company. The awards ceremony was held with the support of the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and American Chamber of Commerce. TAV Georgia’s high quality of service has been the golden key to its ever-growing success since it started Tbilisi International Airport operation in 2005 and Batumi Airport operation in 2007. TAV Georgia is subsidiary company of TAV Airports holding, the regional leader in the airport operations, running ten airports in three countries

PUBLISHER Vladimir Dzhishkariani PROJECT CONCEPT DIRECTOR Giorgi Akhalkaci EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nino Daraseli ART DIRECTOR Temo Machavariani ENGLISH TEXT EDITORS Anthony Schierman / Jeremy Johnson TRANSLATING Cisana Gabunia DIRECTOR OF PROJECT & MARKETING MANAGER Leli Mirijanashvili PHOTO EDITOR Lasha Ghughunishvili LAYOUT CONCEPT Levan Asatiani AUTHORS : Buba Kudava / Giorgi Akhalkaci / Nino Daraseli / Igor Obolensky / Shota Gagarin Nodar Sumbadze / Vladimir Dzhishkariani / Sopho Shamanidi / Gigi Guledani

PHOTOS: Igor Obolensky / National Centre of Manuscripts/ Buba Kudava / Irakli Gedenidze / Alexander Roinashvili Iuri Mechitov / Lasha Ghughunishvili/ Paata Kolbaia/ Nodar Sumbadze FOUNDERS Kakha Chelidze / Tea Chelidze GENERAL DIRECTOR David Tvildiani IT DIRECTOR Zviad Mosiashvili DISTRIBUTION Mikheil Amashukeli ACCOUNT Salome Bagrationi-Japharidze THE TECHNICAL STAFF Tamaz Cheishvili/ Milana Drucker PARTNERS:

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Georgian National Museum / Georgian State Literature Museum/ National Centre of Manuscripts / Georgian National Archive / International Union For Conservation of Nature / Department of Tourizm and Resorts of Georgia / The Agency of Protected Areas/Ministry of Economy and Sustainable of Georgia The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / The Abkhazian Ministry of Economy / Georgian National Investment Agency / Turkish Airlines Director for Tbilisi ofice Fatih Guven / The Georgian Ambassador to France Mamuka Kudava / Turkish Embassy in Georgia/ Chairman of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia George Baramia / Deputy Minister of Economy of Abkhazia Ivane Dolidze/ Director of the Georgian National Museum David Lordkipanidze

Publisher by: Publishing House ‘MODI’ Tbilisi, 0171, Kostava str. 68, build 3 Phone/Fax: +99532 409398, +99532 409397 E-mai: infmodi@hotmail.com

jer kidev XII saukuneSi cnobili azerbaijaneli poeti xayani Sirvaneli Tavis leqsSi qristian qals qarTulad uxmobs: ‘’moi, moi’’. Sua saukuneebis erT-erTi aRmosavleli poeti ki ambobs: ‘’saqarTveloSi viyavi da sul moi, moi viZaxeo’’. rogorc Cans, yvelaze xSirad stumarTmoyvare qarTvelebisgan enis armcodne mogzaurs swored ‘’modi’’ (Tu misi xalxuri forma ‘’moi’’) esmoda da yvelaze adviladac am sityvas imaxsovrebda. qarTvel kacs ver warmoudgenia rame martom akeTos, vinmes ar Seexmianos, ar dauZaxos, ar moipatiJos, azri ar gauziaros. albaT amitomaa amdeni ‘’modi’’ Cvens saubarSi, saqmeSi, cxovrebaSi. qarTvelebi xom ‘’modiT’’ viwyebT: modi vicekvoT, modi vimReroT, modi vTqvaT, modi gavakeToT, modi avaSenoT, modi davlioT, modi wavideT, modi vibrZoloT, modi vifiqroT, modi davweroT, modi vicocxloT da ase usasrulod... erTxelac saubari albaT ase daiwyo: modi, ’’modi’’ gamovceT...

buba kudava

To Georgia

In one of his poems, the 12th century Persian poet, Khaqaini Sherwani, used the word modi when his lyrical hero was trying to attract the attention of a Christian girl. Centuries ago, foreign visitors used to associate the word modi with Georgians, and the country, as they would often hear Georgians say “modi, modi, modi.” Modi is Georgian for “come” and is the word we use to informally call or invite somebody over, yet the meanings within this word are boundless. “Please come over, come in, have a seat, make yourself comfortable…” It is as if this word reflects why Georgians find it unimaginable to do things on their own and invariably invite others to join in, welcome them into their homes, share their experiences and ideas. More often than not, our discourse starts with modi, indicating that the listener is very much welcome - let’s dance, let’s sing, let’s talk, let’s drink together, let’s go, let’s fight, let’s think, let’s write, let’s live our lives… One conversation might even start with, “Let’s publish Modi!

BUBA KUDAVA

April - May

CONTENT

28. 34

22.

Out of Africa

IF YOU COME TO GEORGIA... GIGI GULEDANI

34.

52.

Vladimir Dzhishkariani Giorgi Akhalkaci

A WONDERFUL GEORGIAN AND EUROPEAN BLEND

The Great Colchis

34. 42.

THE TOWN MONASTERY FOR OUR LADY Eka Privalova

To Georgia

David Sarajishvili 56.

PARAJANOV THE MASTER OF THE TEMPLE

Shota Gagarin

CHOOSE YOUR PERSONAL BANKER

Personal Banker and Individual Approach Special Offers and Products Remote Banking

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www.tbcstatus.ge

CONTENT

74.

64.

The Destiny Of Beauty

THE GEORGIAN GREEKS OF PONTO Sopho Shamanidi

74.

86.

102. Royal Craft of POKANY

SAPPHIRE SKIES AND LANDS OF EMERALD

110.

ABKHAZETI

110. 14

To Georgia

PINK WAVE HUNTER Andro Wekua

A Georgian

INTRODUCTION

Nat ional Costume Men’s Attire

1.Chokha – an outer coat, typical for all Caucasian

nations: tight-fitting above the waist and with wide flaps below, trimmed all around with twisted silk braid, as well as round the cuffs and decorative pockets, which were tall and slanted.

2.Akhalukhi – worn under

the chokha (the outer coat): a long, tight-fitting, buttoned shirt made out of pattered or printed fabric, with a braided high-collar.

3.Decorative cartridge pocket – for holding flint gun or pistol cartridges. The pockets were lined with tubes made of wood or bone.

4.Kabalahi- traditional male headwear of highly ornate fabric. The neck line was always cut high.

5.Belt – mainly maid of silver, designed to hold a sword.

6. Dagger – with a bone shaft and silver niello sheath. 7.Sword – the type of horseman’s sword, with a bone shaft, often with silver niello.

8.Holster. 9. Tsugamesti - Boots composed of leather low shoes and leather leggings to cover the legs from the beam to the knees. The tsugha is a shoe, the mesti - leggings.

Megrelian Nobleman

To Georgia

INTRODUCTION

5 6

8 7

April - May

INTRODUCTION

THE CRANES ARE FLYING As the spring comes the migrant birds flock to the places of their inhabitance. Situated on the crossroads of their routes, Georgia gives all bird-watchers the unique opportunity to observe a wide diversity of species. The gracious cranes and their accurate triangles can be seen at almost all lakes.

5 RECOMMENDATIONS Three time Olympic Champion and two times World Champion, Italian skier Alberto Tomba, shares with the “MODI to Georgia” Magazine his reasons why one should visit Georgia. 18

To Georgia

INTRODUCTION

DISTANT LOOK AT THE CAUCASUS With the beginning of the tourist season Mount Kazbek (5033 m), one of the major mountains of the Caucasus, located at the north border of Georgia some 150 km away from Tbilisi, becomes one of the main destinations for the mountain climbers visiting the country. But hardly anybody knows that on a clear sunny spring mornings the peak can be seen without leaving Tbilisi. The best areas for observation include Kus Tba (Turtle Lake), the funicular plateau and Marjanishvili bridge.

BY ALBERTO TOMBA MESTIA

GUDAURI

TBILISI

BEAUTIFUL WOMEN

NICE PEOPLE

April - May

INTRODUCTION

31 MARCH – 3 APRIL. / 2011

ART IS FASHION, FASHION IS ART “Georgian Fashion Week” (GFW) represents the major international fashion event in Georgia. GFW is held twice a year and presents Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter collections. GFW started in 2010 and already hosted about 72 runway shows of 43 designers from various countries from Caucasus and Europe. The event was visited by more than 67 000 people within the year. The goal of the project is the popularization of our country worldwide through its art and fashion, to develop the fashion industry and support designers who participate in the project. As part of the project, Georgia is visited by various guests like fashion industry professionals, critics, journalists and editors of popular fashion editions, designers. We, as organizers, are interested in spreading the consideration and view of worldwide recognized professionals about designers participating in the project. Thus supporting the motion of development of Georgian fashion industry.

To Georgia

INTRODUCTION

INDEPENDENCE DAY THE GEORGIAN

1918

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDACE

The history of Georgia, like of any other country, is full of different events. Some of them are more important, some less. But, leaving the details aside, one can say that the history of Georgia is a history of a constant struggle for freedom and independence. Call it a geopolitical peculiarity, fate, or even karma, yet the fact is, that through the 2500 years of Georgian statehood one can hardly find a decade when Georgians weren’t defending their country from invaders. The periods of united, independent Georgia are so short that even summed up they barely exceed the length of the reign of a single monarch. As was the case all over the world, in the Middle Ages, Georgia was largely exposed to internal conflicts – Nobility kept fighting for the spheres of influence, the throne… The country was permanently divided into smaller kingdoms… And yet the main problem, foreign aggression, persisted. The Arabians, Mongols, Iranians, Turks… Every Empire of the region considered itself obliged to conquer Georgia. The legendary Tamerlane “visited” our country seven times. Everything came to a logical conclusion at the end of 18th century. The Russian Empire absorbed Georgia, which was completely exhausted in endless wars, without any effort. Although a treaty signed in 1783 secured the status of an independent state for Georgia, as it often happens, the stronger just swallowed the weak. In 1801 the Georgian Kingdom was abolished and was transformed into the Gubernia (province).

1991

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDACE

1800’s didn’t bring any major changes. The idea of independence didn’t disappear, numerous attempted uprising in different regions of Georgia persisted throughout the century, but with no particular result. As a kind of compensation, the 20th century brought independence to Georgia twice. The First Republic, declared on May 26, 1918, lasted only 3 years, until its annexation by Bolshevik Russia in 1921. Thus, the first try ended in a most tragic manner, repeating the fate of the earlier Georgian states. The second attempt was a bigger success. The Republic established on April 9, 1991 still holds, for 20 years now, although it is experiencing problems with the same country, which defined its fate for almost 200 years. In the meantime Georgians celebrate Independence Day twice a year. And although April 9 is an official date of Declaration, still the main events take place on May 26, as a kind of symbolic act of respect to all those people, who dreamt of freedom through all the years, when even dreaming could have been considered as a crime.

April - May

INTRODUCTION

Art project : Nodar Sumbadze

HERBARIUM

To Georgia

INTRODUCTION

TBILISIENSIS

April - May

Photos: Irakli Gedenidze

Interview

IF YOU COME TO GEORGIA... President Mikheil Saakashvili once declared: “All of us, beginning with the President and finishing with the Ministers, and all the businessmen as well, should act as the advertising agents of our country”. So, “Modi” Magazine met him to find out what, in the President’s opinion, Georgia can offer visitors.

Gigi Guledani What would you tell a person sitting next to you in a plane taking his first trip to Georgia? A unique country is waiting for you – A country of huge history, special culture, with unimaginably warm and hospitable people. A nation that is very distinctive, very proud and at the same time amazingly tolerant and friendly. Unforgettable folklore is waiting for you, fervent Georgian dances and impressive cultural fireworks, world renowned poetry, literature, art and music. Also be prepared for huge culinary discov-

eries – this will no doubt be one of the most pleasant memories of your visit. Do not forget that you are going to visit the country where, millennia ago, wine was made for the first time in the history of the mankind, so do not miss your chance to taste Georgian wine – the best wine in the world. The most beautiful country is waiting for you – a country of amazing beauty, rich nature, mountains, forests, lakes, rivers, seashores, caves, unique flora and fauna. A country with a special spectrum of tourism capabilities whether five star tourism, ecotourism, medical, ethnographical or wine tour-

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Interview ism... Whether these are ski or seashore resorts. It is very rare to have all the wonders of nature concentrated within such a small area.

It is good that as time goes on I become more and more sure that our society faces this challenge with dignity.

If you came to Georgia to make business, you will find even more pleasant surprises here. You will find yourself in the country that is one of the least corrupt in the World, in the country that is on the 12th place on the rating of the World Bank in terms of easy business. This means that there are only 11 countries on the planet where it is easier to do business than in Georgia. Open economics, low and simple taxes, simplified procedures, liberal business environment are waiting for you along with a strong banking sector and very interesting business possibilities in every sphere of economy.

Please, name “7 wonders of Georgia” that you think, can make a business card of the country.

In Georgia you will see an interesting harmony of modern style and the past. You will find yourself in a society that on the one hand is very traditional and on the other hand strives for the future and manages to be the number one reformer in the World. You will see the synthesis of ancient castles, towers and churches with ultra modern architecture. To put it in one word, you are going to visit the country that will soon make you love it

There is a column in our magazine: “In search of Georgian wonders”. What is the notion “Georgian wonders” for you? The main “Georgian wonder” probably is the talent and continuous striving for development of Georgian people. Their capability to retain distinctiveness and to adapt. Is not it a wonder that such a small nation, despite continuous challenges throughout millennia, managed to retain self identity, to defend statehood and freedom. Is not it a wonder that we have our own script with the unique alphabet, one of the 14 alphabets existing in the World?

What do you think is the biggest challenge for our society today? The biggest challenge is modernization, i.e. how can we manage to shape ourselves as a strong, state thinking society that on the one hand will retain its national uniqueness and identity and on the other hand will cope with the contemporary world, will manage not to stay back and even outdistance the mankind in the contemporary achievements and education. Our challenge is to create a new type, contemporary, democratic, European state, based on the supremacy of law and human rights and freedoms, with open economics, liberal environment in the post Soviet space.

To Georgia

1. GEORGIAN DANCE 2. FOLK SONGS 3. GEORGIAN CUISINE, WINE AND FEAST 4. CULTURAL HERITAGE AND NATIONAL TREASURE OF GEORGIA 5. VEPKHVISTKAOSANI (“THE KNIGHT IN A PANTER’S SKIN”) 6. AMAZING HOSPITALITY 7. ETHNOGRAPHICAL DIVERSITY However, I cannot disagree with the CNN which recently called Batumi a wonder as well. Mestia will become such wonder soon.

What are the unused resources of Georgia? Tourism! 5 star hotels, new resorts are being constructed now; cities are being given absolutely new touristic images. This sector is being developed with impressive speed. But despite this, it is obvious that we did not use even 5% of our tourism potential. There is no reason why Georgia must not become the next tourist center of the world. Our country has the huge potential in terms of tourism development. A Huge, huge resource is unused yet.

Interview

Interview What do you consider today still to be an actual heritage from Soviet past in regards of Georgia? A cliché about Georgia, which you wish to vanish once and for all. Soviet Union was an extremely corrupted state and after its crash former Soviet space received a culture of corruption as a heritage. Accordingly, there exists a firmly established cliché around the world that former Soviet Union is corrupted everywhere. Unfortunately this is mainly true, but in reality Georgia had fully destroyed this stereotype during last several years – our country is incredibly uncorrupted and it supports the rule of law very firmly. Everyone, who visits us, feels this very soon and is charmed, but I want the rest of the world to hear it as well. Georgia is a real exception and we are very proud of it.

Do you make yourself familiar with Georgian internet forums and other online discussions? I do, from time to time. Sometimes I manage to spend some time online. But mainly I have no time for it and it will not be fair to consider internet forums to fully express the opinion of Georgian people. It is paramount for me to be familiar with the public opinion. But instead of the internet, I prefer to speak with ordinary people in villages, on farms, at schools, different enterprises, construction sites, simply in our cities and towns. That is why I perform such meetings very often. Sometimes a glance or a word is enough to understand that as the President you made something wrong or, on the contrary you did something correct.

In the regular column “MODI GEO”, in May edition, there will be presentation of Bitchvinta-Miusera nature reserve. What heading would you think for this article? I like the name of your magazine so much that I am sure you will think of wonderful name for this article. And let me take care of changing these places of unique tourist potential from fairylands into successful lands.

How do you think, what will be written about you after 50 years? What will be written about me in 50 years is not as important as what Georgia will be in 50 years. I do and will do everything in order for my country to be in 50 years, and even earlier, very strong, very developed and successful, erected, united, proud, with employed people, overcame difficulties and huge perspective of progress and development.

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MAIN STORY

Out of Africa 1.8 million years ago Giorgi Akhalkaci

The famous journals “National Geographic”, “Science”, “Nature” have frequently written about Dmanisi and its scientific significance and geographic importance since 1991. Among the top 10 best scientific discoveries according to “Science”, the discovery of Dmanisi was ranked in the top three. In 1991 Dmanisi appeared to be a place of growing sensation, attracting the attention of the world’s scientific circles. As a result, the new field museum of Dmanisi was created. The famous French architectural studio “Studio Milou”, specialists of museums, worked on its modern design. The museum is situated on the archeological site. It opened in 2009 and soon it will find its rightful place on the world’s map of tourism. You can visit the first European settlement and become part of a new discovery under the open sky. 30

To Georgia

MAIN STORY

ocated in southern Georgia, Dmanisi is a small Caucasian village in a mountainous area 1,000 m above sea level some 70 km south-west of the capital Tbilisi and a dozen km from the Armenian border. The medieval archaeological site, made up of a mausoleum, a fortress, a chapel and other remains, occupies a rocky promontory above the confluence of the Pinezauri and Mashavera rivers. Its history shows the importance of Dmanisi’s geographical location at the crossroads of Asia and Europe. This history is indicated through the close proximity of a Muslim mausoleum and a Romanesque chapel, testifying to the existence in the region of both the Muslim and Christian worlds. Turkey is 100 km from the site, with Azerbaijan being 80 km and the north of Iran 200 km away. The site also contains Iron Age and Bronze Age tombs, which testify to east-west contacts during prehistoric periods. In 1985, the Mashavera archaeological expedition discovered a necropolis at Abulmug in the gorge of the same name in the Dmanisi area. The tombs contained iron weapons, revealing the influence of ancient Hellenistic culture in the area in the 4th century BCE and thus of links with the Black Sea. The medieval fortress of Dmanisi, which looks down on the prehistoric remains, is located at its high level as a result of the carving out of the valleys by the torren-

DMANISI ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

For me, this is a detective story, and I’ve loved detective stories since childhood. Dmanisi was one of the cities of the Silk Road. In 1991, our team found a human jaw on one of the last days of the excavations. It was a very big surprise for us. This jaw, which dates back 1.8 million years, was the earliest human remains found outside Africa. The age was very important, because nobody believed that humans had been able to leave Africa before one million years ago. The prevailing view was that when humans left Africa they had larger brains and sophisticated stone tools. But Dmanisi changed these ideas. This is one of the richest spots in the world. Can you imagine that three skulls and three human jaws were found here? This is amazing. We organized an international and interdisciplinary team. We have famous scientists, on the one hand, and also a new generation of students just starting their careers. The Rolex Award, together with the support of BP and of UNESCO, was crucial to the protection of this site, which risks being destroyed by nature or by humanity, as well as to preserve it, and at the same time to continue research and to leave it accessible to the public. I would say that Georgia today is searching for its place in the world, and cultural heritage is one of the opportunities to be on the geographical map. Science is not just for scientists. It’s useful. Archaeology will be helpful for the country and for the economy, and it will be helpful for future generations. David Lordkipanidze, Director of the Georgian National Museum

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MAIN STORY

tial rains that come from the mountains of the Caucasus. It was once a centre of civilization known for its political, economic and cultural influence. In the Middle Ages, Dmanisi was one of the most prominent cities of the day and an important stop along the ancient Silk Roads. The region has thus long intrigued archaeologists, who have been excavating the crumbling ruins of a medieval citadel there since the 1930s. Excavations at the site were started by Professor Levan Mushelishvili, and later continued for 30 years under the supervision of Dr.Vahtang Djaparidze. There then followed a period of ten years, during which the excavations were supervised by Dr.Jumber Kopaliani. Research undertaken by him has drawn attention to the Sioni basilica at Dmanisi, constructed in the 9th century CE close to the defensive walls of the fortress. A more recent church and

chapel were added in the 12th century at the apogee of the fortress’s power. The settlement’s monumental gateway, cellars, storehouses, oil-storage places, houses, mosque and madrassa show the prosperity of this settlement located at the crossroads of major commercial and travel routes. From the 14th century onwards, invasions carried out by Tamerlane, the Turks and the Persians marked the beginnings of its decline.

