MODI by modi mag

PUBLISHER Vladimir Dzhishkariani PROJECT CONCEPT Giorgi Akhalkaci EDITOR IN CHIEF Nino Daraseli ART DIRECTOR Temo Machavariani EDITOR Irine Zhordania EDITOR & PROJECT COORDINATOR Nino Chlaidze ENGLISH TEXT EDITOR Paul Rimple TRANSLATING Maya Kiasashvili / Cisana Gabunia DIRECTOR OF PROJECT & MARKETING MANAGER Leli Mirijanashvili LAYOUT CONCEPT Levan Asatiani PHOTO EDITOR Mariam Janashia AUTHORS : Tamar Amashukeli / Maka Kukulava / Ana Cheishvili / Irina Enchmen Oktai Kazumov / Buba Kudava/ David Turashvili / Giorgi Akhalkaci / Bacho Kvirtia / Nodar Sumbadze PHOTOS: The Book “The Fate of Beauty” Igor Obolensky / Georgian National Ballets archive/ Tbilisi/ National Centre of Manuscripts/ Buba Kudava / Mirian Kiladze / Mariam Janashia / Anna Margvelashvili / Alexander Roinishvili 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 Fatih Guven / The Georgian Ambassador to France Mamuka Kudava / Elene Jvania/ Luarsab Togonidze/ Khatuna Chkheidze / Amiran Dolidze/ Anna Margvelashvili./

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

‘’modi’’ qarTulad vinmes moxmobas, mopatiJebas niSnavs - modi, amodi, mobrZandi, dabrZandi, gaTbi, gagrildi, moisvene, miirTvi, moilxine... damijereT, es erTi sityva qarTulad amden saTqmels namdvilad itevs. jer kidev XII saukuneSi cnobili azerbaijaneli poeti xayani Sirvaneli Tavis leqsSi qristian qals swored 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’’ esmoda da yvelaze adviladac am sityvas imaxsovrebda. qarTvel kacs ver warmoudgenia rame marto akeTos, vinmes ar Seexmianos, ar dauZaxos, ar moipatiJos, azri ar gauziaros. albaT amitomaa amdeni ‘’modi’’ Cvens saubarSi, Cvens saqmeSi, Cvens cxovrebaSi. yvelafers ‘’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

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

March

CONTENT

34. 34.

A STORY OF BEAUTY Bacho Kvirtia

22. King Tamar INSPIRATION FOR LEGENDS

Buba Kudava

40. 40. 56. Gürcü Hatun DavidTurashvli

IF TO DANCE IS TO DREAM

50.

A LONG WAY FROM THE “MAJESTIC”TO THE TBILISI “MARRIOTT” Tamar Amashukeli

64. 56.

BERTHA VON SUTTNER Anna cheishvili

CONTENT

72.

THE MIRACLE Landscape

72.

108. 86.

Azerbaijan and Georgia Octai Kazutmov

108. ROOMS

PRODUCT AND INTERIOR DESIGN

133.

CloisonnĂŠ Enamel Art

100.

The Georgian than anyone else Maka Kukulava

117

117. Georgian Modern Art

A Georgian

INTRODUCTION

Nat ional Costume Women’s Dress 1. Lechaki – a veil made of thin, transparent, often patterned fabric. In the dowries the fabric is referred to as muslin, thin cotton, satin, silk lace, thin or thick silk; the thick considered to be the best. The veil is triangular: the right-angled tip falls loosely down the back, the second tip makes a sharp angle, while the third is rounded and shorter than the other two.

Chikhti-kopi – this kind of headband became widely used from the 1830s. First the pad was taller, but from the 1860s, a lower type was more popular. The latter style was first introduced in Kakheti (Eastern Georgia), which is why the headband is also called a ‘Kakhetianchikhti’ Cuffs – the hem of the sleeve, either hung downloosely or was tied at the wrist.

4. Dress front – this was an embroidered or highly

ornate fabric. The neck line was always cut high.

5. 6. 7.

Qatibi-velvet fur cape Qatibi button-silver button with the function of simple decoration Girdle – worn on the dress: narrow round the waist with long, wide strips hanging down the front. Its color had to match the dress. The girdle was often gold or silver twine, ornate with pearls or beads, very seldom plain.

8. Silver necklace with gemstones 9. Locks were popular until the 1880s and became longer later on.

Princess Maiko Palavandishvili. 19th cent.

To Georgia

INTRODUCTION

1 9 8 6

March

INTRODUCTION

THE AMBIGUOUS GOLDEN FLEECE The first tourists came to Georgia before there was a Georgia, and they came for a sheep, but not a sheep as we know it. It’s a story as old as the Iliad and Odyssey and as so often happens with ancient tales, it acquires supplementary and sometimes contradictory details. This sheep had a golden fleece and what’s more, it also had wings, indicating an extraordinary genetic makeup. This ram with the Golden Fleece was brought to Colchis, which was what western Georgia was then called, by Nephele, the wife of the Thessalian king Athamas, who had complicated his life by falling in love with the mortal, Ino. A series of ancient Greek causes and effects impelled Athamas to sacrifice his son Phrixus to Zeus, but Nephele rescued him and his sister Helle by flying taway on the fleece, but Helle fell off and landed in the Straits of Dardanelle; hence Hellespont. As for Phrixus, he sacrificed the flying golden ram to Zeus upon his arrival to Colchis and gave its skin to King Aeetes, who fastened it to an oak tree in the grove of Ares and ordered a dragon to guard it.

Sheep husbandry is really one of the oldest vocations in Georgia, especially in the mountainous regions. Georgian highlanders were engaged in breeding quite ordinary sheep; sadly gold-skinned species never appeared, to say nothing of winged ones, though the myth might not have appeared totally out of the blue because in the Georgian highlands, a developed technology of working the fleece really existed.

Colchis Golden Fleece Earrings, Colchis method of obtaining gold(copyright by Georgian National Museum)

Traditonal Geogian folk carpet, pressed wool.

THE GEORGIAN FOLK CARPET The traditional Georgian folk carpet is marked by a multitude of color and ornaments. Every region of Georgia possesses its own characteristic colors and ornaments, although each article possesses a common Georgian character that clearly identifies it as a uniquely traditional Georgian folk carpet.

OLD TRADES ARE STILL PRACTICED IN TODAY’S GEORGIA. ALTHOUGH ZEUS, NEPHELE, AEETES AND JASON ARE ECHOES OF THE ANCIENT PAST, ANYBODY MIGHT IMITATE AN ARGONAUT EVEN IF THE ELUSIVE GOLDEN FLEECE TURNS OUT TO BE A MULTICOLOR SHEEP SKIN.

While few are familiar with that story of the Golden Fleece, most people know something about Jason and the Argonauts and their fleecing adventure. The myth in its classical form was written as early as 3 B.C. by Apollonius of Rhodes. The significance of the myth and particularly “The Golden Fleece” was also first discussed at that time. There were several takes, beginning from the elevated-fantastic in which the fleece was a symbol for a manual of alchemy, the rain cloud, or even god’s blessing. A more realistic version identifies the fleece as the ancient Colchis method of obtaining gold from the rivers, while a more down to earth explanation has it that the golden fleece represents the ancient practice of cattle and sheep-breeding existing in Colchis then.

To Georgia

Along with standard thread, there was a fine technology called pressed wool, which was used to make a variety of items. They differ from one another according to their thickness, beginning with a coarse material used for the covers of shepherd tents, as well as a thin silk threaded canvas, which was used for making clothes. There is also wool that was used for carpets. In this respect, the pressed wool is quite a distinctive material, considerably cheap, warm and durable; moreover, wool is easily dyed and it keeps its color long.

INTRODUCTION

“AKVANI”

THE CRADLE MORE THAN ROCKED

The “akvani” was a standard nursery item found in nearly every Georgian household just 50-60 years ago. Unlike modern-day diapers, which are designed for the baby’s comfort as much as the parent’s liberation, the akvani was an object principally meant to make a mother’s life easier. The akvani is a wooden cradle where a swaddled infant would be snuggly placed inside while mom could attend her endless amount of traditional chores. The akvani’s most exceptional feature was a special hole located so conveniently as to allow the baby’s waste out. The rounded bottom enabled mom to knit, sew or do any other necessary activity without interruption by rocking the crib with her foot. The exact origin of the akvani is unknown. Some historians claim Mongols brought it to Georgia, which justifies its principal purpose – to keep the baby motionless while on horseback. Other historians think the akvani a purely Georgian phenomenon by noting that this particular Georgian shape has not been encountered anywhere else, despite the extensive size of the Mongol empires. Moreover, the wood was not typical of the nomad Mongol steppe. Whatever the origins, akvani acquired a sacral meaning over the centuries. For barren mothers or sick infants, icons were sacrificed to Akvani, while some akvanis had beautifully carved ornaments to cast away the evil eye. Some of these are real pieces of art. Modern parents rarely use cradles (nor are they required to knit or sew), while pediatricians encourage parents to allow their babies to move freely. Supporters of this approach maintain that the akvani can cause a variety of orthopedic ailments. Traditionalists, however, argue that the number of Georgian geniuses brought up in akvanis outnumber those who were brought up in Pampers. Today the akvani serves more as an antique ornament than an item of everyday use. Many families proudly display the akvani that several generations were brought up in. There is a certain charm in the fact that you can show your guests the rocking box your great-great-great grandfather teethed in.

March

INTRODUCTION

Art project Nodar Sumbadze

HERBARIUM

To Georgia

INTRODUCTION

TBILISI ENSIS

INTRODUCTION

FIVE PRINCIPAL RECOMMENDATIONS

FROM GABRIELLA VON HABSBURG WHY WE MUST VISIT GEORGIA

1. PHENOMENAL, ASTONISHINGLY VERSATILE NATURE, FROM SUBTROPICAL TO ALPINE ZONES AND SEMI-DESERT; AND IT IS THE ONLY PLACE IN EUROPE WHERE WILD LEOPARDS LIVE 2. WONDERFUL PEOPLE WITH A CULTURAL VERSATILITY AND ASTONISHING TOLERANCE. EVEN IF AN ENEMY COMES TO THEIR HOME, HE WILL BE RECEIVED WITH HOSPITALITY AND RESPECT. 3. HERE IN GEORGIA, PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS AND FAITHS HAVE PEACEFULLY LIVED SIDE BY SIDE FOR CENTURIES. 20

To Georgia

4. THE FAMOUS GEORGIAN FESTIVE TABLE OFFERS SUCH A GREAT VARIETY, NOT ENCOUNTERED ANYWHERE ELSE. THE ANCIENT CULTURE OF WINE HAS THREE TIMES MORE SPECIES OF GRAPE THAN THE WHOLE WORLD IN TOTAL.