IN 1985, THE MASHAVERA ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION DISCOVERED A NECROPOLIS AT ABULMUG IN THE GORGE OF THE SAME NAME IN THE DMANISI AREA.

To Georgia

The first hint that the site might have a deeper significance came in 1983, when the paleontologist Abesalom Vekua discovered the remains of a long-extinct rhinoceros in one of the site’s grain storage pits. These pits, dug by the citadel’s inhabitants, thus opened a window onto prehistory. The next year, during further paleontological excavations, primitive stone tools came to light. Identified by Dr.Nugzar Mgeladze, these brought with them the tantalizing possibility that fossilized human

MAIN STORY

The realistic reconstructionsof these ancient hominids were created In Paris, at the atelier Daynes. There are legends devoted to Elisabeth Daynesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; art in the scientific circles. It has been said that she is the best to grasp the characters, appearances and habits of those ones, who were abandoned millions of years ago. They say that the language and the signature of her sculptures are mysteries of the time.

remains might eventually follow. In 1991, the first international team was organized with the RĂśmisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum (Germany). Finally, on the last day of the 1991 field season, a human mandible was discovered underneath the skeleton of a saber-toothed cat. The results of the study of the jaw bone, carried out under the supervision of the late Professor Leo Gabunia, provoked much discussion in the scientific world, with many scholars being skeptical about the age and taxonomy of the Dmanisi hominids.

Homo remains from any one site or comparable stratigraphic context. Despite certain anatomical differences among the Dmanisi specimens, we do not presently see sufficient grounds for assigning them to more than one hominid taxon. Thus, the Dmanisi assemblage gives us a unique opportunity to study variability within an early Homo population.

TODAY EVERYBODY AGREES WITH THE IDEA THAT OUR BIOLOGICAL ANCESTORS, THE FIRST HOMINIDS, CAME INTO BEING IN AFRICA AND HAD LIVED ONLY ON THAT CONTINENT FOR A LONG TIME

The Dmanisi site has now yielded the remains of several hominid individuals, including four skulls, three of them with maxillas, three mandibles, 15 isolated teeth, and 35 post-cranial remains. This is the richest and most complete collection of indisputable early

The Dmanisi skulls have very low cranial capacity, the smallest one having a capacity of 600 cubic centimeters, which is near the mean for Homo habilis. The largest Dmanisi specimen has a cranial capacity of around 750 cubic centimeters. Modern humans have cranial capacities of around 1,400 cubic centimeters. The specimens from Dmanisi exhibit characteristic Homo erectus features, such asa heaping up of bone along the midline of the skull, known as a sagittal keel, and marked constriction of the skull behind the eyes. But they stop short of

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MAIN STORY the classic morphology of that hominid in several ways, in their small brain size, for example, which is about half that of a modern human. Specimen D2700 from a teenager is especially primitive, resembling Homo habilis not only in size, but also in the thinness of its brow, the projection of its face and the rounded contour of the rear of the skull. Some researchers propose that these fossils might represent a new species of Homo. Others suggest that the remains belong to more than one species, pointing to the enormous lower jaw known as D2600 that was unearthed in 2000. Experts have vigorously debated just how many species our genus, Homo, comprises. The bushiest representations of the Homo branch of the family treecontain up to eight species, a number of which were evolutionary dead ends. Other renditions appear as a streamlined succession of just a few forms. The fossils from Dmanisi, categorized variously as Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo ergaster and a new species, Homo georgicus, could be compatible with scenarios of substantial hominid diversity. Alternatively, the anatomical range evident in the Dmanisi remains could just underscore how variable a species can be. Viewed in that way, some pruning may be in order. The Dmanisi hominids share a lot of cranial, dental and postcranial traits with Homo habilis, but also some similarity with later hominids such as Homo Ergaster. The Dmanisi hominids represent the descendants of early African Homo individuals and the ancestors for the Homo from Eurasia. The period between two and one-and-a-half million years ago is a critical one in the study of human evolution, being marked both by the emergence of the genus Homo and its initial dispersal throughout the old world. Fundamental to this time period are questions of why hominids first dispersed out of Africa and which hominidswere the first colonizers. Scientists have long thought that the first hominids to disperse from Africa were Homo erectus, a species with large brains and a stature approaching human proportions. This species was widely assumed to have left the African continent once its members had evolved their greater intelligence and human-like body proportions and had invented more advanced stone tools. Excavations at Dmanisi, a site that dates to 1.75 million years ago, have revealed an extraordinary record of the earliest hominid dispersal beyond Africa. The site provides new evidence and opportunities to study questions about which hominids left Africa and when and why they did so. It also raises questions about these first hominids who were intercontinental travelers and who set in motion the migrations that would eventually lead to the human occupation of the planet as a whole. Today everybody agrees with the idea that our biological ancestors, the first hominids, came into being in Africa and had lived only on that continent for a long time. How and why they spread to Europe and Asia is a subject of constant dispute. Manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moving away from

To Georgia

Africa took place at least 1,8 million years ago. The stone tools discovered in Dmanisi are identical to the archaic stone tools found in Africa. Morphologically the hominid from Dmanisi is directly linked to the early hominids of Africa. The Dmanisi discovery has shifted the date of a human beingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s movement from Africa to Asia to a much older period.

The Great Border of the known world Vladimir Dzhishkariani / Giorgi Akhalkaci

The land is very big and we populate only a small part of it from the Phasis to the columns of Hercules... Plato By this, Plato meant from the banks of the Rioni River to the Strait of Gibraltar. It was not by chance that Plato names the Phasis River (the Rioni River today) as one of the borders of the oldest cultured civilization. Ancient Greek and Roman authors could not completely understand their own history without considering the role and place of Colchis and its tribes within it.

Colchis

The Prologue The relationships between the countries along the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the West go back for centuries. One of these historic countries consisted of a united group of old Kartvelian tribes, which the Greeks initially called Ea (Aia) or Colchis and later Lazika. These relationships were reflected in the myths, the sayings and in the literature and art of the antique epoch. In Greek mythology, Colchis was mentioned in ancient times as the site of different legendary events. As the country that kept the Golden Fleece, the country of the ferocious King Aeetes and his daughter, the sorceress Medea, Colchis played a significant role in Greek and later Roman history.

King Athamas reigned in the city of Orchomenus. Nephele, the goddess of clouds, rain and fog, fell in love with him and, having become his wife, she gave birth to two children – a son Phrixus and a daughter Helle. But soon Athamas got tired of the perpetually sad goddess and he sent her away. He married the daughter of the king of Thebes, beautiful Ino. The new queen disliked her stepchildren and made up her mind to kill them. Nephele decided to save her children, who were to be sacrificed to the Gods. When everything was ready for the sacrifice, a golden-fleeced ram, sent by their mother, appeared before Phrixus and Helle. Phrixus and Helle sat on its back and the wonderful ram went up into the sky and flew away faster than a bird. The children clung tightly to the wool, but when they were flying over the channel separating Asia and Europe, a storm broke out. Little Helle became frightened. She could

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not hold on to the wool on the ram’s back anymore and fell into the water. Since then, the channel where Helle drowned has been called Hellespont, which means “Helle’s Sea” (now the channel is called the Dardanelles). As for Phrixus, the golden-fleeced ram safely brought him to the country of Colchis, which was situated on the Black Sea coast, at the foot of the Caucasian mountains. King Aeetes, a powerful magician, reigned in Colchis. He was a son of the sun god Helios. He raised Phrixus together with his children. After a certain period of time, he let one of his daughters marry Phrixus. The golden-fleeced ram was sacrificed to Zeus and King Aeetes hung its wonderful fleece on a high oak tree, in the holy grove of Ares, the god of war. It was predicted that Aeetes would be powerful and happy as long as he possessed the Golden Fleece.

The Saga of the Aargonauts

ing Athamas, Helle and Phrixus’ father, had a brother Cretheus, the King of the city of Iolcos. After Cretheus’death, his son Aeson inherited the throne. But Aeson’s brother Pelias plotted against him and seized power in Iolcos. Aeson had a son Jason. Concerned for his son, the dethroned king took him from the city and left him with Chiron, a wise centaur. Jason grew up in the woods and fields, unaware of who he actually was. But when Jason turned twenty, Chiron revealed the secret of his origin. Jason decided to return the former throne to his father and left for Iolcos, where Aeson lived in poverty and obscurity. Jason went to Pelias, presented himself and demanded the throne. Pelias cunningly decided to get rid of his nephew. He assured the young man that he would have stepped down from the throne, but the spirit of the dead Phrixus would not allow him to do so, as

he demanded that the wonderful Golden Fleece be returned to Greece from Colchis. As the cunning Pelias predicted, the courageous and hot-tempered Jason decided to carry out this dangerous mission, which was full of many adventures. The rumor spread in Greece that Jason was collecting companions for making a voyage to the far-away Colchis to get the wonderful Golden Fleece. Heroes, desiring adventures and fame rushed to Iolcos. Among them were the bold Heracles, Theseus, who had defeated Minotaur, the courageous brothers Boreads, sons of the North wind Borea, the sweet-voiced Orpheus and many others. Not far from Iolcos, on the coast of the Magnesia peninsula, they started building a ship. The ship was so good that many people used to say that Athena herself had helped them build it. The ship was called the Argo, which means fast. The heroes, who intended to make a voyage upon it, called themselves the Argonauts. The Argonauts left Greece and set off on a voyage.

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The Argonauts had many adventures on their way to Colchis. They passed the female kingdom of Lemnos, where the women killed all the men on the island. Having passed the Thracian Sea, they arrived on shores of the Propontis and landed on the place where the Doliones, a peaceful and hospitable people lived. The Doliones were often attacked by six-handed giants. The Argonauts decided to help the Doliones. They fought the giants and destroyed them. The Argonauts continued on their way. In Thrace they saved the blind clairvoyant Phineas from the terrible Harpies- wild birds with female heads. At last the Argo reached the coast of Colchis. King Aeetes received them kindly and promised to give them the Golden Fleece if Jason completed a task: to harness two fire-breathing bronze bulls, which had been presented to him by the Greek god of smiths, Hephaestus. With these bulls, he needed to plough a sacred field near the grove of Ares, the God of war, sowing the earth with dragon’s teeth and harvesting whatever grew. The task was difficult. Hera and Athena decided to help Jason. They asked Aphrodite to make Aeetes’s daughter, the beautiful Medea, fall in love with Jason. Medea was a priestess (in some of the variants of the myth – a daughter) of the Goddess of Magic, the gloomy Hecate, and she could also do magic. Having fallen in love with Jason, Medea used her magic to make an ointment for him which made him invincible. She showed Jason how to carry out Aeetes’s order. The day of the task came. Aeetes’s servants let out the wild bulls, but the magic ointment saved Jason from their bronze horns. Jason pushed their heads to the ground and harnessed them with a heavy yoke. Then he ploughed the field of Ares. Afterward he took a basket full of dragon’s teeth and threw them on the freshly ploughed field rows. Jason had hardly finished sowing the field when sharp spears and bright helmets appeared. The warriors, clad in copper, stood up like wheat in the field. The warriors directed their weapons at Jason, but as Medea had taught him, he picked up a huge stone from The story of the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece is of great antiquity – it was current in the time of Homer (eighth century BC). Even more, Homer has good knowledge about Ea –Colchis and its tribes. In “The Iliad” (II, 856) the Pelasgic-Colchian tribe, the tribe of Galizones is mentioned for the first time. The Gallizones came to defend Troy from a far-away eastern country of silver Aliba. The tribe of Gallisones is identified by Strabon as the old-Kartvelian (Colchian) tribe of Khalibs, famous for metal working. The Myth of Argonauts became an endless source of inspiration for writers of antiquity. In parts or as a whole it was taken as a basis for many literary creations; The classic telling is the Argonautica of Apollonius of Rhodes, composed in mid-third century BC Alexandria, recasting early sources that have not survived. Another, much less-known Argonautica, using the same body of myth, was composed in Latin by Valerius Flaccus during the time of Vespasian. But one the most famous texts based on the myth is “Medea” - an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides, first produced in 431 BC. The play, considered one of the great plays of the Western canon, tells the story of the revenge of a woman betrayed by her husband. All of the action of the play is at Corinth, where Jason has brought Medea after the adventures of the Golden Fleece. He has now left her in order to marry Glauce, the daughter of King Creon.

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the ground and swinging it, he threw it into the center of the group of warriors. The copper warriors rushed to the stone trying to get hold of it and started fighting with one another. Soon all of them laid down dead. Aeetes had not expected that Jason would survive and made up his mind to burn the Argo and kill the Argonauts. Medea found out about her father’s cruel plan. She warned the Argonauts and helped them to find the Golden Fleece. Late at night she brought Jason to the grove of Ares, where the Golden Fleece was hanging on the sacred oak tree. A fire-breathing dragon was watching it. Using her magic, Medea made the dragon go to sleep and Jason was able to take the wonderful fleece. Not waiting until the dawn, the Argo sailed off, away from the coast of Colchis, taking the wonderful Golden Fleece and beautiful Medea. King Aeetes ordered the army to chase after them and appointed his son Absyrtus, the young brother of Medea, to head the army. The army almost reached the Argonauts but then Medea applied a cunning trick. She sent a messenger to her brother with a letter, in which she wrote that the Argonauts had imprisoned her and at one of their stops she managed to escape and was waiting for him on an uninhabited island. Absyrtus believed it and set off to meet his sister. But instead of Medea, an armed Jason was waiting for him. Absyrtus was killed. Sad news awaited Jason at home. His old father had died after being poisoned by Pelias’s order. Filled with sorrow and rage, Jason went to Pelias. He put the Golden Fleece at his feet and demanded that the throne be returned, this time not to his father but rather to him. However, Pelias deceived Jason again. He refused to accept the Golden Fleece, saying that he had a dream and the Gods ordered him to place the fleece in the Temple of Ares. So it turned out that Jason had obtained the Gold Fleece not for There is constant interest in the meaning of the Golden Fleece. The most widespread interpretation of the myth relates it to a method of washing gold from streams that was well attested in the west regions of Georgia on the coast of the Black Sea. Sheep fleeces, sometimes stretched over a wood frame, would be submerged in the stream, and gold flecks borne down from upstream placer deposits would collect in them. The fleeces would then be hung in trees to dry before the gold was shaken or combed out. Thus Strabo describes the way in which gold could be washed: It is said that in their country gold is carried down by the mountain torrents, and that the barbarians obtain it by means of perforated troughs and fleecy skins, and that this is the origin of the myth of the golden fleece—unless they call them Iberians, by the same name as the western Iberians, from the gold mines in both countries. The other major theories offer different explanations. Thus, according to the most prevalent the Golden Fleece represents: 1. Royal Power 2 .A book on alchemy. 3. A technique of writing in gold on parchment. 4. A form of placer mining practiced in Georgi. 5.The forgiveness of God 6.A land of golden grain. 7. A breed of sheep in ancient Georgia. 8. The riches imported from the East. 8. The wealth or technology of Colchis.

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Pelias, but for Ares. Therefore Pelias freed himself from his promise and kept his throne. Jason did not know how to respond so he left the palace. The fleece was taken to the temple of Ares and Jason, together with Medea, settled in Jason’s father’s old house. Soon a son was born to them and then a second one. Jason and Medea lived a quiet and inconspicuous life, raising their sons. Some time later, the neighbors learned that Medea was an artful sorceress, that she could brew a magic potion, ease and cure diseases and return youth to the elderly. Many people turned to her for help and rumors about her spread all over the city. But soon Jason fell in love with Creusa, a daughter of Creon, and was going to marry her. Crazy with jealousy, Medea sent Creusa cursed clothes. The girl put them on and was burned by an invisible fire. But her rival’s death did not return Jason to Medea. He lamented his bride’s death so bitterly that Medea suffered from jealousy even more than before. In order to revenge her disloyal husband, she committed a terrible crime: she killed her sons with her own hands. Then Medea called a chariot, harnessed with dragons, left Greece for good and returned to her native Colchis.

The channels, connecting the Aegean and the Black Seas, the Dardanelles and the Bosporus are noted for treacherous opposing tides. Therefore historians and archeologists were sure that the ancient sailors learned how to cross them only after penters, vessels managed by 50 rowers, appeared. Before that it was hardly possible to cope with the dangerous tides. Although, scholars also consider the possibility that the myth of the Golden Fleece reflected the discovery of Colchis by the Mycenae Civilization (II millennium B.C). Some historical sources prove, that Mycenae were attracted by the much desired country Ea (Colchis), which was famous not only for its valuable metals, but for the tools of labors, made by the masters of that distant countries, as well. In 1984 the expedition called “New Argonauts” led by Tim Severin, an English scientist, followed the same route which Jason and his crew covered three thousand years ago. Sixteen meters long the “New Argo”, built by the Greek shipwrights according to Mycenae plans, was supplied by only twenty oars and a straight sale. Tim Severin started his voyage from the Greek city of Volos and sailed through the Aegean Sea, the Dardanelles, the Marble Sea, the Bosporus and the Black Sea and approached the Georgian Coast, the city of Poti (Phasis) from where he sailed up the Rioni river to the city of Kutaisi (Kutaia). On particularly successful days they managed to cover 15 – 20 miles. It took them about three months to cover the distance of fifteen hundred of sea miles. The hardest part of the voyage was going through Dardanelles. The frail vessel often went askew, until, after making great efforts, and thanks to a back wind, the rowers managed to cope with the powerful current. Tim Severin’s voyage was a strong argument in favor of the Myth of Argonauts.

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WALLS OF THE PAST

VARDZIA THE TOWN-MONASTERY

“Having substituted Lower—for Upper Vardzia, she (Queen Tamar) began to build a residence for cut in the rock and made inaccessible and impregnable for enemies. Her father Giorgi began to b it with vast lands, richly providing for subsistence. It is difficult to account for it all; if someone wa that has been done”

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AND

PRESENTS

FOR OUR LADY

r our Blessed Lady of Vardzia who helped her in battles. The church and the cells for monks were build Vardzia, but he left it unfinished; the Great Tamar completed it, embellished and endowed ants to know more about it, let him go and see Vardzia, the caves cut in the rock and everything â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kartlis Tskhovrebaâ&#x20AC;?- Histories and Eulogies of the Sovereigns April - May

WALLS OF THE PAST

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WALLS OF THE PAST

Eka Privalova

e shall take advantage of the chronicler’s invitation and go to the wonderland, whose name is History. Perhaps here, in this part of Georgia representing its oldest provinces Samtskhe-Javakheti it is most tangible. These long abandoned villages, numerous monasteries and temples, churches, caravansaries and fortresses perched on impregnable cliffs along the Mtkvari river (Kura) rim ancient Georgia from the south like a necklace protecting it from the age long invasions of Persians, Arabs, Seljuks, Khorezmians, Mongols, Turks and once again Persians; they are reminiscent of our remote but still vivid past. In bygone days Samtskhe-Javakheti—this advanced, densely populated and rich part of Georgia—served as a barrier separating the rest of the country from the Moslem world which surrounded this almost single Christian state in this part of the globe from the south and south-west. At the same time, its central situation permitted it to control the borders of Eastern and Western Georgia by keeping an eye on refractory feudal lords whose struggle against the royal power became intensified at the end of the 12-th century. The place often became a theater of military operations, and it was also used for the assembly and review of All-Georgian troops starting for long and victorious campaigns. That is why the “King of Kings of the Orient”, Giorgi III, who ruled Georgia in 1156-1184, decided to build there a townfortress that would complete the chain of castles protecting this land - Akhalkalaki, Khertvisi, Tmogvi, MgeItsikhe, Jakistsikhe. He decided to build it not as an ordinary fortress but as a huge, fortified military quarters with a permanent large and ready-to-attack garrison. This is how some researchers explain the appearance of Vardzia and the peculiarities of its lay-out. A town, which is a miracle of the construction art, began to grow on the left bank of the Mtkvari, 30 km. above the modern district centre Aspindza, 13 km. from Khertvisi, in the middle tufa-breccia layer of an impregnable 100 m high cliff. While building the “town”, located near the earlier cave complexes (for example, the ancient village of Chachkari), the craftsmen used the well-known techniques. Georgia knows many such constructions cut in the rock: the ancient town of Uplistsikhe, the cave monasteries of David-Gareji and Shio Mgvime, the monastery

of Vanis-Kvabebi situated not far from Vardzia, Margastani and many others. However, the Vardzia complex is the most perfect, well-conceived and intricate. Studies have shown that the craftsmen brilliantly executed the plan. Giorgi III did not succeed in completing the building of Vardzia. The construction was brought to an end by his daughter Tamar; however, not as a military town, as had been designed, but as a huge fortified monastery (Incidentally, this reflects in some way the victory of feudal lords over the royal power). Nevertheless, it was just there that she reviewed her troops starting for the battle against the Rum sultan Rukn ud-Hin in about 1205 (the famous Basiani battle), and then in 1210-1211 for the campaign against Iran. Here she met the victorious warriors and gave thanks and glorified Our Lady of Vardzia. During the reign of Tamar the importance of Vardzia considerably increased; it achieved great prosperity that amazed the contemporaries. Historians tell us about the Queen’s rich contributions to the monastery and the luxury of its caves. The magnificence and glory of the monastery were so widespread, that three and a half centuries later shahTamaz went in person to the famous cloister during his third invasion of Georgia in 1551. This is how Parsadan Georgijanidze recalls this episode in his “History”: “Shah-Tamaz ascended the fortress, as he had heard much praise about this church, but what he saw surpassed all he had heard”. Perhaps that was why the punitive measures inflicted upon Vardzia were especially cruel. After the Persian invasion the cloister practically ceased to exist. At present the Vardzia cave complex, extending for more than 500 m in the middle part of the cliff, consists of about 600 rooms cut in the rock and located in five, six, seven and sometimes twelve tiers. We are accustomed to the present aspect of Vardzia with its collapsed facade. Originally a kind of covered street-gallery ran parallel to the precipice along each storey, linking the porticoes. Behind each portico there was a large dwelling place: a hall, followed by a small cave serving as a store-room. Thus each dwelling cell consisted of three adjacent rooms following one another from south to north on the same line (this helped to keep the place cool in summer and warm in winter).

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Some unfinished caves give us a chance to see how work was organized to cut out the chambers in the rock. The chamber for a hall was hewn beginning from the doorway straight into the rock and then enlarged sideward to the dimensions wanted. Then the hewers started to cut out a storeroom while the architectural work first in the portico and then the hall was still in progress. The chambers of the storeroom were not trimmed; small ditches and holes for baskets (godori), jars, etc. were dug along the walls. Such an organization of the work permitted to employ a large number of workers and accelerate the completion of the construction.

Some constructions of the complex are of particular interest; for example, a stable which has the form of a rectangular hall with two columns in the middle. The elevated part between the columns has two mangers for corn at both side-and in the middle a manger for grass and hay. The central pass sage was left for the stable-men. Horses stood on both sides of the mangers, one row facing the other. This type of the stable is still considered by specialists as the most rational.

the surface of the walls is smooth, the ceiling is flat, domed or sometimes vaulted, in the centre or on one side of the walls there are windows and doorways leading to the portico and to the store-room; several niches for icons, utensils and lamps; large niches were used as bedrooms; often with-a hearth in the corner, in the porticoes there are recesses for baking bread (tone). Some dwelling caves are roughly made, others possess a fine finish attesting to an architectural taste. In different places of the cave complex there are dwelling places markedly differing from others by their larger dimensions, clear-cut shape and additional large niches. Around these residences and cut in the rock chapels there are ordinary, simple dwellingsÂ â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Â an evidence of class differentiation of feudal society.

22 in the store-rooms with 235 jars capable of containing 90 973 litters. Some wine-presses (satsnakheli) have survived, for example, the one cut out in the wall of a large western cave (but it is probably a more recent one) as well as many wine cellars. In a large fragment of the rock can see a small room intended for pressing the grapes and some special sakadjavi presses. The existence of wine-presses and wine cellars indicates that viticulture and wine-making played an important role in Vardzian life, especially in the 15-th century.

ACCORDING TO A LEGEND so-called Salkhino QUEEN TAMAR HAD 366 ROOMS The hall with an adjoining was intended IN VARDZIA SO THAT ENEMIES wine-cellar for feasts. There was also large wine-cellar COULD NOT FIND OUT WHERE another (marani) with thirteen buried jars. All in all there were 28 wine-cellars in The interior of the halls HER BEDROOM WAS Vardzia: 6 in the halls and is simple in most cases:

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The assembly hall (sadarbazo) with benches along the walls was not intended for living in. The resonance in the hall is so good that there is no need for one to raise his voice when speaking.

The so-called “Tamar’s room” is to the west of the sadarbazo; but according to a legend Queen Tamar had 366 rooms in Vardzia so that enemies could not find out where her bedroom was.

provided 166 000 litters per day, that was enough to supply the town of 50 000 people with water. A tank containing 630 000 litters was cut in the rock in the western part of the complex to store water.

The spring is situated deep in the mountain not far from the main church. Its reservoir contains about 8 m3 (i. e. up to 200 buckets) of fresh cold water (its constant temperature is 11°). The water supply

Of special interest is a strongly fortified system of communication lines with secret passages and tunnels, with steps and locks of different structure, connecting a number of caves which served as hiding-

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WALLS OF THE PAST places and refuges. One of these passages beginning north from the church is connected with a refuge guarded by a special sentinel post and protected by two stone walls. Another passage, 227 m long, is situated in the eastern most part of the complex; it begins from the second tier and winds its way to the bank of the Mtkvari. The dwelling places cut in almost sheer rock had special fortified entrances and defense constructions which made the complex actually inaccessible and impregnable to the enemies. Three hundred years later the historian Hassan Rumlu, who traveled together with Shah-Tamaz, compared the half ruined by an earthquake Vardzia with the wall of Iskander and the Khyber tower, i.e. with the Walls of Alexandria in Egypt and the fortified Khyber Pass in Afghanistan, considered to be impregnable fortresses. Out of the 15 Vardzian churches it is only the Litany church that has preserved fragments of painting on the tympanum of the entrance. Another 16-th century painting, though much damaged, can also be seen in the small Ananauri church. Despite the faces

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having been barbarically scraped off, the wonderful coloring and a well-preserved design give ground to speak of the high quality of this painting, so characteristic of the time. In the narthex as well as in the main building of the church there are images of an unknown churchwarden, “Deesis”, “The Archangels’ Cathedral” and some scenes from the Gospels: “The Annunciation”, “The Baptism”, “The Transfiguration”, “The Resurrection of Lazarus”, “The Entry into Jerusalem”, “The Crucifixion”, “The Descent into Hell”, “The Ascension”, “The Descent of the Holy Ghost”, “ The Dormition”. However, Vardzia is best known not for this but for the paintings of the main church, dedicated to the “Dormition of the Virgin”. Its actual founder is considered to be Queen Tamar whose portrait is depicted together with her father Giorgi III on the northern side of the wall. The inscription under the portrait wishing her a long life proves that Giorgi III was already dead by this time. This makes it possible to establish the fact that the painting was done in 1184-1185.

WALLS OF THE PAST By their style, the Vardzian paintings belong to the group of paintings which have in common the portraits of Queen Tamar (Betania, Qintsvisi, Bertubani and Timotesubani, Ozaani and Akhtala (first layer). The time coincides with the 2nd stage of the development of the Georgian monumental painting which, as compared with the preceding period (12 th - first half of the 13 th century), is marked by a gradual change towards a greater decorativeness and dynamism of the composition and the design. Thus, in the paintings, remaining on the whole monumental, the scenes became more detailed, images more lively, movements more vivid. Yet the color range remains typically Georgian, austere and refined, the highlight modeling of the forms is reserved and soft, and the manner of painting is linear. What a beautiful, colorful sight this painting presents against its unique carpet-like background How well composed ii looks taken as a whole, and what a picturesque solution of each scene taken apart.

Each fragment within itself is so well worked out that every detail seems alive. Vardzian painting strikes one with its entirety and completeness. This is to a great extent due to the great talent of the leading painter Giorgi, whose name has survived in the conch. However, one can very well distinguish the characteristic features of the manner of painting of each artist who participated in the creation of the painting. It can be observed that there were five artists and their assistants. The distinct manner of their painting allows to trace the whole system of their work: the apse was painted by the main master, the author of the whole ensemble, the rest of the church was divided into tiers each done by a separate artist. For about four centuries Vardzia laid in desolation. Systematic, well planned work for the cleaning and restoration of the ancient monastery began only in 1938, after the organization of the Vardzian Museum. And interest in this famous town-monastery, which has begun a new intense life, is growing daily.

Making Georgia

A WONDERFUL GEORGIAN “Days will pass, months, years, centuries and David Sarajishvili’s name will never be erased from the history of Georgian education. Nobody will root it out. It will always occupy an honorary place and it will be passed on to the generations to come, as the whole of Georgia will be full of Georgian children and grandchildren who were brought up and educated thanks to him.”

hese words were pronounced after his death, but the story began as follows: on October 28, 1848, at No 13 Sergeev Street in Tbilisi, there was great joy in the family of the wealthy merchant Zakharia Sarajishvili. His devoted wife, the highly educated and generous Lady Elizabeth of Savaneli, gave birth to a son: David. David received his primary education at home, continued studying in a private school and later attended the First Classical School for boys. After this, he continued studying in Petersburg and later in the universities of Munich and Heidelberg, eventually earning doctorates in chemistry and philosophy. While studying abroad, David became engaged in public work and, together with the other Georgian students at his university, he became an active member of the society “Ugeli” (“The Yoke”) - the group dedicated to the popularization of European values and culture in Georgia and dreaming to gain freedom for their motherland and national independence. In 1878 David went to France to study the theoretical and practical bases of vineyard cultivation and winemaking. David became greatly interested in the contemporary technology used in crafting of vodka, liquor and cognac and, while still in France, he made the decision to develop the industry in his motherland.

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Making Georgia

N AND EUROPEAN BLEND Thus began the history of the Georgian Cognac. In May of 1880, Datiko (as he was called in Georgia) returned to his father’s home at 13 Sergeev Street (present-day Machabeli Street). The same year he married Ekaterine, the daughter of the renowned merchant and landlord, Ivane Porakishvili and they moved to Palace Street. Datiko and Ekaterine’s house came to be called “Little Europe” and functioned as a cultural salon hosting painters’ exhibitions, topical discussions, and the presentation of writers’ new work. After his return to Georgia, David also continued to study and made chemical analyses of traditional Georgian varieties and he discovered that they were very much like the French varieties of Fol Blanch and Colombar, both of which were used to prepare the spirit for cognac. In 1885 David Sarajishvili started his own production of araki (vodka). The product proved to be successful, though Sarajishvili’s ultimate aim was cognac, the production of which requires great experience, not to mention large sums of money. But David was confident and willing to take on certain risks and was slowly moving towards his aim.

“In 1888, in Tbilisi, Sarajev opened the first cognac factory in Russia, thus creating the impulse for other, similar factories in the Transcaucasus to be opened... Yet factories like these had not appeared before Sarajev’s example.(Newspaper “Zakavkazie”, 1911, 2, in memory of D. Z. Sarajishvili). In spite of the fact that the cognac produced by Sarajishvili was of a high quality, it could hardly compete with the French cognac which was extremely popular at that time. One strange story has reached us in this connection: When the first batch of Sarajishvili’s cognac had been produced, odd events occurred in the restaurants of Tbilisi. One evening, a group of tipsy Kintos (the vendors) appeared in a restaurant. They insisted on ordering Sarajishvili cognac, and Sarajishvili cognac only, and upon discovering that the owner had not even heard of such a drink, the Kintos kicked up a scandal and smashed the inventory. Alarmed by this incident, the owner of the restaurant quickly purchased Sarajishvili cognac and soon almost all the restaurants of Tbilisi were carrying it. Soon, the “national cognac” had ousted all other cognacs in terms of popularity. They say that Sarajishvili had paid those Kintos well. But in any case, Sarajishvili’s cognac soon conquered the Georgian market and then even moved beyond the country’s borders.

THE GROUP DEDICATED TO THE POPULARIZATION OF EUROPEAN VALUES AND CULTURE IN GEORGIA AND DREAMING TO GAIN FREEDOM FOR THEIR MOTHERLAND AND NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE

In 1885 Sarajishvili opened Georgia’s first commercial distillery to produce liquor and prepare port wine. The output was mostly distributed in Georgia and the production turned out to be successful. The following year, Sarajishvili’s liquor factory was opened in Tbilisi. In the autumn of 1888, on the basis of the distillery, Sarajishvili’s cognac factory started working. It worked on the basis of the country’s raw material and under the guidance of Antoin Jourdi, an expert invited from France, the factory had its first production in the same year.

In 1898 Sarajishvili asked for permission to import 50 different kinds of alcoholic drinks such as cognac, vodka, rum and so on to the markets of the Russian Empire. Initially products were sent across the entire territory of Russia, taking the market away from the previously popular French cognac. The next stops were Paris, London, Berlin, Vienna, Geneva, Constantinople and the other European cities - where Sarajishvili’s cognac was a huge success. His products were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals at various exhibitions and on January 6, 1902, the Tsar conferred upon Sarajishvili the honorary rank

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Making Georgia

of “Commerce Advisor” for his “significant contribution to his native country’s trade and industry.” In 1913 the Empire’s coat of arms –the two headed eagle – and the inscription “The Official Court Supplier to his Imperial Highness” appeared on the label of Sarajishvili’s cognac:. By the beginning of the 20th century, the company, whose emblem was a black horned Caucasian goat perched on a towering rock, combined five distilleries for vodka and other liquor and seven cognac factories. David Sarajishvili possessed araki and cognac factories in Yerevan, Kizlar, Baku, Vladikavkaz, Besarabia, Bargusheti, Gogcha, and Slizavetopole. He also had cognac and wine warehouses in Odessa, Moscow, Petersburg, Warsaw, Baku, Fyodor, Chaloush, Kiev, Vilnius, Riga, Kharkov, Rostov, Samara, Kazan and so on. Besides being a successful businessman, David Sarajishvili remains one of the greatest Maecenas in Georgian history. “For 30 years there was hardly any state enterprise to which David Sarajishvili did not contribute” his contemporaries used to say. David Sarajishvili’s name is connected with the creation and foundation of “The Committee of the Restoration of the Georgian Peasant”; “Music School”; “The Historic and Ethnographic Society” and other national enterprises. He spent great sums of money on the building and restoration of churches and monasteries.

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It was with his initiative and funding that Kashueti Church was built in Tbilisi, and restoration work was done in Svetitskhoveli in Mtskheta as well as a lot of other historical monuments all over Georgia. David and Ekaterine had no children of their own. David used to write: “What problem is it having no children? All the children, brought up for the future hope of the country, trained and educated for the wellbeing of the country are my children, aren’t they?!” Later David Sarajishvili founded a committee, the function of which was to find talented young people. David gave them annual scholarships (of thirty thousand gold rubles) to continue their studies abroad. Some of them went on to become famous in the fields of art and science. The well-known Georgian artist Mose Toidze recalled Sarajishvili’s generosity: “David Sarajishvili left nobody unattended. His sensitive heart was beating for everybody, and he was a huge supporter and friend of people involved in the arts. “He was the only person to give away both material and moral assistance. Those whom David Sarajishvili helped did not feel obliged to repay him: we considered him to be a representative of our country; our parent.” (“Sakhalkho Gazeti” – “The People’s Gazette, 1911”).

Making Georgia

THE GREAT GEORGIAN POET AKAKI TSERETELI SAID IN HIS FAREWELL SPEECH ON BEHALF OF THE WHOLE GEORGIAN PEOPLE: “IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FORGET YOU, NEITHER WILL OUR DESCENDENTS AND IN EVERY NATIONAL EVENT YOU WILL BE REPRESENTED IN OUR DREAMS AS THE ONE WHO WILL ALWAYS STAND BY.” In 1910 it was discovered that David Sarajishvili had a malignant tumor. That year he created his will, leaving all his property (three million rubles) to the Georgian people. That year David was taken to Germany where he was operated on, though without any positive result. He refused to have the second planned operation and in 1911 he was brought to Georgia in a special carriage.

cialists,” said Churchill trying to defend his alchoholic expertise. Meanwhile the President of the United States, Franklin Roosevelt, also tasted ‘Eniseli’ and he asked: “Then who has made it?” “The head technologist Vakhtang Tsitsishvili,”

On June 20 the great businessman and Maecenas passed away in his house. All Georgia attended his funeral. The great Georgian poet Akaki Tsereteli said in his farewell speech on behalf of the whole Georgian people: “It is not surprising that we will not be able to forget you, neither will our descendents and in every national event you will be represented in our dreams as the one who will always stand by.” In 1945, when the official part of The Big Three’s Yalta conference was over, Winston Churchill asked Joseph Stalin for some cognac. His wish was granted. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom tried it and put it aside, a move which did not pass unnoticed by Stalin and he ordered a bottle of ‘Eniseli’. After trying this ‘Eniseli’ Churchill remarked with enjoyment:

Stalin answered promptly. In 1947, not long after this occurrence, Vakhtang Tsitsishvili was awarded the “Stalin Prize” as the maker of the cognac ‘Eniseli’. However, until the last minutes of his life, Tsitsishvili insisted on the rehabilitation of David Sarajishvili’s name. He demanded that the factory be given the name of its founder, but it was all in vain. The communist regime had decided to erase the name of Sarajishvili, the same way his grave was removed from the Pantheon of Didube. Yet, let’s end with what we started: “Days will pass, months, years, centuries and David Sarajishvili’s name will never be erased from the history of Georgian education, nobody will root it out.”