With respect,Gabriella von Habsburg Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of the Federation Republic of Germany.

5. THE WONDERFUL STAMINA OF THESE PEOPLE AND THE COUNTRY, WHICH HAS BEEN RESTORED FROM RUINS AND MAINTAINS A PEACEFUL PROCESSESTOWARDS DEMOCRACY. FIND ANOTHER COUNTRY LIKE THIS!!!

MODI PRAY FOR JAPAN

To Georgia

MAIN STORY

King Tamar Inspiration for Legends Buba Kudava TAMAR’S EYES WERE JET BLACK, HER TEETH WERE PURE PEARL AND HER HAIR WAS GOLDEN. SHE WAS SO GENEROUS THAT SHE FED PHEASANTS TO HER SLAVES, OFFERING THEM TO DRINK FROM HER CRYSTAL GLASSES.

Shota Rustaveli presents King Tamar his book “ The Knight in the Panther’s Skin” by Mihaly Zichy March

MAIN STORY

amar’s bridge, Tamar’s fort, Tamar’s tower, Tamar’s church, the city and the monastery built by Tamar, a road or a canal she commissioned, a cave she ordered to carve, the ruins of her castle... Interestingly, most historical monuments throughout Georgia are commonly associated with King Tamar. When the exact date is hard to determine or when the history of a particular place is unknown, people usually say it belongs to King Tamar’s time. Moreover, they add that she stopped there for a rest, drank water from that spring, sat on that boulder, rested her icon over there, hunted there, had her wedding party there and feasted over there. Or that she drew the border of her kingdom there, sent her emissaries to Istanbul, Isfahan or Derbent to tax them.

Azerbaijan. Tamar Bridge in the Elsus Valley

The Sultan and the Shah dreaded her. She built a church of exquisite beauty on the top of Mount Kazbegi. Swallows carried sand, herons carried stones on her request and that’s how castles and churches were built. Tamar’s eyes were jet black, her teeth were pure pearl and her hair was golden. She was so generous that she fed pheasants to her slaves, offering them to drink from her crystal glasses. In an inaccessible cave there still remains her cradle, while her image still adorns the wall. This or that eminent knight or a nobleman was hopelessly in love with her. When Tamar completed three churches, she decided to build the fourth but was short of money, so she cut her plait and sold it, thus seeing the construction to the end... Similar stories are told in those regions which were once part of Georgia, but are now outside its borders. The legends featuring King Tamar are still popular among other people – the Ossetians, Armenians, Azeris, Turks and Russians... True, her name is sometimes distorted or changed, but the myths about a powerful monarch, whether in Georgia or other countries, share the same traits: deep respect, beauty, gentleness, purity, power and lots of charitable deeds. ‘Modest in speech, loud in deeds’ was the praise King Tamar received in her time.There are but very few historical figures in Georgia honored to be referred to by their first names, yet immediately recognizable. Mentioning ‘Tamar’ doesn’t need further explanation, as everyone

To Georgia

Turkey. Historical Tao - Klarjeti. Parkhlis Valley. According to legend, the local Georgians were protected in this channel.

MAIN STORY knows it’s the king that is meant, which is the reason Tamar still remains the most widespread female name. In our times one can often hear ‘Georgia of Tamar’s time’ and ‘Tamar’s epoch’. Many Georgians will point out the size of the country, adding regretfully that it was much bigger then than at any other time. They will proudly but naively state there were twelve million Georgians at the time she reigned. These patriotic souls are often unaware of history as such, but they certainly know that their small country has come a long way. The country once reached unimaginable heights, but then came a steady downward slide that has proven too hard to reconcile to this day.

Shota Rustaveli fresco of Jerusalem from the Georgian Monastery

That Georgia, its Golden Period, had taken several centuries to create and it lasted for over a century, but ordinary people ascribe the entire achievement and the zenith of their country to a single historical figure – King Tamar – and shroud her in a mist of legends and myths. Tamar had likewise inspired Medieval Georgian poetry. It was the female king that Shota Rustaveli’s masterpiece The Knight in the Panther’s Skin was dedicated to. The Sun Queen is praised in the prologue, while her somewhat hidden eulogy is scattered throughout the epic. Although the story unravels in Arabia and India, the epic abounds in allegoric representations of the Georgian reality, the court and Tamar – the heir to the Georgian throne. The folk imagination readily created yet another legend: Tamar and Shota were in love with each other, but because he wasn’t a nobleman and had no chances of marrying the future monarch, he went on a self-inflicted exile, never to return to Georgia. Knowledge about Tamar hasn’t only been preserved in mythology and folklore. Contemporary annalists devoted two chronicles to her. One of her court historians warns us in the introduction that ‘A lion is recognized by its claws, while Tamar is by her deeds’. She receives a fair share of praise in the chronicles, but the same annals let us know that the road of the ‘Thrice Desired’, ‘Queen of Queens’, ‘Monarch of all Kings’, ‘Sun of all Suns’, ‘Sun of all Kings’ was not paved with roses.

March

MAIN STORY Queen Tamar Bethania Fresco

ACCESSION TO THE THRONE Medieval history abounds in occasions when women became monarchs, although in such cases she inherits the thrown as a widow, a regent, or a guardian to a prince. However, the medieval Georgia precedent was in fact ground-breaking. True, the woman St. Nino, was responsible for bringing Christianity to Georgia, and women were treated with respect and even reverence throughout history. Nevertheless, they had a ‘limited’ function and place in social life. In the surrounding Muslim countries their place was even more restricted. Under these circumstances, a woman became the monarch of Georgia. She not only occupied the throne, but actually held power. She was crowned in accordance with all the rules and ceremonious rites appropriate for the occasion: consecrated by the Church and approved by the nobility. It would have been just as unusual for the Romans or the Byzantines to have had a woman for an emperor, or if the Mongols had a female khan, the Ottomans a female sultan or the Persians to have a woman for a shah. It was quite extraordinary and it happened here in Georgia, in the 12th century, in the Golden Period of its history, in the times of Rustaveli. It was the same great poet who was quick to explain to a bewildered society stunned by the paradoxical incident that “The lion’s whelp is a lion, be it male or female.” Tamar’s grandfather, the King of Georgia, Demetre I, had two sons: David (in honour of Demetre’s father, David the Builder) and Giorgi (in honour of Demetre’s grandfather). As a matter of interest, David and Giorgi proved to be the most popular

To Georgia

names within the Bagrationi royal dynasty. Now it’s hard to say whether it was David’s impatience and his impudence or the fact that Giorgi was the ‘sweet son’ (as the contemporary chronicles note) receiving more love and support from his regal father; but the fact remains unchanged. David toppled his father and sent him to a monastery. The throne belonged to him anyway as he was the elder of the two heirs, but history is rather vague about the developments inside the royal family. King David’s fate was short-lived. He reigned for six months and died. While the Georgian annalist had nothing more to add to the dry fact, Armenian sources claim that the king was assassinated. Nevertheless, King Demetre returned from exile and ruled the country, but he made his younger son, Giorgi, his regnant. After King Demetre I died and Giorgi III became the monarch, he turned into a powerful, highly-respected and often feared king of Georgia. Meanwhile, it had transpired that King David left an infant son when he died; oddly named after his grandfather Demetre, but was called Demna. The unlucky father’s son grew and sought his own bad luck. Fate left him few chances. He was obliged to demand the throne that rightfully belonged to him from his uncle or seize it. He assembled the nobility (or was encouraged by them) and asked his rightful legacy back from his uncle. King Giorgi III ruthlessly crushed the attempted coup. Prince Demetre escaped the besieged fort by a rope, snuck away from the rebels, and went to his uncle to ask for his royal pardon. The rightful heir to the throne was punished rather severely. He was blinded and castrated so that the threat of any other heirs appearing from his line was eliminated once and for all. The unlucky prince died soon afterwards. He was, however, buried in Georgia’s most venerated cathedral, Svetitskhoveli, side by side with other royalties. Victorious but heirless King Giorgi III assembled the council of nobility and prelates in order to announce a declaration never before heard; namely, his eighteen-year old daughter Tamar was to rule the country together with him. While Tamar was a regnant, her mother died and six years later her father, “The crown of statehood, new Alexander and new Achilles,” Giorgi III, passed away too. After a nation-wide mourning, he was buried in the new royal ossuary of the Gelati Monastery, initiated by his grandfather David the Builder and completed by his father Demetre I.

THE ROYAL HOUSE OF BAGRATIONI

The royal line of the Bagrationi family was established in the 9th century. At that time, Georgia was split into several small kingdoms, but in the 11th century most lands were united to form a country that managed to exist and function as a state for nearly five centuries, with variable efficiency, however. The royal family Bagrationi saw themselves as the descendants of Biblical David. The dynastic marriages were only possible between representatives of equal status, which is why Georgian royalty only considered marriage to other worthy royal families from the dynasties of Byzantine Caesars and Armenian and Alan kings. In periods when Georgia was at its peak, there were instances of marriage to descendants of Muslim dynasties on the unconditional premise that in return of the honour, the prospective spouse had to adopt Christianity as their faith. Considering the continuing instability in the entire Transcaucasus, peaceful and amiable relationships with the people living across the Caucasian range was extremely important. This must have been why King Giorgi III of a united Georgia decided to marry the beautiful Burdukhan, daughter of Khuddan, King of Alania (Ossetia). However, it can only be considered a bitter irony that the grandson of the great David the Builder – Giorgi – known for his valor and wisdom, and who often reverted to brutal means in his indefatigable struggle to secure hegemony in the Caucasus, died without a male heir. Despite the strict medieval censorship, there were rumors the King had sired offspring out of wedlock; although it was another daughter. Tamar was the oldest daughter. Her younger sister Rusudan was so overshadowed by her great father and sister that many historians of the period refer to Tamar as an only child. Rusudan was also the name of Tamar’s paternal aunt who brought her up. The former wife of the Sultan of Iraq, Queen Rusudan was actively involved in state affairs during her brother’s reign and after. Support rendered by a loving and highly-experienced aunt must have been indispensable for Tamar, who lost her parents while quite young, yet was destined to rule the country.

This was how the age of Tamar began.

March

MAIN STORY

IN SEARCH OF A CONSORT At twenty-four years of age, Tamar was still unmarried. Being the monarch meant her private life became entwined with that of the state. It’s difficult to speculate why her father failed to find a suitable mate for his would-be-queen daughter. Such an experienced ruler as Giorgi III would never postpone such a vital decision. Perhaps he had miscalculated his time in this world or the requirements and standards of the royal family might have been too high. After all, Giorgi had gone through much hardship to secure his line of succession. Nonetheless, it was only after Giorgi’s death that sources mention the issue of “bringing in a husband,” which is exactly how contemporary historians state it. They do not say “giving her away in marriage” or “finding her a husband.” Thezy are careful with the wording, fully aware that Tamar was indeed a monarch, not just a queen, and thus she would remain while her prospective husband would never rise above the status of “spouse.”