“Here is a great one, it’s French!” “It’s not French, it’s Georgian,” responded Stalin. “At least it must have been prepared by French speTbilisi first School

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Photos: Iuri Mechitov

LA VITA COME ARTE

PARAJANOV THE MASTER OF THE TEMPLE Shota Gagarin

hat can I say about Sergo Parajanov. What can I - sewed up on a sweet home as a turtle, bending and curving at the site of sun, like Dracula embodied by Bela Lugosi – say about one who ran about streets, stopped passers-by and shouted – give me five roubles and I’ll show you real Tarkovsky; and he did show them a man shyly standing nearby. Indeed, it was Andrey Tarkovsli, who was on a visit then. Everybody knew the vagabond film director, wondering on Rustaveli Avenue, but they knew him as a madman of the district and not as a world classic. Generally, in Tbilisi it is easier to get urban legends about Sergo Parajanov - referred as Serzhik - than finding encyclopedic data about him. Here’s the one I admire: In Tbilisi’s old district of Avlabar, there lived an Armenian woman, Sergo’s acquaintance. This woman was crazy about Marcello Mastroianni, the same way single housekeepers are mad about film characters... well, maybe a little more than that. She even used to cut out heart-shaped photos from Soviet newspapers and magazines ‘the Communist’

and ‘Pravda’ and put them up on the walls. While washing or ironing, she wholeheartedly spoke to those images... When Mastroianni accidentally payed Tbilisi a visit, Parajanov seized his hand, took him to Avlabar, stopped him right in the front of the woman’s house and asked “her beloved” icon to knock on the window. You can imagine the rest… I just love such Artists, writers, which are interesting characters themselves, directors, which themselves are the personages. Artists, who refuse to pull strings to open the parachute. Ok, for a while let’s put aside the wonderful films like “Flower on the Stone” (1962), “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors ” (1964), “The Color of Pomegranates” (aka Sayat Nova) (1968), “The Legend of Suram Fortress ” (1984), “Arabesques On The Pirosmani Theme ” (1985) “Ashik Kerib ”(1988) and the whole wonderful world created by Serzhik in his films, collages, canvases; Let’s concentrate on our world and ask –Who is Sergo Parajanov? The director himself would have answered the question in this way: “The Armenian, raised in Georgia, who was serving his punishment in a Soviet prison as an Ukranian nationalist.”

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To Georgia

LA VITA COME ARTE He was twice imprisoned for profiteering and homosexuality (Yes, people were imprisoned for homosexuality in the Soviet Union), though it’s clear that the Soviet Government was displeased with him not actually for selling Tarkovsky for five roubles or for his Boudoir preferences. Parajanov was guilty for the creation of the new world, free from social conventions, for the creation of the beauty, which did not look like the Soviet Union the sample of gorgeousness of that time. He seemed to be hiding from brutal realism, as if from a red bayonet aimed at him and was seeking the shelter behind mythological images and stories. Parajanov did not show what life was like, but he described what kind of life it would have been if he had been God. And with this escapist act he displayed the horror of the Soviet reality more precisely, than it could be expressed in a standard cinema language. Thus, after finding his original way of expression he disowned all of his pre-1964 works as “garbage”. In the “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors ” Parajanov ignored the plot-developing logic of the episodes. He listened to his heart rather than the ratio, the brain. The spectator is at a loss - “Who the heck is this Sergo Parajanov?” - asks the spectator accustomed to more “orderly” dramaturgy, desperately seeking for the symbols, trying to fit this new aesthetics to the known samples. He tries to decipher, get into the depth and does not realize that the director simply plays, relishes beauty, freedom, life. Beauty broke the chains of shape, form and order; beauty unchains himself from the ideologies. After the “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors ” gained international recognition (in France and for most foreign distributions this film was titled “Wild Horses of Fire ) Parajanov’s new picture “Kyiv Frescoes” was banned during pre-production. Only 15 minutes of auditions survive. He became the target of attacks by the system and was accused for kindling Ukrainian nationalism against Soviet Government. The next, - perhaps, Parajanov’s best film - “Sayat Nova”, was defined by officials as having a low category, thus blocking its way to the international festivals and big cinema halls within Soviet Union. This did not breakdown the artist and in 1973, being on his way from Moscow to Kiev, Sergo was arrested. He was sentenced 11 years and sent to the Gulag. “I am a captive, not a prisoner. These are my best years. It’s more than Oxford or post graduate courses. These are contacts with cruelty, death and life. And yet, what if I don’t see freedom anymore? Isn’t it a mission itself? Isn’t freedom without work more terrible for me than “isolation”? Here I cost 36 kopecks per day. 2 sheets and 2 pillowcases, cinema once a week, a shower! The newspaper “The Trudovaya Zhizn” ( the Labor Life) and work! Not

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LA VITA COME ARTE very hard, the broom, the electrodes- what, is it very bad? So what if I don’t return to the cinema at all. What is the cinema? Nothing but entertainment for housewives” - he wrote it to his sister, although within 5 years he created 150 collages and drawings, more than one hundred stories, three film-scripts and letters, letters, letters. “I don’t write anything, neither do I paint. And I am not going to. What for?! I have read “Amarcord” and it did not affect me. I think the world surrounding me is stronger than my Italian amigo’s miniature world”. For ten minutes I have been thinking what comment to make on this quotation from the letter, written to Lilia Brik (poet, Sergo’s friend, Vladimir Mayakovski’s muse) and at every attempt I feel that I lie. Actually I don’t understand why he wrote one thing and acted in the opposite way. Was he fighting against his own self or his nature was as ambivalent as his own films? Or, am I acting like a brainwashed Soviet spectator, when I can’t admit that he was just kidding? Now, do you understand why I wondered from the start what could I say about Parajanov? But they had no time to wonder - people like Yves Saint Laurent, Françoise Sagan, Jean-Luc Godard , François Truffaut, Luis Buñuel , Federico Fellini, Michelangelo Antonioni , John Updike, Joseph Brodsky (who was as needy as Sergo) and the other classics. The last chord was played by the French surrealist, brilliant poet and French Communist Party member Louis Aragon . He wrote to Brezhnev directly - either you release Parajanov, or I’ll mail the Lenin prize back to you. Finally in 1977 Parajanov was released pre-term, though his release from prison did not mean freedom. He was not allowed to stay in Kiev where he had a wife and a child. Moscow and Leningrad were also closed for him. Shooting a film was out of the question. At this time Sergo lived in utter poverty in Tbilisi depending only on his close friends who were bringing him food, clothes. “The Amnesty International” and “the Pen Club” tried to take him in emigration. Moreover, the Patriarch of Armenia invited him, but Serzhik refused to go. He couldn’t live without multi-colored Eurasian Tbilisi. He loved his poor house on Mtatsminda, with its leaking ceiling and communal toilet where he hosted local drunkards and brilliant personalities like Allen Ginsberg and Bob Dylan at the same time. After ten years of unemployment, the ice started melting. Thanks to the influential Georgian actor Dodo Abashidze, Parajanov begun to work in the Film Studio “Georgian Film” and in 1984 “The

To Georgia

LA VITA COME ARTE

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LA VITA COME ARTE

To Georgia

LA VITA COME ARTE Legend of Suram Fortress” was released. Four years later he was allowed to take part in the festival of Georgian Films held in the Centre Pompidou in Paris. In the same year he shot “Ashik Kerib” which was received with great respect by Europe, especially Germany, earning lots of international awards. In Ashik Kerib, resembling an Oriental carpet, he knitted various colored threads of different cultures. This is how the Tbilisi of his childhood looked like - the city of the ethnic minorities, the multicultural center of the Caucasus, where a lot of morals and aesthetics peacefully co-existed. It seems that by the artist’s hunch he smelled the stink of chauvinism, xenophobia and ethnic rivalry, which came with the breeze of freedom at the dawn of the Soviet Union. I think there are three categories of artists: The first ones look at the surface of the secret window; the second ones try to look through the window, the third ones take a brick and throw it at the window, so the others can see what is going on inside. Sergo belongs to the third category. Never mind if not everybody is interested what is happening inside. As for them, who were not interested or were not allowed be interested, Sergo just laughed at and tried to provoke them. For instance, in 1988, at the premiere of the “Ashik Kerib” in the Tbilisi cinema theater, Sergo addressed the spectators: Do you think you, Georgians, are good at anything? We have built this city, we, the Armenians. Then he went to Yerevan, Armenia and declared to the public: You, talentless, good for nothing people, where would you be without the Georgians... Finally when he visited Baku he rebuked the people there: “What do you sit upon this Karabakh for, what’s the matter with you? We, Armenians and Georgians are sick and tired of your claims. Two years later, in 1990 Sergo Parajanov died from lung cancer. He spent some of the last months of his life in France. His last, autobiographic film “The Confession” was left unfinished. “With the death of Parajanov cinema lost one of its magicians: Parajanov’s fantasy will forever fascinate and bring joy to the people of the world” - After Parajanov’s death these words are to be signed by Federico Fellini, Marcello Mastroiani, Tonino Guerra, Francesco Rosi, Alberto Moravia, Bernardo Bertolucci, Giulietta Masina . Jean Luc Godard wrote - “In the temple of the cinema there are images, light and reality. Sergei Parajanov was the master of that temple...”

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PRESENTS

To Georgia

IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

IGOR OBOLENSKY The Destiny Of Beauty The author and journalist Igor Obolensky lives in Moscow and Paris. Yet he often visits Tbilisi, where the last spring the first international presentation of his book “The Destiny of Beauty: The History of Georgian Wives” was held. Today it’s translated into four languages. His new book, dedicated to Georgian men who influenced the World Politics of 20th century, is to be published this May in both Russian and English. His plans for the nearest future include a documentary based upon the bestseller “The Destiny of Beauty” and a novel about Tbilisi. In an article written for “Modi” Magazine, Mr.Obolensky tells the readers how he became fascinated with Georgia.

fell in love with Tbilisi when I was about twelve years old. That summer I was having a rest in the summer camp “Artek” and got acquainted with a girl from Georgia. When our shift was over, she gave me as a present a postcard, on which the famous balconies of Tbilisi were depicted. I really liked the girl Tamuna and her postcard with the balconies. It was probably at that time that my wish to visit Georgia was born My childhood wish came true several years later. I had already worked as a journalist. And I passed over my love for Georgia, in spite of the fact that I did not meet Georgian girls, I passed over on everything Georgian – films, cuisine, names. And then came the day when Sofiko Chiaurely arrived in Moscow. It was a great event for me and a chance to meet with my favorite actress. It was probably the year 2000. I shall never forget the day when I stepped over the threshold of her hotel room. The first person I saw was Kote Makharadze, who had also arrived in Moscow. “Hello, I am Sofiko’s lover” Sofiko’s husband introduced himself, shaking hands with me. He apologized that he could not let us have the room

for our interview, as there was some important football match on TV. I recorded my first interview with Chiaureli in the hall, where we settled comfortably in the soft armchairs. To the background noise of the elevator’s opening and closing doors, we talked ...about love. The stories that Sofiko told me sounded like a song. Tiflis, Vere district, Veriko Anjaparidze, Abkhazia, Soliko Virsaladze... Time passed. I often called Chiaureli and congratulated her on all kinds of holidays, dreaming in my heart to get an invitation from her. And here came my great luck! I got it. It was then that my first, cherished meeting with Georgia took place. It was seven years ago. The relationship between Russia and Georgia was not cloudless at that time too. Therefore, I had been asked in Moscow to be careful during my journey. When I told Sofiko about my friends’ warnings, she smiled: “One should not mix life with the film “Kidnapping: Caucasian Style” And indeed, that journey was wonderful. It was autumn in Tbilisi and wandering about the streets of

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IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

one of the most beautiful cities of the world (I never get tired of saying so), I felt absolutely happy. Of course the first thing I did was go in search of those balconies, which enchanted me in my childhood. Unfortunately I did not keep the postcard. But the picture on it got stuck in my memory so deeply that when I saw those very balconies (they appeared to be in the district of the Kolkhoz Squire) I had a feeling of déjà vu. I experienced a similar feeling when I was going to Kakheti. Looking through the car window at the boundless vineyards and the strict lines of the gold colored trees, I would catch myself thinking that I had already seen it before.

shape when they had such challengingly delicious food. They used to answer it was quite simply that in Georgia nobody eats achma, khachapuri and the other divine dishes every day. I listened, nodded but did not believe it. Which man in his right mind would refuse dishes with those names, sounding like the hymn to the glory of life!

IT WAS AUTUMN IN TBILISI AND WANDERING ABOUT THE STREETS OF ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CITIES OF THE WORLD (I NEVER GET TIRED OF SAYING SO), I FELT ABSOLUTELY HAPPY

Naturally, the second point of the program was restaurants. It’s not a secret that in Russia Georgian cuisine is one of the best, if not the very best. But there it is one thing to order khachapuri in the restaurant “Genatsvale” in Moscow and it’s quite a different thing to enjoy it somewhere in the district of Chardin Street. There I always asked my Georgian friends how they managed to keep in

To Georgia

But unfortunately I had to experience a number of bitter moments together with the joyful emotions. Once I came to Sofiko and she laid the table as usual. Hardly had we started having dinner, when on TV news there was a report from Beslan, where the terrorists had seized a school. It was certainly terrible. There were a lot of victims. The following day, complete strangers would come up to me in the street and express their condolence about this tragedy. And I realized that whatever was said about the relations between Russia and Georgia, these humane relations, the kindness, sincerity, and warmth would still remain. At that moment I vividly realized this for myself.

IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS It was sad to leave Tbilisi. At that time I did not know that time would pass and I would arrive in Tbilisi as my own home. I think it was Baudelaire, who said that a woman is an invitation to happiness. The first woman to invite me to Tbilisi was Sofiko Chiaureli and then the second- Sofico, my wife. We first met in Venice, then in Istanbul, Rome, London… We spent a lot of time in Paris. And still, one of the main cities remains, Tbilisi, where I always arrive with a feeling of joy and celebration in store for me. I have noticed that in Georgia even the air has its own smell. It is somewhat tasty. There is a strange feeling here: I don’t feel on as a visitor anymore. Georgia has become a home to me. Not a second home, as it is usually said, but as native and close as Russia. On the other hand I always have the physical feeling of the first discovery, of finding myself in a new place, but among friends. And I am not the only one to experience this. Evidently I am not, because there is hardly any normal Russian in whose soul the word “Georgia” would not cause a pleasant shiver. Fiodor Shalyapin, who had just started his career as a singer on the stage of The Tbilisi Opera, once said: “For my life I was born in Kazan and for my creative work in Tiflis.” Maxim Gorki could have put his signature under these words, as his first story was written in Georgia. And so could have the great director Vsevolod Meyerhold, whose plays were staged in the Griboedov Theater. And Griboedov himself adored these places. In Tbilisi he wrote “The Sorrow of Being Clever” and he used to ponder about settling in Georgia for good. The list of the admirers of this great country can be go on for pages. Among them could be found Pyotr Chailkovski, who played the violin in Tiflis; and Boris Pasternak, who found here not his second home but shelter during his persecution for being awarded the Nobel Prize; this was the case for a lot of other great artists. And Georgia always responded to them with the same sentiment. A story that occurred in the summer of 1915 is particularly close to me. On that day, the Tbilisi Opera Theater was packed. It seemed that the whole of Georgia dreamed to be present at the concert of Alexander Vertinski. When the singer finished his performance, a car made of live flowers was rolled upon the stage. And after the curtain fell, the singer himself was taken to have a fabulous supper in the gardens of Ortachala. Even Vertinsli, who had been adored by public, had never seen such a reception. One toast followed another and until sunrise new dishes kept appearing and musicians created a pleasant background for the friendly celebration. Vertinski, who seemed to be floating on the waves of love in the garden of the public’s love declared:

SOFIKO CHIAURELI Sofiko Chiaureli (1937-2008) a Georgian actress (People’s Artist of Georgia (1976); People’s Artist of Armenia (1979), thought to be the muse of filmmaker Sergei Parajanov. She played a wide variety of roles on stage of the Kote Marjanishvili Theatre (1960-1964, 1964-2008) and the Rustavelli Theatre (1964-1968), appearing in a variety of Soviet films.

KOTE MAKHARADZE

Kote (Constantine) Makharadze (1926-2002) a Georgian actor and sports commentator. He earned the title of the Honored Artist of the Georgian SSR in 1958 and of the People Artist of the Georgian SSR in 1962. Makharadze is best remembered for his career as a sports commentator whose passionate commentating fascinated audiences for decades. He became a sports commentator in 1957, covering soccer matches on Georgian televisionand radio. Two years later, he started commenting on central Soviet state television and radio.He continued to work for the next four decades covering all major sports events of this period.

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IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

“If I ever marry it will be to a Georgian woman.” Time passed and the great artist kept his promise. The beautiful Lidia Tsirgvava-Dadiani became his wife. I have also found my family in Georgia… and not only my family. The wonderful meetings on the lavish Georgian soil gave me an idea to write a book about the mysterious women, who had been born in Georgia and who managed to conquer the whole world. “The Destiny of Beauty: The Story of the Georgian Wives” became a bestseller within a few months and has been translated into several languages. How proud I was when on the Champs Elysees I saw people with an open book in their hands. And it is not a figure of speech, it was really so. Actually this book could not have had another fate. Not because I am its author — but because its characters are the Georgian wives. I’d like everybody that reads “The Destiny of Beauty” to experience the feelings of happiness and pride –the feelings I have for Georgia. How did the book start? From a very important event which occurred in my life. In autumn of 2008, I was fortunate enough to get acquainted with the Catholicos Patriarch of Georgia Ilya II. Three months had passed since the war between Russia and Georgia and during our meeting we could not help touching upon this tragic issue. At the end of the evening His Holiness turned to me with the following words: “You are one of our unexploded bridges and you must do everything in order to settle the relations between our countries again.” I thought it over – how can a writer and a journalist cope with such a task?! I am neither a diplomat nor a politician. And in the morning I started working on

To Georgia

I DON’T FEEL ON AS A VISITOR ANYMORE this book as I simply decided to tell a story of love, friendship and spiritual links of incredibly kind and wonderful people. It’s not by chance that the book is called “The Destiny of Beauty.” Nothing comes free in this world. And all the women I wrote about, paid a high price for certainly not only their beauty, but also for preserving their own selves, not betraying themselves and their beliefs. Some had to pay with their spiritual silence, some with their happiness and some even with their lives... I was shocked by the fate of Babo Dadiani. In 1921 she left for Constantinople with her husband, as many Georgians did. But she could not stay away from her adored Georgia and came back. Moreover, she left one country and returned to quite a different Soviet one. The family of Dadiani–Maskharashvili had to drink the bitter chalice to the bottom. Alas, many others had to experience similar predicaments. But Babo and her husband did it with a feeling of incredible honor. I read the letters of Aliosha Maskharashvili, which he used to send to his wife from prison. Being on his deathbed he confessed that if he

IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

FEODOR CHALIAPIN Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin (1873 – 1938) a Russian opera singer, the possessor of a large and expressive bass voice began his career at Tbilisi. Later he enjoyed an important international career at major opera houses and is often credited with establishing the tradition of naturalistic acting in his chosen art form.

had been offered a choice between a quiet and orderly life somewhere on the island of Tahiti and the sufferings he had gone through in his country, he would have chosen the second one. This great man - I cannot call Alexanre Maskharashvili otherwise – was happy that he could die in his native Georgia. I was moved by this story so much that I shot a documentary film about this family.