Regardless of the reason, sources do state that it was a hasty and thoughtless decision. They add that Tamar was also skeptical and reluctant to bring in a total stranger, especially someone who was not known for military or chivalrous achievements. On the other hand, it is plausible to assume that every single aspect of the future marriage was scrupulously analyzed. It is highly improbable that officials of one of the most powerful countries in Asia Minor would have rushed in and made an unjustified step to settle such a significant issue. The Georgian sovereign was also the commanderin-chief and personally lead the army into battles. Tamar needed a husband capable of functioning as a military leader and siring the heir to her throne. Queen Rusudan and the royal court dispatched Zanqan Zorabebel to the North Caucasus to fetch the groom. By selecting an affluent merchant as emissary leads us to suppose the royal court was attempting to safeguard itself, lest something go wrong along the way. The authorities could easily wash their hands of the affair and blame the selfappointed matchmaker if the mission were to fail.

TAMAR WAS INDEED A MONARCH, NOT JUST A QUEEN, There were more than enough candidates, in- AND THUS SHE WOULD REMAIN cluding the nephew of the Byzantine Caesar and the WHILE HER PROSPECTIVE son of the King of Alania, among others. There sureHUSBAND WOULD NEVER Apparently, the Russian ly must have been groups prince was well liked in lobbying for particular the royal court at first. nominees while the rivalRISE ABOVE THE STATUS OF His name Yury was ry among Tamar’s suitors soon changed to Giorgi might have manifested in “SPOUSE.” (George) and the chronian open or hidden confrontation between these groups. Eventually, an influential nobleman secured the upper hand in the debate. Abulasan, the State Treasurer, head of Tbilisi and the owner of the town of Rustavi, suggested selecting Yury Bogolyubsky, the son of Andrei, the Russian Grand Duke, ruler of three hundred minor dukes. The treasurer explained that young Duke had taken refuge with the Kipchaks in the south of Russia after his uncle had usurped the throne. It’s hard to say why exactly the Georgian royal court was attracted to Yury Bogolyubsky. It could have been his prominent status as the son of the Grand Duke Andrei and that he was an Orthodox Christian like his bride. Or maybe they hoped he would be eternally grateful after being in exile and rescued from destitution. It may been that Yury’s homeland was very far from Georgia (at that time), making his ambitions less of a threat than neighboring dynasties’. It might have simply been that Abulasan’s influence outweighed others.

To Georgia

cler writes, “the feasting they called lasted for many days and nights,” although against Tamar’s wishes, we are reminded. Giorgi Rus (Russian Giorgi) became notorious for his heavy drinking and engaged in so many sordid things that they were “hard to describe.” He was said to “have Satan in his heart and he reverted to repulsive misdeeds that would defy the human mind, among them sodomy and worse.” Two years after the marriage, the Royal Council resolved to banish him from the country and exiled him to Constantinople by sea. This was done on a grand scale, as fitting to Tamar’s magnanimity and nobility. He was deported with “enormous wealth and treasures.” It is highly improbable that a foreign prince would have been culpable without solid proof. The chroniclers of the time wouldn’t have had the audacity to record groundless accusations or lie to the nation. It just couldn’t have been meanness or destructive

Tamar and Giorgi– III Kincvisi MonasteryFresco

March

MAIN STORY publicity launched by the contemporary media. The “disreputable” young man might have demonstrated certain “evil ways” but the ferocity with which both royal chroniclers focus on the dark side of the whole story is truly remarkable. Yet we can’t help but wonder if the Russian prince may have fallen victim to court intrigues and a struggle for influence. The insatiable commander could have craved for more power than the limited status of being Monarch’s husband allowed. And who were those “nobles” he used to torture and mutilate by “severing parts of their bodies?” And was it merely for his role in suggesting the candidature of the “vile” Russian that Tamar brought her wrath on Abulasan, the head of Tbilisi? And if Yury’s deportation from the country was an unanimous decision, how did the immoral prince manage to return from Byzantium with the aim of dethroning Tamar and secure the support of nearly half the Georgian nobility in his revolt? We don’t know for sure if ‘infertility’ was among the actual reasons for his exile, but the issue of the royal heir was undoubtedly of paramount importance. Likewise, it’s hard to speculate whether the idea of inviting David Soslan of Alania as Tamar’s second husband was a hasty decision of Queen Rusudan or the result of a painstaking debate and thorough analysis. His name might have sprung up even during Tamar’s marriage and his candidature approved by the close circle of the royal court. And according to the authors of the annals, the Monarch’s paternal aunt was in the heart of the circle. Some sources refer to David Soslan as Bagrationi, tracing his ancestry to the Ossetian branch of the royal family. In this respect, Tamar and David seem to share a common ancestor: the second king of unified Georgia, Giorgi I, known for his fight against Basil II Bulgaroctonus, the powerful Byzantine Emperor at the beginning of the 11th century. The wedding was held in Tbilisi. The status of the invited husband was unchanged – Tamar married David; not the other way round. The chronicler seems delighted with his looks, saying that the clergy and the nobility were elated, as well as the army, which definitely needed a commander after having lost campaigns. The authors of Tamar’s Life note that the entire nation was overjoyed with the royal heir. From that moment on, David Soslan led all major military campaigns. Now Tamar had a strong, reliable and loyal supporter and a shoulder to lean on. Now she could face difficulties with more confidence, not having to overcome them on her own. Who can tell how hard it must have been for her to carry the burden all alone? True, she was Tamar, but she was a woman and quite young at that. She must have believed that hardship was a natural accomplice to success.

To Georgia

Queen Tamar’s Umbrela

JUST SO STORIES

To Georgia

JUST SO STORIES

A STORY OF BEAUTY

Bacho Kvirtia

he story of Mary Shervashidze harks back to an era of bohemian charm, when Tbilisi was known by its European name, Tiflis, and the names of Galaktion, the king of Georgian poets, and Coco Chanel where synonymous with the noble Mary. She possessed an astounding presence and enchanted all with her captivating beauty and was a constant source of inspiration. Her father, Procophy Shervashidze, was a general in Russia’s State Duma when she was born in 1890. The family mixed in the high society of Petersburg, where her beauty was legendary. “The Capital and the Area Around It” was a popular magazine in the early 20th century and printed pictures of Mary Shervashidze, the Empress Maria Fiodorovna’s maid of honor, to indicate life had not changed in Russia’s capital of Russia despite World War One. Mary Shervashidze returned to Georgia in October 1917. At this time, Tiflis was the last harbor of cre-

ative bohemia after the Russian Empire was overthrown. The capital of Georgia was compared to Paris for a reason. Soon after her arrival, she married Giorgi (Gigusha) Eristavi, Emperor Nicolas II’s aide-de-camp and direct descendent of the King of Georgia, Erecle II. The Russian painter, Savelii Sorin, had painted the portraits of several beautiful Georgian ladies and was enchanted by Mary Shervashidze’s beauty. Later on, when he was in Paris, he often asked his models, “Why are you behaving like that? Are you imitating Mary Shervashidze? Remember, she is the most inimitable woman in the whole world!” Sorin wanted to donate his portrait of Mary Shervashidze to the museum of Georgia, but when he died his widow refused to send it to Georgia and kept it hung in her house in Monte Carlo. After her death, the painting became the property of the Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly, according to the will. n 1921, when the Red Army annexed Georgia, Mary left Georgia with her husband, relatives and friends to Constantinople before settling in Paris. Surrounded by admirers here too, she captivated Coco Chanel with

Mary in Coco Chanel.

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JUST SO STORIES her beauty. Although it was against her principles, she agreed to be Coco’s model, as Mary had to make a living somehow. “Had it not been for her material hardship, Mary would not have agreed to appear on the podium, by any means,” said Tatuli Gviniashvili, Mary’s closest friend and relative. Giorgi Eristavi died in 1947. Mary never married again, although she did not lack admirers and marriage candidates. She had no children of her own but raised her niece Nanuka and nephew Constantine in Paris. Nanuka died at an early age, an incident that affected Mary greatly. Tragedy struck again when Constantine died too. Mary was habitually late to everything, but nobody ever reprimanded her. Once, when she was the Empress’ maid of honor, she was late for a requiem of a Royal family member. Nicolas II was already in the hall, and it was absolutely impossible to enter the hall after him, according to protocol. All the same, Mary came in, expecting the Czar’s wrath, but all Nicolas could say was, “It’s a sin to be so beautiful.” Mary’s immortality was also established in a poem written by the Georgian King of Poets, Galaktion Tabidze, who was yet another person enchanted by the beauty of this lady. He wrote “Mary,” and the treasury of Georgian poetry acquired another masterpiece. However, whether this masterpiece was really addressed to Mary Shervashidze is a topic still debated today.

as there are Communists there, I won’t come,” she said. Many emigrants had the same attitude at that time. Those who did return to Georgia were harassed about betraying their principles. Mary missed Georgia and greatly suffered from her isolation from her motherland; nostalgia tortured her. On her small bedside table she always kept “The Knight in the Panther’s Skin,” Georgia’s most famous epic poem, written by Shota Rustaveli in the 12th century. She could recite much the poem by heart.

WHY ARE YOU BEHAVING LIKE THAT? ARE YOU IMITATING MARY SHERVASHIDZE? REMEMBER, SHE IS THE MOST INIMITABLE WOMAN IN THE WHOLE WORLD!

Mary could not understand why people were so anxious to find out who the poet actually dedicated the poem to. “Isn’t it enough that a gracious poem has been written?!” Nevertheless, Mary seemed to be pleased by such discussions. In a letter to Princess Dadiani, Mary writes: “My dear Babushka, you can’t even imagine how much I enjoyed your letter and your loving care about my fame. As soon as “Mary” appeared, everybody said that Tabidze had dedicated this poem to me. I don’t know what to say. He hasn’t given it to me personally. I dream about coming back to my motherland, when I see all of you, hug all my loved ones and talk to you....” But Mary never came back to Georgia. She did not want to travel through Russia. “Why isn’t it possible to come to Tbilisi straight from Paris and not across Communist Russia?! As long

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Like many Georgian emigrants, she never became a citizen of France. At the end of her life, Mary Shervashidze lived in a nursing home, occupying three rooms. She also rented an apartment, explaining, “It’s a place for me to play poker with my friends.” Mary Shervashidze died in 1986 at the age of 97 and was buried in the Georgian cemetery near Paris. Until her very last moments, Mary had maintained both her clarity and splendid beauty. When asked how she managed to remain so beautiful Mary said, “Since 1917, I have never smiled.”

Galaktion Tabidze

JUST SO STORIES

Mary in Coco Chanel appael

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LA VITA COME ARTE

IF TO DANCE IS TO DREAM The saga of Iliko Sukhishvili and Nino Ramishvili, founders of the Georgian National Ballet Company, is a 100-year artistic chronicle of Georgian history. Their lives were a creative adventure that transcended the tumultuous events that defined the 20th century through the dance company they created.

orn in 1907 in the village of Mejvriskhevi near Gori, Iliko Sukhishvili moved to Tbilisi with his mother and brother shortly after his father died in 1908. Here he sold chestnuts and delivered telegrams as a child to support the poor family. When he was 16, Iliko began studying at the Alex Alexidze Studio for Folk Dance. One year later, he became Alexidze’s assistant.

meaning of this national opera like those who perform in it do.”

In 1926, Iliko was invited to dance as an intern at the Tbilisi Opera Theater. One year later, he was earning 25 rubles a month and in 1928 he won first prize in the All-Georgian Dances and became a leading soloist. He performed the leading role in Absalom and Eteri with Tamar Chabukiani and in Daisi with his future wife and partner, Nino Ramishvili.

This was 1930. There was no wedding and no rings, as neither could afford such luxury. Moreover, their union was not even registered.

“This was a dream come true,” Iliko wrote in his memoirs, “It seems to me that no one grasps the

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Nino Ramishvili said she didn’t pay any attention to the young choreographer and soloist. “He would follow me at a respectable distance, seeing me home without saying a word. Little by little, the distance would lessen, and eventually, we walked side-by-side…he then confessed his love and we kissed,” she recalled.

“Iliko would urge me, but I wouldn’t go…I couldn’t. I cannot explain how dreadful those rooms of the registry looked to me. Bow-legged tables, paint peeling off the walls; and I hated the term registration itself. Only after Iliko’s death was it revealed that I was not legally bound to him”.

Georgian national dance ,,Khorumi”

LA VITA COME ARTE

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LA VITA COME ARTE

Nino Ramishvili Nino Ramishvili was born in 1910 in Baku. After the Armenian-Azeri war in 1918, the family moved to Tbilisi. Her father, Shalva Ramishvili, was an engineer and a Menshevik. He was arrested and exiled a number of times, the last time during WWII. He died in exile in the Soviet Republic of Komi.

not dare visit their parents in exile. “He was extremely warm and caring toward my people, very easygoing in relationships,” Nino recalled. “There was indeed a profound love between us, and for our work. Otherwise, our marriage would not have survived.”

Nino said when she decided to marry Iliko, everyone was against it, but her father had granted her permission. “If you want to, marry him. If it doesn’t work out, you have a home and you can always come back,” he said.

Iliko suggested that Nino and he choreograph a dance together dressed in chokhas with their own original elements added to the well-known pas de deux “Mtiuluri” - Mountain Dance. Nino felt that her classical technique was what enabled her to keep up with Iliko’s speed and filigree technique.

During the war, Iliko visited his father-in-law in Komi. It was very risky at the time, and children did

“To my amazement, this girl from Guria kept up with me,” Iliko wrote. “She repeated my movements

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The late Nino Ramishvili in Jeiran

LA VITA COME ARTE when we were performing synchronic duos, but during solos, she danced in her own graceful manner. When she took off her fur hat and her long hair fell loose, the audience would burst into applause.” Nino had always danced. Her mother understood this desire and enrolled her at the studio of Marina Perini, an Italian dancer that played an integral role in the development of ballet in Georgia. “Often, on my way to Perini’s, I would think seriously as I watched the people, I wondered what joy these people have in life - they do not dance,” Nino said.

DANCING UNDER THE RED THREAT In 1935, Nino was invited to participate in the London Festival, but was summoned to the People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs. She was instructed to inform on each of the dancers who went to London, but refused. “It is not my habit to speak behind people’s backs,” she told her interlocutor, who replied, “Aha, your bourgeois descent is clear.” The two dancers were about to board ship in Leningrad to London when Nino was stopped and forced to return to Tbilisi. Iliko, meanwhile, became a huge success in England. The Albert Hall was packed. King Georg V and Her Royal Highness were also in attendance and held a reception at Windsor Palace after the performance. Her Royal Highness presented a Gold Medal to Iliko and he kissed her hand. This chivalrous un-Komsomol-like behavior did not go unnoticed in Moscow. Stalin received the returning Festival delegation and beckoned Iliko over and asked him, “How was it that you kissed the hand of the Queen?” night without a trace also grew. “I was in a cold sweet,” Iliko noted. Stalin paused and continued, “You did the right thing, exactly what you should have done.” This seemingly insignificant event could well have had grave consequences, had Stalin not been enchanted by Iliko’s dancing. “Stalin took an immediate liking to my husband,” Nino said. “Perhaps the fact that they both came from Gori and were educated at the Gori Theological Seminary had something to do with it. Stalin was dazzled by Iliko’s dancing and he would always keep Iliko nearby.” As 1937 approached the proletariat dictatorship was becoming increasingly oppressive. The ranks of Party and Komsomol activists were expanding, while the number of people who vanished in the middle of the

Nino avoided being a Party member, although Iliko was both a Komsomol and Party member. In those times a leading choreographer and future director of a company had no choice but to be a member and Iliko’s mind was always focused on the creation of a dance company. In January 1937, a ten-day festival was held in Moscow. One of the events planned was The Heart of the Mountains, which was the first classical ballet ever performed in Tbilisi, starring Vakhtang Chabukiani and Elena Chikvaidze. At the last minute, however, instructions came from “above” that Beria’s favorite woman would play the lead instead of Elena. Nino and the other dancers were also told their roles would be played by Beria’s women.

The “Commander in Chief.”

After the festival, a banquet was held in the Kremlin

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Georgian national dance ,,Khorumiâ&#x20AC;?

LA VITA COME ARTE where the artistic elite met the Politburo elite. “We were all watching Stalin,” Nino said. “Each of us had to pass before him individually and Beria stood next to him to introduce us. When it was my turn and Stalin heard the name Ramishvili, he said “Ramishvili? Surebi?” (Surebi is a village in Guria where the Ramishvili name comes from). They are all Mensheviks. All must be arrested.” These words had an ineffaceable impression on me. You can imagine the state I was in. It could have been a joke but you never knew what turn things might take. Such a comment could easily turn from a joke to an order. I was standing there wondering if they will take me now or wait for me at the door? It seemed that Beria would not let me out of his sight. I couldn’t wait for the evening to end.” However, by this time, Iliko had already won special favor from the “Great Chief.” According to Nino, Iliko could find a common language with any person and could find his way out of even the most complicated situations. “I am very straightforward. I have no diplomatic skills. That is why Iliko was never enthusiastic about taking me to official meetings. “Something will inevitably slip out, and it is better that I go alone,” he would say.” Some time after the Moscow festival, Nino and Iliko were invited to Stalin’s dacha. Lavrenti Beria, Sergo Orjonikidze, Mikhail Kalinin, Sandro Kavsadze (Stalin’s singing teacher) and others were also invited. While watching Iliko dance Stalin remarked, “How educated this god-dogged man’s feet are!” Stalin excitedly beckoned Iliko over to chat. The director of the theatre immediately joined them to mitigate Stalin’s impressions and said, “It may be true that Iliko dances well but his work in Komsomol leaves much to be desired.” In those days such a comment had damning potential but Stalin was unfazed. “Let him go, let him continue dancing like that and let others work for Komsomol.” A while later he turned to Iliko and said, “Ask me whatever you like. How can I help you?” Iliko was penniless at that time and needed a lot of things but answered, “Give me your picture with your signature.”A few days later, there was a knock at the hotel room door. Nino opened the door and became petrified when the man made Iliko sign a paper and hand him a photograph of Stalin. Iliko apparently knew the power the photo wielded. “Once when father was arrested, the military came and tried to exile us all. It was so easy then – someone might have just wanted the apartment. A Menshevik father gave anyone that wished us ill plenty of opportunity for mischief. But when they entered the room and saw Stalin’s autographed picture on the wall, they quickly turned and left, never to return.”

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MAKING THE DREAM COME TRUE The couple had returned to Tbilisi during the war and in 1944 approached the Department of Georgian Arts to find help setting up their dance company. Iliko believed that because Georgia had a very rich tradition in choreographic folklore, there should be a company dedicated to the genre. The department head promised to help and Iliko and Nino recruited 32 people (12 female and 20 male) and began to rehearse at the music conservatory. Several months later, the head was unexpectedly transferred and Sukishvili was told the Central Committee had dissolved the company and they were no longer allowed to rehearse at the conservatory. Iliko decided not to tell the company the bad news and requested the Military Officer’s Culture House to loan them a stage. Permission was granted under the condition they change their name to the Red Banner Dance Company of Caucasia. They had the stage for three months before those doors closed as well. The company continued to roam from stage to stage, rehearsing without salaries or support, never knowing they had been disbanded.Iliko wrote, “During one rehearsal one dancer fainted. The doctor said it was due to malnutrition. We had to work under conditions of such destitution, we had to lie to our people, and they were under the impression the company was officially recognized.”

The founders at rehearsal

LA VITA COME ARTE

Nino at work.

Finally in 1945, the fate of the Georgian State Folk Dance Company was decided. Most people believed a two-hour dance program would be unwatchable. Folk dances were not suited for the stage; they were intended for public gatherings where dancers, musicians and guests took equal parts in festivities. But Iliko Sukhishvili and Nino Ramishvili had quite a different idea. In those days, a dance group’s fate was decided not by the Ministry of Culture but by the Communist Party Central Committee Culture Department. For Iliko Sukhishvili this meant he had to convince officials that his plan deserved government support by its effectiveness and artistic level and more importantly, that it did not contradict the principles of Marxist aesthetics.At the Central Committee office, Iliko danced and sang a two-hour show with various commentaries and explanations to attract the official’s attention. After achieving the desired effect, he convinced the officials that this fantastic ballet, which was part Georgian traditional art and part modernism, was by no means a product of bourgeois decadence and aggressive individualism. The Communists who opposed any kind of individualism considered the “folk character” to be the main aesthetic virtue of art. Thus, everything Ilko Sukhishvili had shown the officials was presented as folk art. In fact, he renounced his authorship by calling the troupe “The State Folk Dance Company,” instead of “The Georgian Ballet.” This was probably the most daring and elegant mystification of 20th century Georgian cultural life.The Sukhishvilis teamed up with designer Soliko Virsaladze, whose creative visions blended modernism

with the social realism enforced by the Communists. His work perfectly embraced the concept Iliko Sukhishvili and Nino Ramishvili developed - the interpretation of Georgian folk dance into Georgian national ballet.Sukhishvili and Ramishvili didn’t revolutionize Georgian dance, they reinvented it by increasing the number of performers, speeding the tempo, continuously interchanging rhythms, refining Georgian choreographic movements on the basis of classical dance techniques, developing new, linear dispositions of dancers on the stage, creating precisely-balanced dance lines and a clear separation of soloists. No one can exactly explain, in terms of the dance phantasmagoria created by Sukhishvili and Ramishvili, what really belongs in the category of cultural heritage and what is the product of individual creative genius. One thing, however, is beyond question – by its essence and poetics theirs was a deeply national and truly Georgian choreography.