BORIS PASTERNAK Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (1890 – 1960) a Nobel Prize-winning Russian and Soviet poet, novelist and translator of Goethe and Shakespeare. In Russia, Pasternak is most celebrated as a poet. Pasternak was named the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958, but under intense pressure from Soviet authorities, had declined the award.

Probably there does not exist a country, in which there is not a tradition to respect the family. But such respect for the family, reverence of the parents that exists in Georgia, one rarely encounters. And more: I have never seen such patriotism. For me it means realizing oneself

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IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS to be a part of a country and the country part of oneself, when you are suffering for the things taking place beyond your window as much as if they were happening in your own home... I have devoted “The Destiny of Beauty” to my wife, a Georgian. We are bringing up a son - half Russian and half Georgian. I look forward to the time when he starts reading and I’ll be able to show him this book. I want him to be proud of his mother and his motherland. For the last two years, I have been spending much of my time in Georgia. And I can confess I have fallen in love with this unique city, which earlier was called Tiflis. I have walked all over it more than ten times. And after every such walking tour I find new objects for my love. When I go up the small streets of Sololaki, I want to settle in one of the houses on the streets of Iashvili, Leonidze or Machabeli. When I find myself on the other bank of the river Kura in the district of Agmashenebeli, I have the idea to move there. My Georgian friends are sometimes surprised when I show them some wonderful house with plaster work, breathtakingly beautiful. “Just look at it! And we did not even notice.” But it is not surprising because a guest’s eye can see much more looking around.

I HAVE ALSO FOUND MY FAMILY IN GEORGIA AND NOT ONLY MY FAMILY. THE WONDERFUL MEETINGS ON THE LAVISH GEORGIAN SOIL GAVE ME AN IDEA TO WRITE A BOOK ABOUT THE MYSTERIOUS WOMEN, WHO HAD BEEN BORN IN GEORGIA AND WHO MANAGED TO CONQUER THE WHOLE WORLD.

On the map of the world there are a few cities, which are called the museums under the open sky. Tbilisi is not on that list yet. Though, it has all the right qualities for that. Just take Tsinamdzgvrishvili Street, with a name impossible for a foreigner to pronounce. It is so beautiful that it will take several days to go along: You will want to stand at every house and take at least one photo. There are at least a hundred of such photos in my collection, which I called the “Vanishing Beauty”. Unfortunately, the beauty of the old city is really slipping away. Houses are being torn down and glass and concrete blocks are built in their places. If this process continues, in a few years nobody will understand why Tiflis was once called the second Paris. And this comparison was not born by accident. Don’t you believe me? Go to Sololaki and seize the moment! Tbilisi reminds me of an old lady, whose face has preserved the features of the past beauty...

To Georgia

Generally all my Georgian meetings drive me to my writing desk. Probably, I failed to learn the Georgian language because all my teachers appeared to be incredibly interesting people. My first teacher told me that, as a little girl, she would relax at the estate of Tsinandali. Considering the fact that at the time of our meeting she was over eighty, the description of the estate of the Chavchavadzes was more documentary than an article in the encyclopedia. At the next lesson she recalled that during the war, The Moscow Art Theater was evacuated to Tbilisi and she met Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. My other teacher turned out to be the teacher of Stalin’s daughter Svetlana Allilueva and I, overwhelmed with delight, listened to the stories of how she used to give lessons to the daughter of Stalin who would openly tell her stories about her father, life in the Kremlin and her fleeing abroad. But the most important thing from my Georgian lessons was my introduction to the greatest Georgian poet, Galaktion Tabidze. I was even bold enough to translate some of his poems into Russian. Thanks to Tabidze, I look differently at the Georgians and at this unique country. By the way, I heard about Galaktion’s fate from a man, who had known the great poet. He was even a witness of Galaktion’s tragic death.

I was really fortunate meeting people in Georgia. Sometimes meetings occurred as if by some absolutely fantastic script. For example it was in Tbilisi that I met the great grand daughter of the famous Royal jeweler Carl Faberge. It turned out that by her mother’s line Tatiana Faberge was a BagrationiMukhranskaya and it was her long-time wish to visit the native land of her ancestors. We spent two evenings together, during which the direct descendent of Faberge told me the story of her family and I would tell her about the links between the representatives of the Bagration-Mukhranskis and the royal family. How true was George Balanchin in saying that a city is clothed by people. Probably that is why Tbilisi is so wonderful, because such people live here. For me they are the main wonder and the most significant attraction.

IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

ALEKSANDR VERTINSKY

Aleksandr Nikolayevich Vertinsky (1889 - 1957) a Russian and Soviet artist, poet, singer, composer, cabaret artist and actor who exerted seminal influence on the Russian tradition of artistic singing.

PYOTR TCHAIKOVSKY

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 – 1893) a Russian composer of the Romantic era. His wide ranging output includes symphonies, operas, ballets, instrumental and chamber music and songs. He wrote some of the most popular concert and theatrical music in the classical repertoire, including the ballets Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker.

April - May

IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

I certainly happened to meet the best part of Georgia. I think that besides the generally acknowledged beauty of the Georgian women, their wisdom and kindness are notable. While working on the book I had to meet with a lot of people. And I have never felt any anger, envy or hurt. And I happened to meet with a great variety of women in terms of their age, status and character. I might be mistaken, but I got the impression that in Georgia it’s a woman who stands at the head of everything. And she, on her part, considers serving her family her most important role. I think that Georgian women’s longevity is explained by the fact that they try to manage to do the most for their loved ones. They have no time to relax and ‘enjoy’ falling ill. They have so many things to do. Taking care of their loved ones is their mission in this world, which they will save. It is their destiny. The destiny of beauty.

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CITIZENSHIP: GEORGIA

THE GEORGIAN There can hardly be found a place in the world, where one does not meet Greeks, beginning with America and ending with Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It’s quite natural, as the descendents of Odysseus find it difficult to stay in one place, they constantly travel, constantly change their dwelling places. Sopho Shamanidi

eorgia is no exception in this respect. Georgia fell into the sphere of the Greeks’ interest way back in ancient time, when the Greek travelers went to Kolkheti and founded oldest colonies at the Black Sea coast. Dioskuria (Sukhumi today), Pitiunti (Bichvinta), Gienos (Ochamchire) Pasisi (Poti). It is just a small number of the settlements, where the Greek trace can be seen. The archeological excavations in Vani make it evident how intensive the cultural relations were between Greeks and Georgians in the antique period.

key, from a Black Sea region and had lived there since ancient time. Therefore they were called Greeks of Ponto. The majority of the Greeks from Ponto were political migrants.

Although nobody argues about it, today the Greeks living in Georgia are not the descendents of the Greeks of the antique period. They presumably mixed with the local population and they have been fully assimilated within centuries.

A part of the Greeks of Ponto speak Greek, and a part of them speak Turkish, though their absolute majority are Orthodox Christians. There exists a legend that the Greeks living in Turkey denied the Greek language and started speaking Turkish to preserve Christian belief. Yet, this supposition is deprived of all scientific bases.

The ancestors of today’s Greeks first appeared in Georgia in the 18th century. The initiator of their arrival was no less than King Erekle II. He settled the ore-obtaining Greek masters on the territory of Akhtala and Alaverdi and within some twelve years, the Greek ‘metallurgists’ worked the first factory. A large number of Greeks came to Georgia in the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. By origin they were from Ponto, on the territory of Tur-

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In 1979 about 100 000 Greeks lived in Georgia, which made 1,9 % of the total population. They called themselves ‘Romios’ and their language ‘Romeika.’ Both of these terms come from “Rom” and means ‘of Rome,’ by which the Greeks pointed to the fact that they were the citizens of the second Rome of Byzantine Empire.

In spite of the fact that the Greeks have been living in Georgia for more than a century and they were absolutely isolated from Greece during the Soviet period, they succeeded in maintaining their ethnic mentality and cultural identity. Even the fourth and fifth generation Greeks, who don’t know Greek and have never been to Greece, consider themselves to

CITIZENSHIP: GEORGIA

be ethnic Greeks and Greece to be their motherland. Despite their clearly-cut identity they integrated themselves in Georgia very well and consider it to be their second motherland. It can also be said that they occupied a somewhat ‘privileged’ position here, as Georgians were of high opinion of the Greeks and greatly respected the representatives of this nation. It’s remarkable to mention the fact that the word ‘berdzeni’ in Georgian is associated with ‘brdzeni’ meaning ‘wise’. The Greeks live on the entire territory of Georgia, though there is a place of their compact settlement in Tsalka and Tetritkaro region, in south and west Georgia. A great part of the Greeks lived in Abkhazia too, though during the war they had to share the Georgian people’s fate and had to leave their houses: the refugees from Turkey have turned into displaced people a century later. Georgian Greeks keep their faith and traditions. Even in the Soviet period one could hardly see a Greek village where they had not built a church. As a rule they would restore abandoned Georgian churches and if there was not any church there, they built a new one. Religion was an essential part of their life, though some pagan elements could be encountered in their rites. For example during a draught, peasant women would go from

place to place with a big doll and spray water upon her, and on the New Year Eve they throw salt and corn into a river, in order to wish the Water Deity a Happy New Year. In spring they make wreaths of field flowers and hang them on the doors of their houses, to protect their family members from diseases; before the great fast the so-called ‘Panigir’ was held, a costumed celebration where the whole village participated. The indispensable element of these celebrations was the Lyre of Ponto, a certain string instrument, having a strangely tragic sound, which precisely matched the nostalgic songs of Ponto. The descendents of Odysseus find it difficult to stay in one place. They constantly travel, constantly change their dwelling place, but finally they always go back to Ithaca, their motherland. After the dismantling of the Soviet Union, a great number of the Greeks went back to Greece. As it is said, there are only about 10 000 Greeks living in Georgia. Yet, the repatriated Georgian Greeks have another kind of nostalgia – the nostalgia of Georgia. Every year for Easter, hundreds of buses come from Greece to Georgia. The Georgian Greeks arrive to visit the graves of their ancestors and celebrate Easter together with the Georgians.

CITIZENSHIP: GEORGIA

ODYSSEY DIMITRIADI Odyssey Dimitriadi, the 20th century conductor, a musician and maestro, was Greek by origin. An honorary citizen of Athens, Tbilisi and Batumi. The people’s Artist of the Soviet Union. The leading conductor of the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theater and also the leading conductor of the Symphonic Orchestra of Georgia. “Who can count how many pieces of the world classical music we have heard thanks to Odyssey Dimitriadi’s perfect conducting for the first time! And not only world music, he was the first to perform many of the Georgian composers’ pieces. I’ll mention just the three, which are justly considered real masterpieces and artistic perfections in various music genres: The first Symphony by Andria Balanchivadze, the Ballet “Othelo” by Alexi Machavariani and the opera “Mindia” by Otar Taktakishvili. Gulbaat Toradze, Music Critic.

THE GREEK CHURCH The Church of St. Nikoloz of Krtsanisi is situated in a historical place of old Tbilisi. In the 19th century there was a Customs Office here. The territory around the Customs Office belonged to the Church and in 1833 the Greeks from Turkey purchased it.Vasili Andrianov, the archpriest of the Greek St. Catherine’s Church, built a house for priests and in 1846-1854 with the help of the population, the Church of St. Nikoloz was built nearby, on a small mount. Initially the service was held in the Greek language here. On the west wall Russian and Greek inscriptions are preserved, where 1853 is indicated as the date, when the church was completely built.

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THE NATIONAL CENTER OF MANUSCRIPTS

BANK OF GEORGIA

April - May

INSIDER

STUDENTS INVITED TO DEVELOP USEFUL BUSINESS PROPOSALS

In a bid to help stimulate students’ self-motivation, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia together with the Georgian National Investment Agency and State Property Management Agency have launched a new project for students. At the initial stage of the project six leading Georgian Universities will participate in the new initiative. This new initiative for students, according to Keti Bochorishvili, the head of Georgian National Investment Agency (GNIA), “will allow students create business projects which will be helpful in providing businessmen with the important firsthand information about the sectors they would be interested in.” In particular, GNIA will use those projects when unveiling certain business proposals to potential investors. Also, this project will enable students to equip themselves with the necessary skills to join the competitive workforce after graduating. The new initiative of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia immediately gained a great deal of popularity among Georgian Universities. While meeting with the heads of leading Georgian Universities, Vera Kobalia, the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development noted that the project will have followups in the future and other Georgian universities will also have an opportunity to participate. GNIA and the State Property Management Agency Representatives met with the students of Georgia’s six leading universities - Free University, International Black Sea University, Caucasian School of Business, Iv. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, University of Georgia and Georgian-American University – to give details about the project. Tourism, export promotion, local production along with others are key themes for the contest. The students particularly will have to work on the following cases: 1. Akhtala Case -“Akhtala Resort” LTD is a recreation resort complex located on Tsivgombori range, Gurjaani, East Georgia. The healing mud of Akhtala contains three main components: liquid mud, crystal part and

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colloidal mixture. In Soviet times Akhtala resort was well known for its healing features especially it was a popular destination for solving fertility problems. 2. Vartsikhe Case -“Vartsikhe” LTD located in Kutaisi, in the midst of Baghdati, mainly focuses on production of different alcoholic beverages. Vartsikhe wine factory operates since 1908. Vartsikhe has big reserves of cognac alcohol and Brandy what places Vartsikhe in a privileged position in this business. 3. Natural gas high-pressure metal factory Case - located in Vaziani, Gardabani region. Its main part is the capital building with the area of 1008 sq.m. There are also auxiliary buildings in the complex with the area of 254.66 sq.m. The notable fact is that automobiles are switched to gas engines throughout the whole world. 4. Georgian Product Case The students select a product and promote it for export. Due to the increasing importance of export activities much emphasis is made on facilitating the exports of the Georgian products. The new exports markets need to be identified and analysis should be made.After carefully discussing different options the students have selected to explore the sheep market and the respective research is already in progress. The completed projects will be evaluated by a commission of invited experts and representatives of Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia. Main evaluation criteria will be the financial part of the project, creativity, general quality of the level of the research. Students are expected to make the final presentations of the projects by May 15, 2011.

INTRODUCTION LETTER ON PRIVATIZATION On behalf of the Georgian National Investment Agency, I would like to mark the significant works implemented by the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia in terms of advancing the privatization process and offering investor friendly environment. One of the priorities of Georgian government is conducting the privatization process effectively and in this regard concrete steps have been taken like introducing a “One Stop Shop” approach for maximum transparency of the process and comfort of investors, the involvement of the commercial banks in privatization activities, online availability of privatization documentation and easy access to information. I am confident that for a country with transitional economy the privatization of large enterprises has a positive influence on the development of the state economic system. Government aims at handing over remaining unprofitable assets to private enterprises therefore making them more efficient. One of the good examples of successful privatization is the Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel. The hotel building was bought by investor and a world known brand entered Georgia what created additional jobs and the IDPs settled at the former Iveria hotel have been offered an acceptable living conditions. For year 2011 it is expected that the state budget will earn 150 million GEL through the privatization of government property. There has never been a better time to invest in Georgia. Thanks to an aggressive reform agenda implemented by the government over the last 7 years, our country has dramatically improved its business and investment climate, as well as its rankings in international business surveys. For example, Georgia was ranked 12th among 183 countries in the World Bank’s “2011 Ease of Doing Business” report. At GNIA we are committed to assisting you with all of your investment and business development needs. Our team of investment specialists offers investors a wide range of services, including market research and analysis, advice on market entry, assistance with establishing a company, local partner search and introduction to local business leaders and government authorities. As a director of Georgian National Investment Agency I would like to personally invite you to consider an array of privatization opportunities. Keti Bochorishvili Director Georgian National Investment Agency

FORMER TBILISI PUBLISHING HOUSE

FORMER MINISTRY OF FINANCE

FORMER MINISTRY OF JUSTICE

Building space: 9.447 sq.m Land area: 21.770 sq.m Floors: 5 State ownership: 100 % LocatioTn: Center of Tbilisi City, Kostava St

Building space: 7,994 sq.m Land area: 7,613 sq.m Floors: 2 State ownership: 100 % Location: Center of Tbilisi City, Abashidze St.

Building space: 8,516 sq.m Land area: 3,302 sq.m Floors: 3 Built: 1920 State ownership: 100 % Location: Center of Tbilisi City,Rustaveli Avenue

Given property’s outstanding site and proximity Property is located in very central of Tbilisi City to Tbilisi’s business and entertainment and in the most prestigious residential district of Taking into consideration property’s extremely destinations, it has been valued as a A or B convenient location, it is ideal for developing the downtown. Classes office and shopping centre for various business activities including but not limited to a hotel, high-class office space and a Starting privatization price: US$ 4.5 million Starting privatization price: US$ 12.2 million shopping center. Estimated development : US$ 12 million Estimated development cost: US$ 4.4 million Starting privatization price: US$ 10.2 million Estimated development : US$ 2.1 million

April - May

INSIDER

MODI PRESERVE OUR PAST TO OUR FUTURE! THE FRIENDS’ SOCIETY OF THE NATIONAL CENTER OF MANUSCRIPTS The National Center of Manuscripts is the oldest and the most significant book depository in Georgia. Here is collected the most important treasury of Georgian culture and history, preserved in the book depositories and private collections of various periods: unique manuscripts, historical documents, private archive collections, old and rare publications and memorial items.

COLLECTION

The unique collection, preserved here comprises a lot of spheres: history, geography, traveling, law, lexicography, medicine, fiction, clerical literature, philosophy, astrology, physics, mathematics, chemistry, military affairs, etc. The National center of Manuscripts has collected: 10 000 Georgian manuscripts of V-XIX centuries and 5 000 in foreign languages (Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Russian, Armenian, Greek, Hebrew, French, German, Latin, Polish, Italian, English, Czech, Syrian, Ethiopian, Mongol etc.) 40 000 Georgian and 5 000 foreign historical documents of IX-XIX centuries. The personal archives and the archives of civil organizations. The depository of antiquity keeps Georgian and foreign materials, connected with Georgia:

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The Friends’ Society of the National Center of Manuscripts. The Friends’ Society of the National Center of Manuscripts is a non-commercial, public union, founded according to jurisdiction. The existence of such unions, like the institutions abroad, is an accepted form. This kind of experience is gradually established in Georgia too. In the Friends’ Society the members are the representatives of different spheres (politicians, businessmen, scientists...) .

MANAGEMENT

The Honorary President of the Friends’ Society is His Holy Highness, Ilya II, Catholicos –Patriarch of Georgia. The President of the Friends’ Society is Rusudan Kervalishvili, Vice Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia. The management body of the Friends’ Society is the Board, the members of which are public men, businessmen, people of culture, etc.

OBJECTIVES

The principal objective of the Friends’ Society is the support of the center as of the institution of particular significance, protection of its unique, collection of the national importance, support of research work and its popularization.