A FAMILY HERITAGE Iliko and Nino’s son Tengiz was born in 1938 and appeared on stage the first time when he was 14. He never had a special dance teacher and learned everything by proximity. He saw many generations of dancers pass, traveled with the ensemble from one rehearsal hall to another, spent his vacations on tour, staying in provincial inns and wagons together with the company.His wife Inga Tevzadze, was recruited by Iliko before she knew how to dance. “Nino took

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LA VITA COME ARTE me straight to the cloak-room and dressed me in a costume...That’s how I began to dance. Nino taught me everything,” Inga revealed. “The girls, all of us, watched Nino move, speak, paid attention to what she wore and which perfume she used...To me Nino has always been the model woman.”Inga and Tengiz became inseparable partners both on stage and in life. “I liked Tengiz from the very beginning and I guess that was the reason why I began to dance,” Inga said. People still recall how beautifully Inga and Tengiz danced the “Simdi,” a memory embossed in the history of the Sukishvili’s. In 1981, Tengiz danced for the last time at a concert in Tbilisi. “I didn’t tell anybody… It’s very hard to give up dancing, very hard, but one must know when to leave...Even now, when I hear the music of Simdi, all my life passes before me.”

Simon (Soliko) Virsaladze

Tengiz took over directing the ensemble after Iliko passed away in 1985. Nino remained the choreographer until her death in 2000. The mystery of the vitality of the ensemble lies in the devotion to the traditions on one hand, and in the permanent search for the new on the other. Nino Ramishvili perfected and changed things in rehearsals all the time. She didn’t like to repeat the same pattern because to her, nothing was fixed once and forever. Nothing becomes a dogma in art. Today, the ensemble is known as the Georgian National Ballet and is managed by Tengiz and Inga’s daughter, Nino, who is also the costume designer, while their son Iliko is the chief choreographer.Although she had worked on costumes with Soliko Virsaladze, Nino became an organic part of the dance company rather late in life and didn’t appear on stage until she was 23; an act that can be attributed to divine providence. “It was in Paris, at the “Palais des Congres”. I didn’t rehearse at all before, I just found myself on the stage. I had to dance the Simdi in front of fivethousand people. I was standing there, I didn’t hear the music or see the spectators, my legs just took me away and I thought, - is this not happiness, where have I been, why haven’t I danced before?” Nino recalled.Unlike his sister, Iliko started dancing at the age of twelve. Like his father, he didn’t attend formal lessons. Iliko Jr. studied in Moscow at the Academy of Theatrical Arts of Russia, which helped open him to new ideas and formulate his own theory of dance and create his own system. In addition to his work with his family’s company, Iliko has also formed his own company, Assa Party, a fusion of Georgian folk music with modern world elements and a progressive dance repertoire. In the greatest of all family traditions, the Sukhishvilis dance on. In the last century, the partnership Sukishvili and Ramishvili wrote the book on Georgian dance, a form acclaimed the world over. Today, Iliko and Nino honor their grandparents by passionately writing a new chapter in the history of Georgian choreography.

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Simon Virsaladze (1908-1989) graduated from the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts, member of Russian Academy of Arts. From 1931, he designed costumes for Nino Ramishvili and Iliko Sukhishvili and from 1945, for their dance company From 1957 Virsaladze worked with ballet master Yuri Grigorovich. They mounted their first performance “The Stone Flower” in St. Petersburg. In the 1960’s they madetwelve ballets on the Bolshoi stage in Moscow: “Spartacus”, “Nutcracker”, “Swan Lake”, “The Legend of Love”, “Romeo and Juliet, “Ivan the Terrible”. They worked together in other countries as well. Virsaladzeset the trend in Georgian dance costume, which many dance companies continue to use today.

A new generation of national ballet dancers..

HOUSE OF THE PAST

A LONG WAY “MAJESTIC”TO “MARRIOTT”

Tamar Amashukeli

One of the most exceptional buildings on the capital’s main thorou Tbilisi Marriott,” has witnessed 100 dramatic years of Georgian history to the invasion of the Red Army three years later, rebellion against 50

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AND

PRESENTS

FROM THE THE TBILISI

ughfare, Rustaveli Avenue, the “Hotel Majestic,” known today as “The y, from the country’s independence from the Russian Empire in 1918, t the Soviet regime in 1954 and 1989, civil war in 1992, and finally the Rose Revolution in 2003. March

HOUSE OF THE PAST

efore it became known as the “Visiting Card” of “Beau Monde,” the hotel was the Rotinov House. In 1871, Mikhail Aramiants, a benevolent 19th century businessman arrived in Tbilisi and was struck with the inspiration to build the most impressive hotel in the Caucasus. He bought the Rotinov House and consulted the many architects based in Tbilisi at the time, including the Russian, Alexander Ozerov, whose plans did not satisfy the Armenian businessman’s vision. He settled upon Gabriel Ter-Mikelov, the creator of many fabulous projects in Baku and Tbilisi, but would come to regret his choice. Aramiant sent Ter-Mikelov abroad to research the best hotels in Europe for ideas. Back in Tbilisi, the architect began working at once and submitted the project and the expenses to Aramiants, who was discouraged at the enormous cost and suggested altering the project to reduce expenses. The architect categorically refused.

The major point of contention was the rounded contour of the façade corner. The shape of this façade perfectly suited the location was an innovative design, but Aramiants wanted this changed. He wanted to build Europe’s best hotel at a reduced price, while Ter- Mikelov would not budge on the integrity of his design. Simplifying the façade would destroy the grandeur of the entire concept. Unable to come to an agreement, Ter- Mikelov turned to the court to mediate over the dispute. The court ruled in favor of the architect and construction of “The Majestic” began in 1913.

“Rosa Luxemburg.” The hotel was a five-story construction and its facade was ornamented in Renaissance and Baroque styles. The rounded façade of the corner perfectly suited the space. Ter-Mikelov also developed another significant innovation to match the imperfect nature of the avenue, which is crooked. Here, he contoured the façade to correspond with the street. “The Majestic” was the only building in the Russian Empire, which had a rounded façade corner. In 1916 the hotel received the gold medal for best architectural project at the International Exhibition in Paris.

Completed in 1915, “The Majestic” was Tbilisi’s grandest and most significant hotel complex, as it included a restaurant and a cinema, which was initially called “The Minion” and was later named the

The refined, luxurious interior of the hotel perfectly matched its exterior. “The Majestic” was supplied with the best equipment of that period and astonished even the most critical clients.

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Hotel Majestic hall Hotel Majestic restaurant

HOUSE OF THE PAST From the first day of its opening the hotel became the favorite place of beau monde gatherings and attracted such luminary guests as Alfred Nobel and the Simmens brothers. In the Soviet period, Jean Paul Sartre, George Balanchine, Margaret Thatcher and John Steinbeck were among the most famous guests. In the early period of Georgia’s independence from the USSR, “The Majestic” was renamed “Novi Tbilisi” and later, “The Tbilisi.” The hotel did not always function as such. In 1917 the hotel was turned into a military hospital during WWI. From 1921 – 1936 it functioned as the Palace of the Soviet Workers. The hotel’s most tragic period was 1991-1992, when it burned down during the “Tbilisi War.” Restored in 2002, the hotel is now known as The Tbilisi Marriott. Mikhail Aramiants’ ambitious project remains the most majestic building on Tbilisi’s main avenue, and continues to charm us with its fine design and exquisite taste, while it still attracts honored guests.

The Hotel Marriott Tbilisi façade on Rustaveli Ave. Hotel Marriot Tbilisi Hall

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Making Georgia

The Georgian Lady 56

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Making Georgia

David Turashvli

ürcü Hatun, the granddaughter princess of the great Georgian King Tamar, and her namesake, was only thirteen when she was given in marriage to her cousin, the Seljuk Sultan of Rum (Konya). In those days (and this was the 13th century), the girls we now call teenagers were considered women and the right age for wedlock Young Tamar’s marriage was arranged by her mother Queen Rusudan, who had also sent her husband Moghis ad-Din, the son of the Seljuk Sultan, to the dungeon. Not surprisingly, it infuriated his father, Tugrul II, the Sultan of Erzurum and Erzinjan, to the extent that Tamar, the thirteen-year old daughter of Rusudan and Mughis ud-din, was sent to Konya through the Laz province, accompanied by her retinue.

The route to Sivas across the Uchkais Mountains was long and exhausting. The princess was likely relieved to see the silhouette of Sivas, as it meant their journey was nearing the end. She must have also been simply anxious, like any other woman would be in her place, at the prospect of meeting her future husband GhiyĐs ad-Din Kay-Khusraw, the Prince of Konya. The Georgian and the Seljuk royal courtiers met in Sivas where the Seljuk Prince was immediately struck by the beauty of his Georgian princess. One year later, when he became the Sultan of the Seljuk Empire, he ordered a coin minted in Sivas to commemorate the event. What was truly revolutionary was that the coin bore the image of the Georgian princess. Although the female image was unacceptable in the Muslim world, it didn’t deter the young Sultan. Despite a lot of resistance and criticism, he not only minted the new coin, but introduced a

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Making Georgia

new concept into the numismatics. The type of coin known as the shir-i hurshid (‘lion and the sun’) of Konya later spread to other countries, but very few experts are aware that the female image represented with the sun symbol is Queen Tamar’s granddaughter - Gürcü Hatun (“Georgian Lady” in Turkish), the Georgian queen of the Rum Empire. From Sivas, their journey continued to Kayseri, one of the oldest cities of Anatolia. Of all the different cultures that had inhabited the region over the centuries, the magnificence of Kayseri was most impressive in the Seljuk period. This must have been the reason the wedding ceremony of the Georgian princess and KayKhusraw was held in this city rather than in Konya, the capital of the Seljuk Sultanate.The wedding celebration in Kayseri was a truly lavish, large-scale event, lasting several days. The newly-weds went to Konya only when the festivity was over.

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At the time, Konya was the most important cultural centre of the Islamic East, but it also attracted other cultures and religions. The primary reason for its exceptional standing was that Mevlana, the great Sufi poet and philosopher Jalal ad-Din Rumi, lived here. He was born in Belh, now Afghanistan (or, according to other sources, in Wakhsh, now Tajikistan) and settled in Konya, the capital of the Rum Sultanate, where he opened a well-known madras and founded a Mawlawiyah Sufi Order, known as the Order of Whirling Dervishes. The poetry and philosophy of Sufi dervishes, their vision of the world were mainly based on Mevlana’s books and teaching. Jalal ad-Din Rumi is considered to be the founder of one of the most liberal and least aggressive orders, whose members were Muslims and followers of other religions. His unquestionable authority attracted scholars from other countries to Konya. People from all religious and cultural backgrounds felt safe in Konya, which made the city a

Making Georgia

true centre of the contemporary educated world. Gürcü Hatun, or the Queen of the World as the Seljuks referred to her, was Mevlana’s student, or murid. The seventeen-year old Sultan and his thirteen-year old Georgian Princess were met by the entire population of Konya. The crowd accompanied the couple to the palace, which would be Gürcü Hatun’s home. Sadly, only the ruins of this once magnificent building are left today.The new queen immediately became the favorite of all, for her extraordinary beauty, noble nature, kindness and wisdom. The first thing the young Georgian princess did in Konya was reduce the price for bread. The cheap bread market was built on her orders in the capital, exactly where the street bearing her name is now. Gürcü Hatun Street may well be the shortest in the world, but

it still proudly bears the name of the great Georgian woman who gained fame outside Georgia. The correspondence between Mevlana and Gürcü Hatun has endured till today. Their letters clearly reveal an amazingly spiritual bond and friendship between the two extraordinary characters. This would explain why she commissioned an astonishing tomb to be erected on Mevlana’s grave. Covering the expenses herself, she must have desired to express her deep admiration and respect towards the great Jalal ad-Din. Perhaps this is why the beautiful green tomb in the centre of Konya looks very similar to the drum of Georgian church domes. It was the ultimate gift from the Georgian Queen to her highly admired teacher and spiritual instructor.

GÜRCÜ HATUN STREET MAY WELL BE THE SHORTEST IN THE WORLD, BUT IT STILL PROUDLY BEARS THE NAME OF THE GREAT GEORGIAN WOMAN WHO GAINED FAME OUTSIDE GEORGIA.

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Making Georgia

Konya, Mevlanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Museum

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Making Georgia

Konya, Mevlanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grave

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Making Georgia

In Niğde Vilayet, near the village of Belisirma in Ihlara Valley (the old name Peristrema), there is a St. George Church, which is also linked to the name of Gürcü Hatun. The present-day Turks call the church Kirk Damalta. Its most noteworthy feature is the fresco showing Muslims and Christians side-by-side. The fact can only be explained by the exemplary liberal attitude of the Seljuk authorities towards the followers of religions other than Muslim, particularly towards the Christians of the Seljuk Empire. There was a widespread legend about the wellknown folk character, Khoja Nasreddin, who fell in love with Gürcü Hatun so deeply that he even ended up in prison. In addition to this legend, so popular in the Seljuk Empire, there were numerous other stories that reflected her adventurous, romantic and dramatic life. However, it is her political attitude that makes her truly outstanding. This beautiful and highly intelligent woman ruled the Seljuk Empire brilliantly at the exact time when the seemingly wise men of her native Georgia failed to achieve similar success and in fact, only succeeded in creating an irreparable

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Konya, Mevlana’s Museum

rift that was to adversely affect Georgian history forever. Unlike the Georgian sources, the Turkish historical chronicles abound in material about the life of Gürcü Hatun. Unfortunately, when it comes to the death of the Georgian queen, the whole issue is rather hazy. There is one legend about how the well-loved Queen just vanished one day. Another one states that suffering from unbearable homesickness, Gürcü Hatun sneaked out of the palace unnoticed and joined a trade caravan heading for Georgia, where she died a natural death. Nobody knows for sure what happened, but she was last seen on the balcony of her palace looking at the tomb she built for her beloved Mevlana. She is said to have stared at the green monument and a little star in the sky directly above the dome. The star was discovered by Bibi Munajim, a Turkish astrologer, who named it after Gürcü Hatun. Apparently, it used to be bigger and much brighter than today; as it is hardly visible in the night sky. Hopefully, the star of Gürcü Hatun will shine on to remind us of the enchanting story of the life of a young Georgian princess who became the famous Queen of Konya.

PRESENTS

IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

BERTHA

VON SUTTNER

The Peace Baroness THE SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE ACQUIRED WHILE LIVING IN THE CAUCASUS MADE TWO QUITE DIFFERENT PEOPLE OUT OF US – TWO, HAPPY, GOOD PEOPLE. ANNA CHEISHVILI

aroness Bertha von Suttner, honored as the “generalissimo of the peace movement” was the principal figure of the pacifist movement in Europe at the end of 19th century. She changed society’s attitude to war and played a decisive role in organizing “The First International Peace Conference.” She was also the 5th person and first woman awarded the Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 1905. Georgia played a major role in the life of the Baroness. Shortly after her secret marriage to Baron Arthur Gundaccar Freiherr von Suttner, the couple moved to Georgia where they enriched their cultural life, began writing and pursued Bertha’s pacifist activities. Bertha’s relationship with Georgia began in the German resort of Bad Homburg vor der Höhe in 1864, while on holiday with her mother. Bertha was the Duchess of Kinski at this time and met the Queen of Megrelia, Ekaterine Chavchavadze in Homburg. Deeply captivated, Bertha spent every day with the queen and accompanied her everywhere. Ekaterine missed her motherland and often told the young

duchess about her country, its history and nature. Bertha in turn, listened with great attention and interest. Those evenings with Queen Ekaterine and her family left a deep impression on Bertha. “I was incredibly happy with this relationship, as if all my unrealized dreams had come true,” she wrote in her memoirs. That summer, the Duchess fell in love with Irakli Bagration- Gruzinski, the grandson of King Erekle II, who was visiting Ekaterine. “We liked each other immediately, one notices such things at once and from liking to love there is only one step, a very little step,” she wrote. This love affair intensified Bertha’s interest in Georgia even more. Bertha turned to encyclopedias and read “The Caucasus” by Dumas to learn more of Georgia’s history. The affair, however, came to an unexpected end when Erekle left for Paris and then for Tbilisi. In 1867, Bertha and her mother moved to Paris, where Bertha often visited Ekaterine’s family. She was such

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IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

an intimate family friend that Ekaterine’s daughter, Salome, asked Bertha to be her bridesmaid at her wedding with Ashil Murat. As time passed, and Bertha and her mother fell on hard times as mother had squandered Bertha’s fortune. In 1873, Bertha went to Vienna to work as a governess for Baron Karl von Suttner’s four daughters. “God bless the day I came to this family,” she wrote. Soon Bertha made friends with the Suttners’ youngest son, Arthur, who was seven years younger than Bertha. This friendship soon turned into love, but they had to conceal their relationship because of the age difference. Nevertheless, after three years with the Suttner family, Arthur’s mother found out about their relationship and dismissed the duchess.

GEORGIA PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN THE LIFE OF THE BARONESS. SHORTLY AFTER HER SECRET MARRIAGE TO BARON ARTHUR GUNDACCAR FREIHERR VON SUTTNER, THE COUPLE MOVED TO GEORGIA

Shortly after being discharged, Bertha read an advertisement in a newspaper: “A wealthy, cultured, elderly gentleman, who lives in Paris, would

To Georgia

like to hire a woman of age, who knows languages, to be his secretary and office manager.” Bertha said good-bye to Arthur, went to Paris and got the advertised job. Her employer turned out to be Alfred Nobel. Although her relationship with Alfred Nobel was fine from the very beginning, the Duchess suffered greatly after parting with Arthur. When she received the telegram stating, “I can’t live without you,” Bertha left Nobel and went back to Vienna. Nobel, in the meantime, had fallen hopelessly in love with Bertha, despite their short acquaintance.

In all this time, Bertha did not lose contact with her Georgian friends. When Ekaterine returned to Zugdidi, she started rebuilding her destroyed palace and invited Bertha to come. On June 12, 1876 Bertha and Arthur secretly got engaged and left for Megrelia.

IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

“Even now I see a vivid picture: We are standing on the deck of a steamer, sailing from Odessa to Poti... Our final aim is to reach the country from where Jason took the golden fleece. I think Jason’s state of mind was in both of us: seeking adventure, a mixture of pursuit and dizziness of hope. There was the world of novelty and mystery, open in front of us. We were to step on a land that was blessed. We were looking forward to the new impressions and adventures which we could hardly imagine,” wrote Bertha von Suttner. Ekaterine and her family welcomed the newly-weds with great joy. Delighted by the scenery and local traditions, the Suttners spent that summer with the queen at her residence in Gordi. In the autumn they settled in Kutaisi, where they gave private language and music lessons. In 1877, when war between Russia and Turkey broke out, the Suttner couple found themselves in the middle of it. The experience would have a profound effect on their lives. In her memoirs published a few years before her

death, Bertha indicated with regret that in her youth she never paid attention to news about war. “I can’t understand how I could have been so foolish” she wrote. The events of the Russian-Turkish war deeply changed Bertha’s inner world. It was in Georgia that Bertha decided to devote her entire life to struggle for peace. The couple’s relatives implored them to return, but the Suttners wouldn’t even think about it. They took an active part in arranging charity parties in Kutaisi to help soldiers. The Suttners even enlisted in the medical service, on the condition that both of them would work together, but the administration was unable accommodate their request and they withdrew their application. Not only did the war and life in Georgia play a decisive role in Bertha’s world view, but it also turned her husband into a writer. Arthur Gundakarm wrote articles about the war, which were published in the newspaper ‘Neue Freire Presse’ in Vienna. These proved to be highly regarded stories. After the war he dabbed in the world of literature. He wrote stories about life in the Caucasus and local

Bertha’s husband, Artur Gundakar von Suttner Young Bertha

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IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

people and published them in various German publications. Bertha also took up writing. In a Vienna newspaper, her first story “The Fan and the Apron” was published under her pen-name B. Oulotte. She never stopped writing after that. In 1878 the couple moved to Tbilisi. “Tbilisi is a half oriental and half European city. In its European part, life is the same as in our big cities. European clothes, European manners, French cooks, English governesses, the same social gatherings, conversations in Russian and French languages...” This was how Bertha described Tbilisi, where the Suttners established themselves.

ture. Bertha wrote her autobiographical novel “Es Lowos” in Georgia, in which she described her happy marriage. She also wrote “The Description of One Soul” which is highly regarded among her work. Arthur Gundaccar’s most famous literary creations are “Darejan,” “Aznaur” and “The Children of the Caucasus.” He also composed two pieces of music –“Tamar’s Waltz” and “The Enguri Waltz.”