THE MEMBERS OF THE FRIENDS’ SOCIETY “The National Center of Manuscripts is the treasury of our country. Georgian culture, Georgian art, history, literature, all this is collected in manuscripts and they need protection and care. It should be the purpose of the society’s unification.” Ilya II , His Holy Highness Catholicos Patriarch of all Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi, Metropolitan of Pitsunda and Sukhumi Abkhazia “Joining the Friends’ Society of The National Center of Manuscripts is primarily great honor Here is the past of the nation, its treasure, which we ought to get to know and value.Participation in this noble activity, friendship is possible in any form: by physical, spiritual or material resources.The creation of the Friends’ Society is a great opportunity to express our attitude, as any of you are able to join it.” Rusudan Kervalishvili, Vice Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia “I think every Georgian, who is proud of his past and who thinks of its future, ought to be a friend of the National Center of Manuscripts. It is the duty of our generation to save and pass over to the future generations what our ancestors have preserved for us. It is our duty to let a wide range of society get acquainted with the culture of the Georgian manuscripts, make it easy to reach not only for the citizens of Georgia but tourists as well”. Giuli Alasania Historian Pro-rector of the International Black Sea University, Professor of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University “The oldest Georgian manuscripts kept in The National Center of Manuscripts are an integral part of our history and respond to many aspects of our culture. The manuscripts, which have reached us, need protection and care. If the society and private organizations together with the government get involved in the preservation of this great treasure, we shall be able to get a desirable result. And The Friends’ Society will unify our good activities.” Nikoloz Rurua, Minister of Culture and Protection of Monuments of Georgia “The Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia implements a number of projects together with the National Center of Manuscripts. One of the priorities of the Ministry is presentation of the preserved manuscripts, as well as studying the Georgian monuments of culture abroad, because the treasury, which has been created for centuries ought to be protected and passed over to the future generations as the brilliant monuments of Georgian culture and science.” Akaki Seperteladze, First Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia

“The University of the Caucasus” gives great resources to charity, in the implementation of projects, significant to the Georgian society. That is why we are a member of the Friends’ Society. Joining the membership of this society will enable us to be oriented on long-term results. We should increase the number of the friends of the National Center of Manuscripts, in order to make ourselves stronger in doing national work.” Kakhaber Shengelia, President of the University of the Caucasus “I am greatly honored to be a member of the Friends’ Society of the National Center of Manuscripts, which takes great care of the national treasury. It is particularly significant, as respecting and caring for everything old will inspire the nation’s present, its spirit. It is my personal, humble wish to support everything that is national, its flourishing and passing over to the future generations.” Lasha Papashvili, Head of the Supervision Department of the Bank “Respublika” - Chairman of Supervisory Council “I consider that the Friends’ Society of the National Center of Manuscripts is very important for the country. The members of this society are prominent representatives of our society and I am proud that together with them I take part in significant national projects in the name of “GEOCELL”. Osman Turan , General Director of the company “Geocell” Having founded the Friends’ Society we have made a step forward in carrying out our constitutional duty as every citizen ought to care about protection and preservation of the country’ cultural heritage. Therefore we want as many citizens to join us as possible, in order to experience that wonderful feeling that he is the creator, owner and custodian of the unique treasury of Georgian writing – the treasury of manuscripts.” Natia Tskepladze, Lawyer “The similar societies exist in France and the other European countries. Georgians also ought to learn how to do charity work. Personally I plan to give a charity concert in order to support the Friends’ Society. Every member of the society ought to support its existence, because there is no future without the past.” Elisso Bolkvadze, Pianist “Besides a rich collection, the National Center of Manuscripts has a rich past as well. Though for decades it was considered that this establishment was mainly meant to be interesting for scientists, today, the foundation of the Friends’ Society is the proof that a scientist or a man of art, a businessman or a public worker is equally interested, equally proud of having this collection. All the supporters consider this past to be his own, they think of the protection and care the same way as their ancestors did – the creators of this unique collection and its hard-working caretakers. It is very symbolic. It adds to our strength. It is our great responsibility. Buba Kudava, Historian. Director of the National Center of Manuscripts

April - May

THE NATIONAL CENTER OF MANUSCRIPTS

“Being a member of the Friends’ Society is great honor for each of us. It is a matter of the future and not only the students and the higher educational institutions, but all the members of the society ought to be involved in its work.” Alexandre Kvitashvili, Rector of the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University

INSIDER

THE MEMBERSHIP FORMS OF THE FRIENDS’ SOCIETY OF THE NATIONAL CENTER OF MANUSCRIPTS Any person, a citizen of Georgia or a foreign country, wishing to become a member of the Friends’ Society can be united in the membership. There are three categories of the membership: * The Gold Friend a person, who donors a large-scale project, implemented in the National Center of Manuscripts and contributes 1 000 Euros and more. *The Classical Friend steadily and periodically pays the membership fee 20 -50 Euros per month. *The Supporter steadily and periodically pays the membership fee from 1 to 10 Euros per month. All the three membership categories imply both, a physical person or an organization. The member of the Friends’ Society has certain privileges according to the category: * Possesses full information about the activity of The National Center of Manuscripts. Gets information and invitation cards at home or work-place address or mail; *Gets the publications of the National Center of Manuscripts free of charge; *Attends exhibitions and the other cultural activities arranged by the National Center of Manuscripts; * Has an exclusive right to see the unique exhibits, kept in the National Center of Manuscripts together with the family members or honorary guests; * Gets packages of presents, made by The National Center of Manuscripts. *The member’s name is fixed on a conspicuous place; * If a “Gold Friend” is an establishment, it can advertise its own production in the name of The National Center of Manuscripts in accordance with the agreement between them; * In order to prove membership, gets the award, stated by the Board of the Friends’ Society of The National Center of Manuscripts, the essence and the shape of which is determined by the Board.

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CONTACT INFORMATION The people, who are interested in the collection of The National Center of Manuscripts, and want to get membership in the Friends’ Society, can contact us: Address: The National Center of Manuscripts, 1/3, M. Alexidze. 0193, Georgia,Tbilisi Tel.(+995 32) 36 41 85 Fax:(+995 32) 36 32 41 Web-site: www. manuscript.ge E-mail: friends@manuscript.ac.ge

The National Center Of Manuscripts Present Charity Auction

In June, 2011 the National Centre of Manuscripts will conduct a Charity Auction to rise funds for the rehabilitation of the Moqvi Gospel, created in 1300 in Abkhazia by request of Daniel the Bishop of Moqvi. The manuscript is distinguished by its miniatures performed on sheet gold and the colorful ornamentation. Over the course of time the coating has been damaged, the miniatures are fading. The manuscript needs intensive diagnosis and rehabilitation. At the auction will include items donated by famous people in Georgia, in order to save the Moqvi Gospel.

Modi save the Moqvi Gospel together

INSIDER

THE UNIVERSAL ATTRIBUTE OF SUCCESS

BANK OF GEORGIA

Each era has attributes of its own - artifacts, objects characterizing the development of a particular society. It seems all this began long ago in the primitive ages. For us, it is hard to imagine the badges of rank and

honour that our prehistoric ancestors used. Yet, there definitely existed something, which would help them prove their difference or belonging to a particular group â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a bigger club, a necklace of sea shellsâ&#x20AC;Ś

Societies developed and so did their attributes. For a medieval knight his sword and armour were not only a means of self protection, but also a sign of his nobility. Women created their system as well. It is well known that in the Spanish royal court banal objects like fans were largely used as means of communication – with their help the Spanish grand dames sent complicated messages.

It is not impossible to meet people in crinoline dress or a silk hat today - although such an event might be considered as an exception. There are many reasons that these articles change in status over time. One of the main reasons for this change is the shift in the attitude toward the conception of social status itself. Being a representative of the ancestral aristocracy might be considered honourable, ant yet in the modern world the criteria for success are different. No matter what your ancestors did – whether they were they Dukes or peasants -- it is you, your success, your achievements, that matter. Social changes change attributes. While the symbols of success differ and some of them

And the main merit of the Am-Ex Card is not money. It is the quality of services and conditions offered. The conditions allow all card holders to ascertain in his success and peculiarity, as, after all, achieving success is the art of right choices. The American Express Card is notable for its premium features and among them the Membership Rewards Loyalty Program and the American Express Selects Bonus Program. The Membership Rewards Loyalty Program allows you to collect MR points, which can be exchanged for the perfume, electronics, health and beauty procedures, travel tickets and other services, if desired. Also, American Express Card holders exclusively enjoy discounts and privileges in both Georgia and abroad. If you plan international travel learn about the latest offers and discounts of the American Express Selects Bonus Program at the web-site: www.americanexpress.ge Visit the website to find out more about shops, restaurants and hotels offerings. Life becomes much easier, when your life card is American Express.

BANK OF GEORGIA

While these articles had particular practical uses, they were mostly intended to accentuate the social status of the owner. It might be difficult to understand the joy brought to women by their crinolines stuffed with metal wires or their corsets made from whalebone. Similarly no one would consider a silk hat as the most practical protection from rain. Yet, the very look of a person equipped with these attributes indicates that one is dealing with someone of a particular social status.

are seen with unaided eye, there is a universal attribute, which is rarely seen by anyone and which is still the best evidence of the success of its owner – the 85.60x53.99 mm green plastic card with a man wearing a helmet on it – the American Express Credit Card, issued exclusively by the Bank of Georgia.

ABKHA

AZETI “ca-firuz, xmeleT-zurmuxto” THE ORIGINALITY OF THE NATURAL GROWTH AND FLORA OF ABKHAZIA IS RELATED TO ITS SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION, AND TO THE PHYSICAL-GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES OF THE TERRITORY. GAGRA AND BZYB MASSIFS, RAISED ABOVE THE FOREST ZONE, FAR SURPASS ALL LIMESTONE MASSIFS OF THE NORTHERN KOLKHIDA. THE ENDEMIC LUXURIANCE OF THE SMALL TERRITORY OF ABKHAZIA TELLS US ABOUT THE PECULIARITIES OF MOUNTAIN FLORAS OF DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE CAUCASUS.

MODI GEO

BICHVINTA-MIUSERA NATURE RESERVE

ichvinta-Miusera Nature Reserve was created in 1966 and the main goal of its creation was to preserve the Kolchi’s deciduous forests. The reserve is located on the black-sea shore in Abkhazeti.

The Georgian as well as Greek names of BichvintaPitiunt originate from pine. “Great Pitiunt,” is the name by which Bichvinta is first mentioned in “Geography” by Strabon, the Greek historian. He denotes “Great Pitiunt” as an important town of Hellenic period. In the late ancient era, Pitiunt must

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have been a big cultural and trade center; the archeological materials discovered are proof of that. In the village Lidzava, near Bichvinta, there were discovered nearly 150 Roman coins, 310 copper coins of the fourth century and many bronze materials of the second millennium B.C. Later Bichvinta became one of the most important centers for spreading Christianity in Georgia, and it retained its significance as the great center of the church during the entire Middle Ages until 1914, when Pitsunda pine forest was joined to Gudauta forestry, it belonged to the Athon cloister.

ABKHAZETI FROM ANCIENT TIMES TO MEDIEVAL Between the 9th and 6th centuries BC, the territory of modern Abkhazia was part of the ancient Georgian kingdom of Colchis (“Kolkha”). This kingdom was subsequently absorbed into the Kingdom of Egrisi, known to Byzantine authors as “Lazica” and to the Persians as “Lazistan”, named after the Laz tribe. Greeks established trade colonies along the coast of the Black Sea, in particular at Pitiunt and Dioscurias, which was to become the capital of modern day Abkhazia. They encountered local warlike tribes who they called Heniochi. Classical authors described various peoples living in the region and the great multitude of languages they spoke. The Roman Empire conquered Egrisi in the 1st century AD and ruled it until the 4th century, following which it regained a measure of independence, but remained within the Byzantine Empire’s sphere of influence. Although the exact time when the population of Abkhazia was converted to Christianity has not been determined, it is known that the Metropolitan of Pitius participated in the First Ecumenical Council in 325 in Nicaea. Close to the reserve is located Bichvinta, a crossdomed temple from the 10th century; the fragments of the wall painting of the 16th century are retained on the walls of the temple. In the territory of the Bichvinta town remains, there are ruins of the threepartite basilica, the floor of which is covered with marble and of which the mosaic is nearly the same as the Syrian and Palestinian mosaics of that period. The separate parts of the reserve itself are different from each other in terms of terrain as well as the geological structure and soil that in its part account for the variety of flora. It is evident from the name of the reserve it self that it consists of two parts. A section of Bichvinta is located near Gagra city on the beach of the Black sea on the Bichvinta cape. Its area is 347 hectares.

Abkhazia, or Abasgia in classic sources, formerly part of Colchis and later of Egrisi (Lazica) until the late 690s, was a princedom under Byzantine authority. Anacopia was the princedom’s capital. The country was mostly Christian with the archbishop’s seat in Pityus. An Arab incursion into Abkhazia was repelled by Leon I jointly with his Egrisian and Kartlian allies in 736. After acquiring Egrisi via a dynastic union in the 780s Abkhazia became the dominant power in the region and the Kingdom of Abkhazia, also known as the Kingdom of Egrisi or the Kingdom of the Abkhaz, was established. During this period the Georgian language replaced Greek as the language of literacy and culture. The kingdom flourished between 850 and 950 when it annexed significant parts of Eastern Georgia including Tbilisi. A period of unrest ensued which ended as Abkhazia and eastern Georgian states were unified under a single Georgian monarchy, ruled by King Bagrat III who was buried in the Monastery of Bedia in the Tkvarcheli district of Abkhazia at the end of the 10th, and the beginning of the 11th centuries.

FLORA AND FAUNA Miusera section is also on the beach of the Black sea in the south, 15 km away from Bichvinta. The Bichvinta part of the reserve has a slightly rugged terrain and is only 6 m above sea level. Its geological structure is preconditioned by its location within the coastline. There the marine, river and lacustrine, bog sediments, of the quaternary age dominate. Sanddunes are all along the coastline in several rows. In the northern part, the Bichvinta cape suddenly rises and turns into the hill rifled with a number of streams. The absolute height of the cape is about 50 m above sea level. The Miusera section of the reserve is higher, and its height is up to 260 m. This part of the reserve is poor in fresh water. You can rarely see streams there. The largest river is the Miusera that divides this section of the reserve into two parts: the western and eastern parts. There is the sea, and the area has a humid,

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subtropical mild climate. Summer is hot, and winter is warm. The average annual air temperature is + 14oC. The amount of atmospheric precipitation is nearly 1400 mm per year, and the relative humidity is 65-85%.The forests of the Bichvinta-Miusera reserve are mainly presented by the mixed forests of the sub tropic zone. Out of 92 species of trees and plants growing in the local area, 28 species are included in the Red Data Book. The reserve forests are divided in two different ecosystems: Bichvinta pine woods and Lidzava and Miusera deciduous forest where the oak and lime dominate. There are unique wood tree species of the endemic dendro-flora spread in the reserve, such as the endemic Bichvinta Pine, Colchicum Box tree, bust, Colchicum Climber, Caucasian Lime, Georgian and Hartvis oaks. In the Miusera section of the reserve, 1040 hectares are covered by chestnut forest.

The smaller area is covered by hornbeam, box tree, alder-tree and beech-tree groves. And still the main beauty of Bichvinta-Miusera reserve is Bichvinta pine, a relict of the tertiary age of the Crimean-Caucasian flora. This unique pine has always been the subject of scientific observation and care; each of the trees has been under protection. On May 23, 1981, in absolutely windless weather, the 400 year old pine tree broke at 15 m height. It was the oldest tree in the reserve, and it was called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Patriarch.â&#x20AC;? The tree was 35 m high, and its diam together with the wood was 210 centim. Miusera oak wood consists of comparatively young trees, though here too you can see trees more than 100 years old. The chestnut trees and alder-trees are younger than the oak trees. Their age does not exceed 60-70 years. Unfortunately, the reserve is not large; its territory is interrupted and it is greatly influenced

by anthropogenic factors. Because of these reasons, the fauna of Bichvinta Miusera is not so rich. From the amphibians you can see Caucasian Toad, Caucasian subspecies of Common Treefrog, and Eurasian Marsh Frog; from reptiles you can see Pond Turtle, Smooth Snake, Grass Snake and Dice Snake in the reserve. The avifauna was first studied in 1958 by the Russian scientist Bernatski, and he recorded the 150 species of birds, 50 of them who nest in the territory of the reserve. According to the latest research, currently 67 species of birds nest in the territory of reserve. At the end of autumn, in winter and early in spring, many migrating birds shelter here, from Goldfinch and Eurasian Woodcock to falcons and buzzards. Bichvinta gulf and Inkiti Lake, close to the reserve are full of water birds: ducks, geese, grebes and cor-

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THE REGION AROUND LAKE RITSA IS A PART OF THE EUXINE-COLCHIC DECIDUOUS FORESTS ECO-REGION WITH A FAIRLY HIGH CONCENTRATION OF EVERGREEN BOXWOOD GROVES

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MODI GEO

morants. Some of the birds only rest there, and some others stay there for the whole winter. Very rarely, mute swans too spend winter there. In the reserve forests there live: Caucasian subspecies of Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Bullfinch, Blackbird, larks, Turtledove, and Golden Oriole. From the small mammals you can see the following in the reserve: Mole, Hedgehog, Hare, Shrews, and Mice. Form predators you can see: Weasel, Pine Marten, Badger, Red Fox, Jackal, Wildcat, and very rarely Lynx. The population of hoofed animals is very low, although earlier the reserve was the domain of Roe deer and Wild Boar.

Lake Ritsa, located in the northern part of reserve, is surrounded by mixed mountain forests and subalpine meadows. Its water is cold and clear. Mountains with heights of 2,200 to 3,500 m surround the lake. The region around Lake Ritsa is a part of the Euxine-Colchic deciduous forests eco-region with a fairly high concentration of evergreen boxwood groves. Lake Ritsa is one of the deepest lakes in Georgia (116 m), and is rich in trout. The average annual temperature in the area is 7.8 degrees Celsius (January −1.1 °C, August 17.8 °C). The mean annual precipitation is approx, 2,000 - 2,200 mm. winters are sometimes snowy, summers warm.

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Present column is prepared on the basis of â&#x20AC;&#x153;International Union for Conversation of Natureâ&#x20AC;? materials. This is Georgian membership-based Public Organization acting since 1994. For further introduction with the activities of the said Organization, including membership issues or supporting its programs you can visit web-page: www.gccw.org

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Kvareli Lake Resort In the hearts of Kakheti, one of the most beautiful regions of Georgia and to the east of the small city of Kvareli, beneath the southern slope of Great Caucasus mountains the unique and beautiful Kvareli Lake Resort spreads over 300 hectares of beautiful natural landscape. The virgin forest surrounding the resort, the lake in the front where the small rivers of Bursa and Chagurgula flow into, vast Alazani valley in the backyard and large hotel rooms each equipped with small terrace and beautiful panoramic views, make Kvareli Lake Resort a unique place to stay. Kvareli lake resort offers a storybook setting with the classic elegance and peaceful ambiance of the quintessential mountain resort. Kvareli Lake is offering a uniquely authentic Caucasian experience at a classic hotel. For couples, the Kvareli Lake Resort is an unforgettable place for a romantic vacation whether you’re on a honeymoon or simply planning a weekend escape. Together, you will enjoy the inn’s casual ambiance in elegantly appointed rooms and private suites. The lake resort is a wonderful place for family vacations or romantic getaways. The Kvareli Lake Resort offers a variety from a luxurious romance package featuring candlelit dinners each evening and to special family fun packages designed to make your vacation truly rejuvenating. Each provides a taste of the Caucasus inside and out. While here, you’ll enjoy unrivaled views of Alazani Valley, complemented by exquisite amenities including a luxurious full-service and easy access to endless outdoor adventure. Kvareli Lake Resort is perfect vacation destination for couples, friends or the whole family. Well known as a family friendly destination, the inn has a wide variety of rooms including larger family suites, offering plenty of options for families traveling with children. The reservationists will be happy to assist families tailor their reservation to their specific preferences or needs.