WE PENETRATED INTO THE ESSENCE The Suttners returned in 1885. AND SOUL OF THE GEORGIAN toTheyEurope spent their last months in GeorPEOPLE AND THIS ENCHANTING three gia with Iona Meuin Tsaishi. The COUNTRY; ITS HISTORY AND nargia couple helped him translate Georgia’s epic century poem, LITERATURE - THE COUNTRY WHERE 12th “The Knight in the Skin” into WE HAVE SPENT SO MUCH TIME,” Panther’s French and German. “While translating this NOTED BERTHA. Georgian poem, the

Isaak Nobel Congress for Peace 1905

While living in Tbilisi, Bertha gave private lessons while Arthur took up architecture and designed several houses in the capital. Later the Suttners moved to different cities and eventually ended up in Zugdidi, where Arthur helped the Murats build a house while Bertha gave their sons music lessons. In Georgia, the Suttners found their place in litera-

XII century world was revealed to us. It is an epoch the Georgians are very proud of, as it was the Gold Age in Georgia; the epoch when Queen Tamar reigned, Shota Rustaveli sang to her and praised her glory, her power, her beauty... We penetrated into the essence and soul of the Georgian people and this enchanting country; its history and literature - the country where we have spent so much time,” noted Bertha.

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IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

After their return to Europe, the von Suttners left Vienna for Paris, where they often visited Alfred Nobel. During their stay in Paris, they learned about the International Peace Organization in London and thereafter took an active part in the pacifist movement. Bertha decided to use her literary talent to spread the idea of working for peace all over the world. In 1889 she published her pacifist novel “Down Arms!” which was a great success and was translated into many languages. The Georgian translation of a fragment of this novel, titled “The Victim of the War” was published in Georgia in 1895. “Down Arms!” has been considered to be one of the most significant pacifist works today. Bertha von Suttner also founded the Venice Peace Corps and the Austrian Peace Association, and was its president for many years. She assisted her husband in establishing an anti-Semitism society and the pacifist journal “Die Waffen Nieder!” Baroness von Suttner’s most significant achievement is her contribution to the foundation of the First International Peace Conference and the Nobel Peace Prize. In fact, it was a persistent Bertha von Suttner that persuaded Albert Nobel to sponsor the peace prize. After Nobel’s death in 1896, the Peace Prize was established according to his will. Baroness Bertha von Suttner became the first lady laureate.

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Bertha von Suttner

F o r many years Bertha von Suttner has been recognized as a symbol of a fighter for peace, especially in Austria, her motherland. A 1000 - shilling note with her portrait on it, issued in 1966 is an eloquent testimony to it. Another proof is a 2 - euro coin issued in 2002 with her portrait again.

The Miracle Landscape

TUSHETI IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL REGIONS IN GEORGIA, ENCOMPASSING A VAST MOUNTAINOUS LANDSCAPE OF SNOWY PEAKS, ALPINE MEADOWS, PINE FORESTS, AND CRYSTAL CLEAR STREAMS AND RIVERS. OLD VILLAGES CLING MAGICALLY TO THE SIDES OF MOUNTAINS, VILLAGE RUINS ON SOUTHERN SLOPES AGE IN THE SUN, AND RENOVATED TOWERS FROM THE MIDDLE AGES ARE SYMBOLS TO THE ROMANTIC, TRANSHUMANT LIFE OF THE TUSHETIANS, WHO STILL OBSERVE PAGAN-INSPIRED FESTIVALS. TUSHETIAN HOSPITALITY IS RENOWN FOR ALWAYS GUARANTEEING THE SECURITY OF THE TOURIST OR VISITOR.

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Tusheti is located in the eastern Caucasus Mountains and borders Dagestan and Chechnya. The rugged terrain is rife with numerous ravines, which provide the source for two main rivers: the Pirikita Alazani and Tusheti (or Gometsari) Alazani, which are separated by the Makratela watershed ridge. These two rivers join in the north, near the village of Shenako and flow into Dagestan, where the river is called the Andis Koisu and empties into the Caspian Sea. The road to Tusheti is an miraculous high-wire of a trail that begins in the village of Pshaveli in Kakheti, then zigzags up the Stori Gorge and crosses Abano Pass (2,926m. / 9,600ft.), the highest vehicular pass in Georgia) to get to the principal Tushetian village of Omalo.

TRAVELING TO TUSHETI IS POSSIBLE ONLY IN A RUGGED 4-WHEEL DRIVE. THE 90 KM (55M.) TRIP ALONG THE PSHAVELI-OMALO ROAD TAKES FOUR TO FIVE HOURS, MAKING ISOLATED TUSHETI DIFFICULT TO REACH EVEN TODAY.

The Abano Pass is only open a few months a year, and even in that period tractors must always clear the road from landslides and fallen rocks.

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Traveling to Tusheti is possible only in a rugged 4-wheel drive. The 90 km (55m.) trip along the Pshaveli-Omalo road takes four to five hours, making isolated Tusheti difficult to reach even today. Tusheti is noteworthy for various reasons. It is the homeland of the Georgian sheepdog, a remarkably loyal shepherd assistant, and the strong-legged Tushetian horse. Sheep husbandry in Tusheti was a precondition for the development of public trade in Tusheti. Tushetian women traditionally create amazingly beautiful and simple woolen crafts dyed with natural tints, such as socks, calico and rugs. The Tushetian Reserve was created in 1980 to protect the Tushetian ecosystem - its flora and fauna and pine and birch woods. The Tusheti Reserve, together with the Batsara and Babaneuri Reserves, was included in the Akhmeta reserve and was Soviet Georgiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youngest

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reserve. However, its creation was not enough to protect the vulnerable Tushetian ecosystem and depopulating species because of the overall disorder in the country during the 1990s. Additionally, the reserveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s small size cannot effectively protect the vast area of unique flora and fauna that expands across Tusheti. Because of this, the Georgian government created the Tusheti Protected Landscape in 2003, which includes the Tusheti State Reserve and Tusheti National Park. The national park is the largest territory and consists of 83,453 hectares (206,216 acres.). The Tusheti State Reserve is 10694 hectares (6,425 acres) and is home to Caucasian rhododendron complexes and subalpine birch groves. The state reserve also includes the forest tracts adjacent to the villages of Omalo, Diklo, Shenako, Kumelaurta and Khiso and the forests on both slopes of the mouth of Gometsari and Pirikita Alazani rivers up to the Dagestan border. The Tusheti protected landscape includes all the villages. The summer homes of shepherds in the gorges of Kvakhidi Tskali and Larovani Tskali, the beginning of Gometsari Alazani and Tsovata Tskali, and the adjacent territories, were included in the protected landscapes with the status of â&#x20AC;&#x153;monuments having cultural-economic value.â&#x20AC;? The total area of

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the Tusheti Protected Landscape is 27903 hectares (68,949 acres). The protected landscape was established to maintain the traditional appearance of Tushetian villages, to retain historical-cultural and natural-cultural landscapes, and to also encourage the development of tourism and the local economy, without damaging the environment. Establishing this protected territory without the national park would have been ineffective. One of the largest protected landscapes of Europe, the Tusheti National Park is the administrative unit developing the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eco-tourism potential. This unit restores damaged ecosystems, protects unique flora and fauna species, and most importantly, regulates the relationship between nature and people, including tourists and visitors. The Tusheti Protected Landscape regulates summer pasturing. Sheep grazing in the national park is permitted only in the traditional use zone. There is a balanced rotation of pastures. Restoration is also happening where excessive grazing has led to the devastation of entire pastures. Improvements should be profitable for the local inhabitants and ideally become an alternative source of income, just as eco-tourism is an alternative income. Much has already been done in this regard.

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In addition to overgrazing, the protected landscape must also confront poaching, which is a major problem in Tusheti. Uncontrolled hunting has led to a severe decrease in the population of East Caucasian tur and chamois. The red deer has almost disappeared from Tusheti, while only a few dozen Bezoar goats remain. The number of endemic plants in Tusheti is very high. 230 endemic species (20% of all endemic species in the Caucasus) are found in Tusheti. 11 endemic species of plants that only exist in Georgia are also found in Tusheti.

casian rhododendron and blue dog’s mercury. Tusheti is unique as it is essentially a huge basin surrounded by high mountains. The only “entrance” to its forests is from Dagestan, through the Tusheti Alazani gorge. This is likely why Tusheti’s distinctive forests are similar to Daghestan’s forests. Both have almost no deciduous forests. There are many pinewoods that contribute to the exceptionally beautiful Tushetian landscapes.

UNCONTROLLED HUNTING HAS LED TO A SEVERE DECREASE IN THE POPULATION OF EAST CAUCASIAN TUR AND CHAMOIS. THE RED DEER HAS ALMOST DISAPPEARED FROM TUSHETI, WHILE ONLY A FEW DOZEN BEZOAR GOATS REMAIN.

Of the Georgian endemic plants that are found in the Tusheti reserve and national park are the Tushetian aconite, plural barberries, bluebell, lily, Tushetian sweetbrier, Tebulo buttercup and Ann’s houseleek. Endemic Caucasian species in Tusheti include the red birch, Caucasian fritillaries, yellow Caucasian fritillaries, primrose, Cau-

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All along the north banks of the Alazani are the local pine forests 2000-2200 m (6500-7200 ft) above sea level. Above these are birch groves and higher yet is a dense cover of Caucasian rhododendron. The tree line is at 2600 m (8500 ft) above sea level; above this only very small scrubs of bilberry grow randomly. Endemic scrubs of Caucasian rhododendron grow well even in the alpine zone and grow at much higher altitudes than the birch groves. The mountain slopes

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with Caucasian rhododendron are very easy to distinguish from the general landscape with its dark green color. Grass cover becomes sparse above 3000 m (9800 ft.), replaced by rocks, snowy patches and Tusheti glaciers. Mountains like Dano, Komito and Diklo are higher than 4000 m (13,00 ft.) and are covered in snow year round. These precipitous slopes and impassable cliffs of Caucasus Mountains are the home of the Eastern Caucasian Tur. In these seemingly lifeless slopes, the tur spends most of the year higher than 3000 m. These slopes are also home to the Caucasian Snowcock, another endemic Caucasian species, which is quite a big and cautious bird. Slightly lower, near the subalpine and alpine zones, Caucasian Grouse live in the Caucasian rhododendron and birch groves. Like the snowcock can vbee seen with the tur, the grouse lives with the chamois. The Caucasus is the easternmost home of the Chamois, a graceful, smallhorned mountain antelope that is seen everywhere in the European mountains from the Pyrenees to the Balkans. At a lower elevation than the chamois lives one hoofed animal that has become very rare in our country and the Tusheti Protected Landscape has become its last shelter. This animal is the Bezoar goat. A few dozen Bezoar goats still live in Tusheti. This remarkable animal may be the ancestor of the domes-

March

tic goat. Bezoar goat prefers comparatively lower places to live such as the rocks and slopes of gorges formed by mountain rivers, which are covered with pine groves and scrubs. There are many such places in the Tusheti basin. You may see Bezoar goat on seemingly impassable rocks near the villages of Omalo and Diklo. Of the big hoofed animals you can often see roe deer in Tusheti forests, while you will rarely see red deer. wild boar comes to Tusheti from neighboring Dagestan. Many carnivores live in Tusheti. Pine and Beech marten, brown bear, red fox and wolves are everywhere, even very high above sea level. You might come across footprints of lynx.VScientists hope that the

Tusheti Mountains are still the refuge of ounce, the near-eastern snow leopard. The last known one in the Caucasus Mountains was killed in 1982, in Dagestan. Information about this animal periodically given by shepherds and hunters is ambiguous and unproven. In ornithological terms, Tusheti is also a very rich area. A lot of birds of different sizes and lifestyles live here. You can often see the Dipper and Crossbill, Red-fronted Serin, Water Pipit, Chukar and Wallcreeper. There are nests of Golden Eagles and Bearded vultures on inaccessible cliffs. Other birds of prey include different types of owls, the Common Kestrel, Common Buzzard and the fastest bird of our planetâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the Peregrine Falcon.