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Romantic Getaways

Make your Kvareli lake reservation today!

For couples looking for a romantic weekend getaway, the Kvareli Lake resort is a wonderful choice. The rooms are luxuriously appointed with sweeping lake and mountain views. There are several sitting areas throughout the inn with overstuffed furniture and screened porches to enjoy romance and relaxation. Couples who wish to enjoy the resort during more quiet times or for a romantic getaway may look at the fall when the days are still warm and the nights are cool or the many dates when schools are in session such as winter and spring. Our reservationists will be happy to assist couples with tailoring their reservation to their specific preferences or needs including quieter summer times.

Kvareli Lake Resort Hotels offers 19 rooms: 16 standard (2+1) and 3 suits. Each room with panoramic view on the Lake, Caucasus Mountains or Alazani Valley.

Enjoy a walk around Lake any time of year. Along the way you will have an opportunity to view some of the beautiful places along the lake.

Garden Kvareli Lake Resortâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Comfortable guest house type hotel with 5 rooms located among apple, plum, peach trees and vineyards spread over 35 hectares.

Reservation: (+995 32) 30 30 30 info@kvarelilakeresort.ge www.kvarelilakeresort.ge

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Sataplia Discovered in 1925 by local teacher and naturalist P.Chabukiani, Sataplia is a most multifarious and rare natural monument containing geological, paleontological, speleological and botanical patterns. Sataplia cave, 45 minute drive away from the Kutaisi town square, is named after Mt. Sataplia, an extinct volcano, which is a Nature Preserve. Besides the breathtaking speleothems, Sataplia is famous for dinosaur footprints, found in 1933. Two different layers of the Cretaceous limestone revealed nearly 200 samples. When in the Sataplia cave, you will come across footprints made by other species as well. For example, there are 30 cm long footprints in the lower layer that belong to an unknown predator, while the upper layer offers a view of 48 cm long footprints of the ornithopod herbivore. Because it is hard to be approached, the cave rarely hosts individual travelers and is more popular among groups of travelers. Sataplia tour takes visitors through the cave, crosses the hill underground and returns on the surface of the hill, where dinosaur footprints are situated.

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The newly refurbished cave is fully equipped with orientation sings, sky walk, orientation maps, benches and special lights. Those who like to enjoy a nice rest and snack, can visit the newly-built cafeteria situated in the Visitors Center. In the same building those who are interested in digging deeper in the field of speleology can visit the museum. Sataplia State Nature Reserve created in 1935 is located in Tskaltubo region in 260 km. from Tbilisi, and in 9 km. from the Tskaltubo resort. Sataplia Nature Reserve represents the southwest edge of the Racha gorge. 209 ha of the total area of 354 ha. is covered by forest. Relief: The mountainous territory of the Sataplia Reserve (500 m. above sea level) is covered by most beautiful and multifarious wood strain Colkhetian type mixed forests. Here we meet 5 carst caves. The beauty of the 600 mlong cave, a cupola-shaped hall, located in some 100 m. from the entrance, astonishes visitors with its magnificent stalactites and stalagmites.

MODI TOUR

Karst Caves The spring at the end of the cavern flows into the well and finds its way out on the south slope of the Sataplia Mountain through the narrow impassable clefts. There is an extinct volcano crater in the Nature Reserve. The highest top is at 520 m. above sea level. Climate: subtropical, average early amount of precipitation is 1900 mm., in middle January +4, in August +25. Flora: the forests of the Nature Reserve are of the Colkhetian type. Here we meet the beech groves with evergreen understory, beech-hornbeam groves with boxwood understory, chestnut forest with yellow azalea and Caucasian understory, alder forests with blackberry understory and others. There are nearly 60 kinds of wood plants. In the Colkhetian untouched forest woods, are represented maple, beech, Taxus baccata, Colkhetian boxwood, bladder nut, common yew, Caucasian elm, Quercus imeretina Stev., and others. Fauna: 17 kinds of mammals, 8 reptiles, 5 amphibi-

ous, 65 sorts of birds. The main attractions of the Nature Reserve are footprints of the herbivorous and predatory dinosaurs in the limestone. From mammals here we meet: bear, fox, jackal, lynx, deer, hare, badger, white marten, squirrel and etc. From birds: jay, cuckoo, nightingale, woodcock, etc. Soil: tropical podzolic soils, yellow and red alluvial soils, grey soils. The Sataplia karst cave is open to public. The tours are offered only in Georgian language. There is a speleological museum near the cave and it is worth visiting as well Practical information for tourists: Distance from Tbilisi till the Nature Reserve is 260 km; from Kutaisi - 10 km. The cave is best accessible by taxi from the main square of Kutusai (approximately 45 minutes). From ancient time on the south slope of Sataplia, in the limestone cracks lived bees. The local population collected honey here, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why it was called Sataplia (place of honey).

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MODI TOUR One day tour is enough for seeing the sights of Sataplia.For those who would like to stay overnight, a Sataplia hotel can accommodate 16 people.

Neighborhood

Several major tourist attractions can be mentioned in the surroundings, among them Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery (about 6 km from Kutaisi), Geguti (17 km), Sapara Monastery about 85 km, Svanetian Towers about 82 km

Tskhaltbubo Cave (Prometheus Cave) Currently under construction, the cave, containing more than 15 halls, is considered to be one of the richest caves in Europe. The tourist route, covering 1060 meters, promises visitors an outstanding experience. Underground rivers and spectacular landscapes are fun for those who are ready for a new and a novel experience. Visitors will have a chance to sail by boats in underground lake. Surrounding caves offer speleological tours. For those who enjoy more extreme type of travelling, special tours can be organized.

Present column is prepared on the basis of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Georgian National Tourism Agencyâ&#x20AC;? materials. For further introduction you can visit web-page: www.gnta.ge Tbilisi Freedom Square, 2

In addition, Tskhaltubo offers huge forests where visitors can take long strolls, horse-back riding, and the possibility of camping.

Tel: +995 32 436767 E-mail: georgia@tourism.gov.ge

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PORTFOLIO

Royal Craft S

ince ancient times the cloisonné enamel, grenetis (tsvara) and filigree were acknowledged as royal craftsmanship, with cloisonné enamel considered of the highest rank. “Pokany workshops” established in 2000 strives to restore the traditions of Georgian enamel, skills of goldsmiths, mosaic and ceramics; to reestablish centuries-old technique and to ensure the further enrichment and perfection of the art on the basis of modern technologies. This is the reason that the “Pokany” trademark is represented by an image of a lily on the background of the diamond section.

At the starting point “Pokany” was concentrated preferably on manufacturing and production of articles and wares particularly for the church service requirements and use. Eventually, the following years brought the increase and widening of “Pokany” production line. 2005 - The year was marked for” Pokany” by the in-

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troduction of a new line in the sphere of ceramics. 2007 – The year was marked by the introduction of a totally new sphere of mosaic, and “Pokany” succeeded in its significant development. The following years are marked by the active participation of the “Pokany”– with a variety of its produce, in exhibitions in Tbilisi and beyond the borders of Georgia; “Pokany” took part in exhibitions in Rome (2007) and in Paris (2008). Beginning in 2010, the conventional adornment and decoration line was added to the initial church service objects and “Pokany workshops” was founded. Conventional articles of “Pokany” represent a harmonious blend of old Georgian ornamentation motives and symbols – with the modern forms stylized by designers. We link and unite the history of fine arts with the future – by restoration of the ancient traditions of Georgian goldsmiths and enamel, the traditions that survived the centuries and reached the present, and

PORTFOLIO

by mastering and implementation of the latest technologies in gold and silver ware and fine arts. Basically, all the articles and wares are the result of David Kakabadze’s research, inspired by the color range and ornamentation accumulated in the “Genesis of Georgian ornament”. Nowadays, “Pokany”creates the church wares and conventional adornments by merging the best traditions of the Georgian goldsmiths and Georgian enamel with the latest technologies. To that should be added the articles that are created applying the micro-mosaic technique – which at present is accomplished only in two countries of the world, Italy and Georgia. The “Pokany” produces also hand-painted ceramics and porcelain, crockery, bathroom crocks and decorative jars, plates and china artifacts. The produce is divided into two major parts – that of the church needs and of the public use. The church-oriented “Pokany” customers are represented mainly by churches and monasteries, or the physical persons of the clergy, while the public clientele is mostly consists of the persons with substantial and/or high income.

Apart from adornments, the public-oriented “Pokany” produces crockery and earthenware, vessels, china and decorative articles. The France-supplied porcelain, glazed earthenware, so called biscuit linen of the highest quality is illustrated and undergoes the obligatory furnace-treatment in “Pokany”.

AWARDS 2005 – Ilia II, Catholicos Patriarch of Georgia awarded the Patriarchate Official Document to David Kakabadze, Art Manager of the church-oriented “Pokany”, as the sign of “Recognition of selfless activity in Georgian Church and significant contribution in restoration of art of enamel”. 2010 – “Phokany” was entered on the List of the World Jewelry Companies, members of Carl Faberge Memorial Foundation. For the contribution in the field of jewelry “Pokany workshops” was awarded honorary decoration – Order of Mikhail Perkhin.

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PORTFOLIO

CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL The creation process of adornments begins with the processing of silver and gold, and purification, from other possible substances. After molding the needed form to the metal, begins the next step of its processing, and follows the stage of setting cloisonné enamel, mosaic and precious stones; often several materials are utilized together.

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MOSAIC The micro mosaic treatment process of adornment starts with preparing the smalt, a type of powdered glass. The smalt is softened by fire, then molded to the required form and stretched to the needed size; then the smalt is crushed and an image or ornament is set on a silver or golden form, with its successive gluing applying special glue.

PORTFOLIO

Pokany Ceramics

The case of ceramics, porcelain and glazed faience represents a different picture, because “Pokany” gets from Limoge, France the so-called biscuit, i.e. crockery that has already undergone a single furnace-treatment; in “Pokany” ceramics workshop the received articles are covered with pencil drawings, glazed with colored paints – and after covering them with transparent glaze, they undergo the furnace-treatment.

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PORTFOLIO

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GALLERY

Pink Wave Hunter The art of Andro Wekua at Kunsthalle Fridericianum In his art, Andro Wekua combines collective and personal memories into poignant, in part disturbing representations. The gloomy and uncanny as phenomena and fear as a symptom of the human psyche play a big role in Wekua’s works. He purposefully uses formal devices – often well known patterns from the horror film genre – to create a narrative structure that evokes corresponding feelings. Wekua grew up in Georgia and was driven out of the country in the course of the Civil War. In his installations, collages and films, pictures repeatedly flash up that are related to this aspect of his life. Personal aspects in his work, however, only serve as an illustration enabling him to raise more general questions about universal truths. What happens when our subjective memories mix with foreign images? When we try to fill gaps in our memory with historical or contemporary documents? Or when fantasy provides the cruellest of answers? The last question revolves around the psychology of “getting the creeps” and corresponds to a popular stylistic means of Wekuan scenographies. In his pictorial works, Wekua combines motifs he finds in magazines, on the Internet or in photo albums in painterly fashion and with pastings into multilayered, kaleidoscope-like collages. Experiences and lore overlap on a visual and narrative level. He also applies this technique in his sculptures, installations and particularly in his films and videos. His often dramatically presented installations attest to a tendency towards the narrative: naturalistically reproduced albeit alienated figures seem to be frozen in situations – similar to a video still – revealing only a moment of a more complex whole. Characters from his installations appear as protagonists of his filmic works. Wekua collages by using figures of his earlier works, taking pictures out of their context and putting them in a new structure. Pink Wave Hunter conjures up the heavily destroyed and abandoned buildings of Sukhumi, the city in which he was born. In 15 individual architectural models, he combines his memories dating back 17 years with information gained from research on the internet and photo exchanges with other exiles. The fact that these are not faithful reconstructions, but highly subjective constructs, is revealed not only by the visible “memory gaps” – for example, when a sculpture shows only the façade of a building because the memory was not sufficient for the rest. The choice of materials, which differs with each building, also seems to be subjective and above all emotional. His selection of buildings is based on their personal relevance to him, on the one hand, and on their general popularity on the other. Wekua points to a fundamental problem here: we can view the past only through the distorting mirror of subjective memory, inextricably entwined with collective memory and the ideal images that superimpose themselves on repressed memories. The exhibition also includes paintings, collages and sculptures which, in typical Wekua fashion, appear as mysterious figures whose context unfolds in the imagination depending on the viewer’s past experience and is only hinted at in its outlines.

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GALLERY

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GALLERY

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GALLERY

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Gourmeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t

Keti Bakradze

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Gourmet’t

Inspired by Her Motions

Nino Daraseli If the Michelin Restaurant Rating System was already introduced in Georgia, Keti Bakradze’s Dining Room and 10A would definitely wear the stars they deserve. Until then, the best proof of the quality Ms. Bakradze offers is the long and yet constantly growing list of her restaurants’ customers. The major reason for her success as a restaurateur is largely due to her personally composed menu. The menu, which is largely based on the recipes of grandmas, both of her own and of her friends, on the mixture of tastes, aromas and impressions acquired while visiting her neighbors or acquaintances and on the emotions inspired by her journeys. “I’ve never studied the art of cookery, hardly ever written down a recipe. One should feel it, like, perhaps love the process of cooking, even just watching it.” All the dishes in the restaurants of this chain, starting with the simple aperitifs and finishing with the specialty of the house, are invented by Keti. “Keti’s Book of Recipes” is to be published soon, until then visit DINNING ROOM and taste: Pasta with shrimps under the Champaign sauce, baked salmon in lemon juice, shrimps on a clay pan with lemon and tomatoes, escargote a la bourguignonne, pumpkin ravioli, Spanish jamón and... Well, don’t you feel hungry? Meet you at 38, Paliashvili and 10A, Abanotubani then. April - May

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Gourmeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t

Dinning Room Restoruants

Chef Salad Ingredients Lettuce: 250 gr. Baguette (brown preferred): 3 slices Walnuts: 50 gr. Goat cheese: 3 slices Dijon Mustard: 1 teaspoon Olive Oil: 50gr. Honey: 1 teaspoon White Balzamico: 1 tablespoon The Salt and Pepper as required Directions Wash and dry the lettuce well; cover the slices of baguette with cheese and put them into the stove for 5-7 min.; pour the souse of olive oil, white balzamico, Dijon mustard and honey onto the dried lettuce and mix it well with the chopped walnuts; place the salad on a wide dish and put at itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top the toasts covered with cheese. Your salad is ready to serve.

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Dinning Room 38, Paliashvili Street Tbilisi, Georgia

10 A Restoruants

Gourmetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t

Fried Chicken Fillet under the Curry Sauce Ingredients Chicken Fillet: 2 pieces Worcester Sauce Curry Sauce: 1 teaspoon Cream: 500 gr. Olive Oil Salt and Pepper as required. Directions Cut the chicken fillet into the cubes of medium size, place them into the vessel, pour with olive oil, worcester sauce; add salt and pepper as required, mix well and leave for 30 min.

10 A Abanotubani, Tbilisi, Georgia

Put the cubes on the preheated pan and fry them well for about 7 minutes. Take a separate vessel. Put it on a slow fire. Pour in the olive oil. Add the cream and stir. Add the Cary souse, salt and pepper. Pour the boiling mixture on the chicken cubes and boil for about 2 min. The recommended garnish: rice.

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GUIDE

EMBASSY

Fax: (+995 32) 44 73 64

CHINESE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC EMBASSY,

Tbilisi, 37d T. Tabidze St. Tel: (+995 32) 91 49 70, 91 49 71, 91 49 72 Fax: (+995 32) 95 49 78, 91 49 80

Tbilisi, 12a Kipshidze St. Tel: (+995 32) 25 39 61 Fax: (+995 32) 25 11 86

CZECH REPUBLIC - EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 37 Chavchavadze Ave., b. 6 , Tel: (+995 32) 91 67 40, 91 67 41, 91 67 42 Fax: (+995 32) 91 67 44

Estonia - embassy

Tbilisi, 4 Likhauri lane Tel: (+995 32) 36 51 22, Fax: (+995 32) 36 51 38

GREECE REPUBLIC - EMBASSY

IRAN ISLAMIC REPUBLIC EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 80 Chavchavadze Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 91 36 56, 91 36 57, 91 36 58 Fax: (+995 32) 91 36 28

Italian Republic EMBASSY

EU MONITORING MISSION

Tbilisi, 3a Chitadze St. Tel: (+995 32) 99 64 18 Fax: (+995 32) 99 64 15

Federal Republic of Germany - EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 7d Krtsanisi St. Tel: (+995 32) 75 21 11 Fax: (+995 32) 75 21 12

Tbilisi, 49 Krtsanisi Tel: (+995 32) 24 37 18, 24 37 10

Tbilisi, 20 Telavi St. Tel: (+995 32) 44 73 00, Fax: (+995 32) 44 73 64

GREECE REPUBLIC - EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 37d T. Tabidze St. Tel: (+995 32) 91 49 70, 91 49 71, 91 49 72, Fax: (+995 32) 95 49 78, 91 49 80 www.greekembassy.ge

Estonia - embassy

Tbilisi, 4 Likhauri lane Tel: (+995 32) 36 51 22, Fax: (+995 32) 36 51 38

Federal Republic of Germany - EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 20 Telavi St. Tel: (+995 32) 44 73 00,

Japan - embassy

kingdom of the Netherlands - embassy

Tbilisi, 20 Telavi St. Tel: (+995 32) 27 62 00 Fax: (+995 32) 27 62 32

Kingdom of Sweden EMBassy

Tbilisi, 12 T. Tabidze St Tel: (+995 32) 55 03 20 Fax: (+995 32) 25 12 26

Kingdom of Denmark honorary consulate

Tbilisi,7 N.Nikoladze St. Tel: (+995 32) 99 81 15, (+995 77) 74 40 01 Fax: (+995 32) 92 35 33

Kingdom of Belgium honorary consulate

Tbilisi, 24 Kazbegi Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 46 52 00 Fax: (+995 32) 46 52 00

To Georgia

Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 91 26 45 Fax: (+995 32) 91 27 38

REPUBLIC OF FRANCE EMBASSY

SPAIN honorary CONSULATE

Tbilisi, 4 Odessa St. Tel: (+995 32) 24 48 58 Fax: (+995 32) 38 14 06

Tbilisi, 15 Gogebashvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 99 99 76, 93 42 10 Fax: (+995 32) 95 33 75

lithuania republic embassy

REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY EMBASSY

latvia republic - mbassy

Tbilisi, 25 Abuladze St. Tel: (+995 32) 91 29 33, 25 81 00 Fax: (+995 32) 22 17 93

norway honorary consulate

Tbilisi, 20 Abasheli St. Tel: (+995 32) 29 09 79 Fax: (+995 32) 29 35 53

People’s Republic of China - EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 52 Barnov St. Tel: (+995 32) 25 26 70

Republic of Armenia EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 4 Tetelashvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 95 17 23, 95 94 43 Fax: (+995 32) 96 42 87

Republic of Azerbaijan EMBASSY

Tbilisi, Kipshidze St., q. 2, b. q Tel: (+995 32) 25 35 26, 25 35 27, 25 26 39 Fax: (+995 32) 25 00 13

Republic of Bulgaria embassy

Tbilisi, 61 Agmashenebeli Ave.

Georgian - American restaurant “Vera Steakhouse. 37a Kostava St. Tbilis. www.verasteakhouse.ge

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Tel: (+995 32) 91 01 94, 91 01 95 Fax: (+995 32) 91 02 70

Tbilisi, 83 Lvovi St. Tel: (+995 32) 39 90 08 Fax: (+995 32) 39 90 04

Republic of Kazakhstan embassy

Tbilisi,23 Shatberashvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 99 76 84 Fax: (+995 32) 29 24 24

Republic of Poland EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 19 Zubalashvili Brothers St. Tel: (+995 32) 92 03 98 Fax: (+995 32) 92 03 97

Republic of Turkey EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 35 Chavchavadze Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 25 20 72 Fax: (+995 32) 22 06 66

Tbilisi, 29 I. Abashidze St. Tel: (+995 32) 35 58 35

State of Israel - EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 61 Agmashenebeli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 95 17 09, 94 27 05 Fax: (+995 32) 95 52 09

Swiss Confederation embassy

Tbilisi, 11 Krtsanisi St. Tel: (+995 32) 75 30 01, 75 30 02 Fax: (+995 32) 75 30 06

UKRAINE - EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 75 Oniashvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 31 11 61 Fax: (+995 32) 31 11 81

united kingdom of GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHern IRELAND - EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 4 Freedom Sq. Tel: (+995 32) 27 47 47 Fax: (+995 32) 27 47 92

USA - EMBASSY

ROMANIA - EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 11 Balanchini St. Tel: (+995 32) 27 70 00 Fax: (+995 32) 27 77 01

RUSSIAN FEDERATION (Russian federation interests section at the Embassy of Switzerland)

Tbilisi, Nutsubidze plateau 2m/d,40 Zhgenti St. Tel: (+995 32) 53 76 01, 53 76 04 Fax: (+995 32) 53 67 04

Tbilisi, 7 Lvov St. Tel: (+995 32) 38 53 10 Fax: (+995 32) 38 52 10

Tbilisi, 51 Chavchavadze

VATICAN (the holy see)

Entering Dzveli Sakhli, you seem to travel in the Old Tbilisi of XIXceturies

GUIDE

Hotels

Rcheuli Villa

Batumi, N. Zhordania str. 31 tel: (+995 32) 72 90 09, (+995 99) 31 69 28, (+995 222) 7 07 07

Rcheuli Marani

Marriott Tbilisi

Telavi, I. Chavchavadze str.154 tel: (+995 32) 72 90 09, (+995 99) 31 69 28, (+995 250) 7 30 30

Courtyard Marriott –

Signagi, Central square tel: (+995 255) 4 30 30

Tbilisi, Rustaveli ave 13 tel: (+995 32) 77 92 00 Tbilsi, Freedom square 4 Tel: (+995 32) 77 91 00 Fax: (+995 32) 77 91 10

Sheraton Metechi Palase

Tbilisi, Telavi str. 20 tel: (+995 32) 77 20 20

Sheraton Batumi

Batumi, Vazha-Pshavela str.2

Radisson blu IVERIA

PIROSMANI

Tetnuldi

Svaneti-Mestia, Margiani str.9

Bagrati

Kutaisi, A.Cereteli 2a tel: (+995 331) 4 75 76

Sport Hotel Gudauri

Gudauri

Carpe Diem

Bread House- Georgian

3 Metekhi slope, Tbilisi

Buffet - Italian Cuisine

Georgian Restaurant Beliashvili St. Tbilisi tel: (+995 95) 43 10 20

31 I. Abashidze St. Tbilisi

Caravan - Literary ArtCafé

10 Purtseladze St. Tbilisi

Chardin 12 Restaurant

Sakura

Tbilisi, 25 Kostava St. Tel: (+995 32) 92 09 50

Tsiskvili

Tbilisi, 22 Metechi St., I fl. Tel: (+995 92) 32 32 32

Dzveli Sakhli –Georgian Restaurant - 3 Sanapiro St. Tbilisi

In the shadow of Metekhi

Georgian Restaurant-29 K. Tsamebuli Ave. Tbilisi tel: (+995 32) 77 93 83

Kala – Café

8/10 Erekle II St. Tbilisi tel: (+995 99) 79 97 37

KGB - Cafe with Soviet Interior

Bakuriani, Didveli (Close to Tatra-puma lift)

14 Chardin St. Tbilisi

Holidey Inn

RESTAURANTS, BARS,CAFES

Restaurants Network - 7 Bambis Rigi St. Tbilisi tel: (+995 32) 30 30 30

Intourist Batumi Palace

Batumi, E.Ninoshvilis str. 11 tel: (+995 222) 7 55 25

Antre

Batonebi - American café 64 Paliashvili st. Tbilisi

Belle De Jour - French

Restaurant- 29 I. Abashidze St. Tbilisi

Bamba rooms

Tbilisi, 12 Bambis rigi Tel: (+995 32) 43 99 77

China Town - Chinese Restaurant

Citadines

Tbilsi, 26 May square1 Tbilisi, Makashvili str.32/34 Tel: 93 14 04

Pur Pur

1 A. Tbileli st. Tbilisi

two Side Party-Club

Tbilisi, 7 Bambis rigi St., reservation: Tel: (+995 32) 30 30 30

10’ A

Tbilsi, Rousen square Tel: (+995 32) 40 22 00 Tbilisi, Freedom square 4 Tel: (+995 32) 54 70 30

Phaeton –

Clubs

on Chardin Street- 12 Chardin St. Tbilisi

Gudauri

PolSport

Old Metekhi

restaurant-7 Gorgasali St. Tbilisi

8/10 King Erekle St. Tbilisi

L’express - French Cafe Maspindzelo - Sakhinkle

Matryoshka – Slavic

cuisine- Hero’s Square, Tbilisi

Missoni – Lounge,

Cocktail Bar - 11 Erekle II St. Tbilisi

Betsy’s hotel is an exquisitely decorated boutique hotel overlooking the center of Tbilisi.Tbilisi Makashvili str.32/34 www.betsyshotel.com

Salve – French cuisine Japanese Restaurant - 29 I. Abashidze St. Tbilisi Georgian Restaurant The Right Bank of the R. Mtkvari. Tbilisi tel: (+995 32) 53 07 97

Two Side

Club-Restaurant - 7 Bambis Rigi St. Tbilisi

Vera Steak House

Beatles CLUB

CITY CLUB

NIGHT CLUBS CLUB 33A

Tbilisi, 76 Chavchavadze Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 22 51 33

why not

American/Georgian Restaurant -37a Kostava St. Tbilisi

Tbilisi, 45 Kostava St. Tel: (+995 91) 68 88 00

Vong

Tbilisi, 12 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 98 38 03, (+995 93) 22 20 60

Asian Restaurant - 29 I. Abashidze St. Tbilisi

Dinning Room 38, Paliashvili Street Tbilisi, Georgia tel: (+995 32) 25 09 00

10 A

Abanotubani, Tbilisi, Georgia tel: (+995 32) 72 00 21

Guru

kalakuri

Tbilisi, 13 Shavteli St. Tel: (+995 32) 99 66 83 Fax: (+995 32) 92 24 96

magti club

Tbilisi, 22 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 90) 21 21 21, (+995 95) 21 21 21

Citadines Freedom Square Tbilisi is the first Apartment Hotel in Georgia. http://www.citadines.com/georgia/tbilisi/freedom_square.html

April - May

125

GUIDE night flight

Tbilisi, Baratashvili bridge, Mtkvari Right embankment Tel: (+995 32) 92 30 17 Fax: (+995 32) 92 30 16

SAFE

Tbilisi, 11 Rkinis rigi Tel: (77) 22 02 82

THEATERS A. GRIBOEDOV RUSSIAN STATE DRAMA THEATRE

Tbilisi, 2 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 93 58 11, 93 18 40 Fax: (+995 32) 93 31 15

fingers theatre

CINEMA

Tbilisi, 8 Merjanishvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 95 35 82

AMIRANI

G. MICKELADZE STATE TOY THEATRE

Tbilisi, 36 Kostava St. Tel: (+995 32) 99 99 55, Fax: (+995 32) 93 38 71

CACHE - CINEMA CLUB

Tbilisi, 18 Nikoladze St. Tel: (+995 32) 25 05 80

CACHE - CINEMA CLUB

Tbilisi, 9 Kiacheli St. Tel: (+995 32) 99 05 51, (+995 99) 44 08 18

CINEMA HOUSE

Tbilisi, 64 Paliashvili St. Tel: (+995 90) 22 64 64

MOVIE TIME

Tbilisi, 44 Chavchavadze Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 29 25 34, (+995 97) 90 14 94

RUSTAVELI

Tbilisi, 5 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 92 03 57, 92 02 85, Fax: (+995 32) 55 50 00

SAKARTVELO

Tbilisi, 2/9 Guramishvili Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 69 66 47, 69 66 51

Tbilisi,103Agmashenebeli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 95 69 03 Fax: (+995 32) 95 17 13

G. SHAVGULIDZE THEATRE SAKHIOBA

Tbilisi, 64 Guramishvili Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 61 84 26, 61 84 13

INDEPENDENT THEATRE

Tbilisi, 2 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 98 58 21 Fax: (+995 32) 93 31 15

K. MARJANISHVILI STATE ACADEMIC THEATRE

Tbilisi, 8 Marjanishvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 95 35 82 Fax: (+995 32) 95 40 01

kakha bakuradze movement theatre

Tbilisi,182 Agmashenebeli Ave. (Mushtaidi) Tel: (+995 99) 56 87 57

Cocktail Bar - 11 Erekle II St. Tbilisi

126

To Georgia

KONSTANTINE GAMSAKHURDIA SOKHUMI STATE DRAMA THEATRE

Tbilisi, 11a Leonidze St. Tel: (+995 32) 99 74 27, (+995 99) 57 95 92

M. TUMANISHVILI CINEMA ACTORS THEATRE

Tbilisi,164Agmashenebeli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 35 31 52, 34 28 99, 35 70 13 Fax: (+995 32) 35 01 94

meore sakhli (the second home)

Tbilisi, 60 Agmashenebeli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 95 78 22

music and dramatic state theatre

Tbilisi,182 Agmashenebeli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 34 80 90, 34 79 59 Fax: (+995 32) 34 80 90

nabadi - georgian folklore theatre

Tbilisi, 19 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 98 99 91

nodar dumbadze state children`s theatre

Tbilisi, 99/1Agmashenebeli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 95 50 67, 95 78 74 Fax: (+995 32) 96 32 89

Royal quarter theatre

Tbilisi, 10 Abesadze St. Tel: (+995 32) 92 38 70 Fax: (+995 32) 99 61 71

S. AKHMETELI STATE DRAMATIC THEATRE

Tbilisi, 8 I. Vekua St. Tel: (+995 32) 62 61 97, 62 59 73

SH. RUSTAVELI state THEATRE

Tbilisi, 17 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 93 65 83, 93 18 94 Fax: (+995 32) 99 63 73

SOKHUMI CHILDREN’S THEATRE

Tbilisi, 8 Tetelashvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 96 17 40

TBILISI STATE MARIONETTE THEATRE

Tbilisi, 26 Shavteli St. Tel: (+995 32) 98 65 89, 98 65 93 Fax: (+995 32) 98 65 89

Z. PALIASHVILI TBILISI STATE THEATRE OF OPERA AND BALLET

Tbilisi, 25 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 98 32 48, 98 32 49 Fax: (+995 32) 98 32 48

Batumi Theatre

Batumi, Rustaveli str. 1

Kutaisi Thetre

Kutaisi, Agmashenebeli square 1

GALLERY ART AND ANTIQUE SALON

Tbilisi, 30 Leselidze St. Tel: (+995 32) 92 05 76

ART GALLERY LINE

Tbilisi, 7 Bambis Rigi; 44 Leselidze St.; Airport,

TEATRALURI SARDAPI – RUSTAVELI

“primeclass” CIP lounges

Theatre – veriko

Tbilisi, 10 Chardin St. Tel: (+995 32) 75 45 10, (+995 99) 50 53 02

Tbilisi, 42 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 99 95 00 Tbilisi, 16 Anjaparidze St. Tel: (+995 32) 22 13 38, 99 98 96 Fax: (+995 32) 22 13 38

Tel: (+995 32) 50 85 80 Fax: (+995 32) 50 85 80

BAIA GALLERY

CAMEO

THEATRE OF PANTOMIME

Tbilisi, 11 Rkinis Rigi Tel: (+995 32) 72 48 72, (+995 93) 31 92 66

theatre on atoneli

Tbilisi, 13 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 99 09 25

Tbilisi, 37 Rustaveli Av. Tel: (+995 32) 99 63 14, (+995 77) 41 41 50 Tbilisi, 31 Atoneli St. Tel: (+995 32) 93 32 38

CHARDIN

EVENT GALLERY

Tbilisi, 8/10 Erekle II St. Tel: (+995 32) 93 89 14

A unique and vibrant premier Restaurant & DJ Bar at Tbilisi . Tbilisi , 12 Bambis rigi, www.bambarooms.ge

Restaurant Opizari

Georgian and European Cuisine 2, Mamulashvili str., Mtskheta Tel.: +995 99 188888

GUIDE GALA

Tbilisi, 27 Atoneli St. Tel: (+995 32) 93 14 18

GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM - PICTURE GALLERY

Tbilisi, 11 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 98 48 14

GIA GALLERY

Tbilisi, 9 Griboedov St. Tel: (+995 32) 51 43 87, (+995 99) 46 32 72

GTM Frame

Tbilisi, 10 Abashidze St. Tel: (+995 32) 23 21 07, 14 36 24

HOBBY

Tbilisi, 8 Chanturia St. Tel: (+995 32) 98 98 89, (+995 99) 56 99 71

KARVASLA’S EXHIBITION HALL

ORNAMENT - ENAMEL GALLERY

Tbilisi, 7 Erekle II St. Tel: (+995 32) 93 64 12 Fax: (+995 32) 98 90 13

PHOKANI - GALLERY OF PHOKA ST. NINO NUNNERY

Tbilisi, 7 Bambis rigi Tel: (+995 32) 43 90 47, (+995 99) 97 60 51

RUSTAVELI 34

Tbilisi, 34 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 99) 73 17 30

RUSUDAN PETVIASHVILI`S GALLERY

Tbilisi, 103 Agmashenebeli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 95 28 20, (+995 99) 50 20 80 Fax: (+995 32) 95 17 13

TEVDORE

Tbilisi, 8 Sioni St. Tel: (+995 32) 92 32 27

Tbilisi, 6 Erekle II St. Tel: (+995 32) 98 98 56

KOPALA

VERNISAGE

Tbilisi, 7 Zubalashvilebi St. Tel: (+995 32) 99 99 02 Fax: (+995 32) 99 99 02

Tbilisi, 17/6 Agmashenebeli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 91 00 24

LA MAISON BLEUE - TEXTILE ART STUDIO

museums

Tbilisi, 94 Barnov St. Tel: (+995 32) 23 21 16, (+995 93) 30 70 29

M GALLERY

Tbilisi, 11 Taktakishvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 25 23 34

MARCO

Tbilisi, 30/2 Leselidze St. Tel: (+995 32) 99 88 72, (+995 97) 74 33 00

MODERN ART GALLERY

Tbilisi, 3 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 98 21 33 Fax: (+995 32) 98 21 33

N GALLERY AND SANDRO ANTADZE

Tbilisi, 15 G. Akhvlediani St. Tel: (+995 32) 92 00 53, (+995 99) 90 33 09

NEWKAZ - TOURISM DEVELOPMENT CENTRE

Tbilisi, 5 Janashia St. Tel: (+995 32) 23 37 56, (+995 99) 51 68 42 Fax: (+995 32) 23 37 56

128

To Georgia

Animation Toy`s Museum

Tbilisi, 23 Amagleba St. Tel: (+995 32) 99 57 88

Archaeological Museum

Tbilisi, Agmashenebeli Alley Tel: (+995 32) 52 13 05

Cinema Historical Museum

Tbilisi, 88 I. Javakhishvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 34 74 79, 91 01 92

D. Baazov Georgian Jewish Historical Ethnographical Museum

Tbilisi,3Anton Catholicos St. Tel: (+995 32) 98 59 92, 98 90 62

Dendrologic Museum (BOTANIC GARDEN

Tbilisi, 1 Botanikuri St. Tel: (+995 32) 72 11 85 Fax: (+995 32) 72 34 09

E. Akhvlediani HouseMuseum

Money Museum

Z.Paliashvili HouseMuseum

Tbilisi, 12 Kiacheli St. Tel: (+995 32) 99 74 12

Tbilisi, 3/5 Leonidze St. Tel: (+995 32) 44 24 05, 44 24 06

Tbilisi, 10 Bakradze St. Tel: (+995 32) 99 81 16

Folk and Applied Arts Museum

Niko Pirosmanashvili State Museum

The National Center of Manuscripts,

Tbilisi, 28 Sh. Dadiani St. Tel: (+995 32) 99 97 22, 99 61 52

George Chitaia The Open Air Ethnographical Museum

Tbilisi, Kus tba highway 1 Tel: (+995 32) 72 90 46

Georgian Folk Songs and Instruments’ Museu

Tbilisi, 6 Samgebro St. Tel: (+995 32) 45 77 20, 45 77 21

Georgian National Museum

Tbilisi, 3 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 99 71 76, 98 48 11 Fax: (+995 32) 98 21 33

Georgian National Museum-Picture Gallery

Tbilisi, 11 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 98 48 14

Tbilisi, 29 Pirosmani St. Tel: (+995 32) 95 86 73

Sh.Amiranashvili State Museum of Arts

Tbilisi, 1 Gudiashvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 99 99 09 Fax: (+995 32) 98 21 33

Sh.Rustaveli Academic Theatre’s Museum

Tbilisi, 17 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 98 40 51

Simon Janashia Georgian Museum

Tbilisi, 3 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 99 80 22 Fax: (+995 32) 98 21 33

Soviet Occupation Museum

Tbilisi, 3 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 99 80 22 Fax: (+995 32) 34 86 51

State Museum of Theatre, Museum and Cinema

Georgian Olympic Museum

Tbilisi, 6 Kargareteli St. Tel: (+995 32) 95 19 00, 95 86 98

I.Chavchavadze HouseMuseum

6 Tsabadze St. Tel: (+995 32) 34 09 67, 34 09 63 Fax: (+995 32) 34 09 67

Tbilisi, 2 Dolidze St. Tel: (+995 32) 36 57 23, 36 57 20

Tbilisi, 22 Chubinashvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 95 02 60

K.Marjanishvili State Academic Theatre’s Museum

Tbilisi, 8 Marjanishvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 94 00 76

State Silk Museum Tbilisi

Tbilisi Z.Paliashvili Opera and Ballet State Theatre’s

Museum Tbilisi, 25 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 93 37 43

Toy’s Museum

Minerals Museum

Tbilisi, 17 Shavteli St. Tel: (+995 32) 99 53 37, 99 65 11

Mirza Fatali Akhundov Azerbaijanian Culture Museum

Vakhtang Chabukiani Museum

Tbilisi, 27/1 Leselidze St. Tel: (+995 32) 98 92 89

Tbilisi, 17 Gorgasali St. Tel: (+995 32) 72 15 71, 75 35 30

Tbilisi, 83/23 Agmashenebeli St. Tel: (+995 32) 95 19 63 Fax: (+995 32) 23 70 25

1/3, M. Alexidze. Georgia,Tbilisi Tel.(+995 32) 36 41 85 Fax:(+995 32) 36 32 41 www. manuscript.ge

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Main Story

THE LAND OF THE LAST CRUSADERS

JUST SO STORIES The Vine Cross of St. Nino

WALLS OF THE PAST

The Palace for the Princess