MANY CARNIVORES LIVE IN TUSHETI. PINE AND BEECH MARTEN, BROWN BEAR, RED FOX AND WOLVES ARE EVERYWHERE, EVEN VERY HIGH ABOVE SEA LEVEL. YOU MIGHT COME ACROSS FOOTPRINTS OF LYNX.

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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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THE FIRST HOTEL CHAIN IN GEORGIA WAS FOUNDED IN 2007 AND CURRENTLY OPERATES SIX SUCCESSFUL HOTELS IN BATUMI, MAKHINJAURI, TELAVI, SIGNAGI, POTI AND KUTAISI

WWW.RCHEULI.GE ( 995 32) 72 90 09

Octai Kazutmov

Azerbaijan and Georgia have always had close political and cultural relations, after all, both simultaneously gained and lost their state independence. They also fought against common enemies. Both Georgian and Albanian (historical name of Azerbaijan) armies, under the leadership of Babek, defeated the Arabs near the village of Gavazi in the Kvareli region of modernday eastern Georgia. Both nations were also simultaneously punished by Bugha Turk.

Azer square in old Tbilisi

CITIZENSHIP: GEORGIA

Two Nations in One Common Home

Babek on a Horse

s for cultural relations, King David Agmashenebeli (David the Builder) built the poet’s center, “Khanaka” (Persian “Hanegah”) - the house where oriental poets of that time would come, including Azerbaijani. Their relationship with Georgia is evident in their works. For example, Polaki of Shirvan mourned the death of King Dimitri I in a poem where he offers his condolences to the king’s sister, Tamar. Afzal Ad-Din Khakan wrote in one of his poems the renowned line, “If they don’t let me alone here, I shall go to Abkhazia (Georgia).”Rustaveli knew Nizami of Ganja’s works very well. In Rustaveli’s epic poem, “The Knight in the Panther’s Skin,” he mentions the Azeri Nizami’s characters Leil and Majnun.

Azerbaijan’s politics became more active in 18th century, during Georgian King Erekle’s reign. At this time, Mola Fanah Vagif, the Vizier of Ibrahim-Halil of Karabakh Khan, was a poet renown throughout the Caucasus and often came to Georgia on diplomatic trips. The purpose of these visits was to hold negotiations with Russia, by means of the Kartli and Kaheti Kingdoms. Like a true poet, Vagif could not limit himself to diplomacy alone and so penned immortal masterpieces. He devoted one of his poems to King Erekle’s son, Prince Levan, in which he praised his generosity, courage and talent, calling him “The precious stone of Georgia.” Vagif ’s verses were very popular among Georgians too. During the Caucasian war in Dagestan, the great Georgian poet, Grigol Orbeliani, collected Vagif ’s poems and made an inscription:

CITIZENSHIP: GEORGIA “These are Vagif ’s poems”“I sing in Vagif ’s sweet language, Alive or dead I am only yours.”

Azer Girl

Another great Azeri poet, Mola Vali Vidad also used to come to Georgia. Vagif ’s elder friend lamented the death of Prince Levan in his poem. Two famous Azeri poets’ interest in Prince Levan was not accidental. Historians considered him to be his father’s hope, a talented politician and commander. Regretfully though, he was a victim of envy. In the 18th century, the Azeri citizens of Georgia were more militarily active than politically. King Erekle II trust was apparent in that four of his seven of his personal bodyguards were Azeri. He also had a personal unit of Borchalo citizens (the Azeri community in today’s lower Kartli), which was headed by Khutia of Borchalo, who had taken part in all of King Erekle principal battles and became a national hero of Georgia. In the battle of Aspindza against Persia, Khutia of Borchalo helped destroy a major bridge with Marshal David Orbeliani. Azeri people also fought in the battle of Krtsanisi against Agha Mahmad Khan. 150 Borchalo Azeris, together with Georgian Khevsurs perished defending the Georgian king, who had taken shelter in the mountains from the pursuing Kajar army. In the 19th century, when the Russian Empire occupied Transcaucasia, Tbilisi became the administrative center of the Caucasus. Azeris working in the State service in Tbilisi were actively engaged in cultural and scientific work, in particular, Mirza Shafi Vazeh, Abaskuli Agha Bakihanov, Mirza Patali Akhundov, and Jalil Mamed Kulizade. Mirza Shafi Vazeh was a famous poet and often had balls in his house in Tbilisi, devoting evenings to poetry, literary debates, and cultural and philosophical discussions. A German student, Fredrikh Bodenshdet wrote a diary titled, “One Thousand and One Nights in the East.” Bodenshdet also translated Mirza’s poems and published them as “Mirza Sahfi’s Songs.” The book was a huge success and was translated into English, French, Swedish, Dutch, Danish, Polish, Czech, Norwegian, Russian and even Hebrew. However, Bodenshted was not all so benevolent. Having seen how popular the book was, he started publishing the poems as his own in 1873. The originals poems in the Azeri language are believed to be lost. Abaskhuli Agha Bakikhanov was a descendent of the Baku Khans. His mother Sofi was Georgian. He was a poet, scientist, diplomat, translator and

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Azer carpet market

an enlightener. He arrived in Tbilisi in 1819 and worked with the Russian Governor Alexy Yermolov. Oriental and European knowledge in History, Geography, Physics and Astrology was ingrained in him. He also wrote a didactic book for children. On his return from Poland, he became acquainted with Alexander Pushkin’s family and was a frequent visitor. Mirza Patali Akhundov was an enlightener, philosopher (follower of Voltaire), poet, playwright, public man and a colonel. He was the founder of Azeri critical thinking and worked in the office of the governor. He was a pupil of Mirza Shah in Ganja and was a good friend of the Georgian playwright, Giorgi Eristavi.

paper. Prince Giorgi Eristavi writes comedies in Georgian and Mirza Patali Akhundov in AzeriTurkish .” Mirza Akhundov’s “Letters of Kemal Ud-Doule,” is a philosophical-enlightening work that examines principal oriental issues. He passed away in Tbilisi and was buried next to Mirza Shafi’s grave in the cemetery of Azeri public men, which is now in Tbilisi’s Botanical Gardens.

RUSTAVELI KNEW NIZAMI OF GANJA’S WORKS VERY WELL. IN RUSTAVELI’S EPIC POEM, “THE KNIGHT IN THE PANTHER’S SKIN,” HE MENTIONS THE AZERI NIZAMI’S CHARACTERS LEIL AND MAJNUN.

Duke Sologub wrote in the newspaper The Caucasus on February 17, 1851, “The necessity of enlightenment is clearly felt here: The local people publish articles in “The Caucasus” which is enough material for a monthly Georgian news-

Jalill Mamedkulizade was a satiric writer, playwright, thinker, public man and publicist. He published the newspaper Mola Nasredin in the Persian city of Tavriz, worked in Tbilisi and surrounded himself with such talented people as A. Hagverdiev, M.S. Ordubadi, Ali Nazmi, Omar Faik, M.A. Sabir.

Today Georgia is in a transition period from Soviet, to post-Soviet to a democratic society. This means the process of integration is also in transition, but the country’s Azeri citizens continue to take an active role in building the country and making a bridge t two different cultures sharing a common history.

12 Chanturia str., 0108 Tbilisi, Georgia Tel: +995 32 433 433 +995 32 106 392 info@investingeorgia.org www.investingeorgia.org

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INSIDER Vera Kobalia hosting a Bollywood delegation meeting at the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia. January 27, 2011

GEORGIAN FILM PRODUCTION INDUSTRY IS HIGH ON GOVERNMENTAL AGENDA With its snow-covered mountains, beautiful beaches, deserts, lakes and deep forests, Georgia has a huge potential to become an attractive destination not only for foreign businessmen engaged in purely financial sectors, but also for investors working in the arts industry. Availability of varied locations and landscapes can cut film making expenses down and put Georgia in the spotlight of big movie producers from around the globe. Indian filmmakers have a chance to be pioneers in this sense: a Bollywood delegation toured Georgia from January 29 to February 1 to check out potential filming locations. Vera Kobalia, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, met with the delegation. The aim of the meeting was to discuss issues concerning future collaboration between Georgia and India in cinematography. An agreement with Bollywood producers was made during the Minister’s visit to India in November, 2010. Additionally, on February 22, 2011 Vera Kobalia and the Minister of Finance Kakha Bain-

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durashvili, had a meeting with representatives of Indian business circles in Mumbai and discussed future cooperation opportunities,including the film industry. During their stay in Georgia, the Bollywood Delegation also met with Nikoloz Rurua, Minister of Culture. The ministry was one of the co organizers of Bollywood delegation visit to Georgia. When speaking of Bollywood delegation Nikoloz Rurua noted: “This is a great success for our country. Our aim is to discuss the future cooperation opportunities in film making between Georgia and India. The Indian producers are making a promotion video on Georgia which will be disseminated among the leading Indian producers and TV channels. We want to give opportunity to Georgians working in film industry get employed and reveal their talent.” After visiting both lowland and highland areas, Narendra Bajaj, a producer with Siddhi Vinayak Creations expresses his first impression, saying that the locations are really very unique and the infrastructure is suitable. “I think everything works for the film industry,” he

commented excitedly.

Narendra Bajaj described Georgia as the “very compactly beautiful” country, adding that “every location is very good by itself – mountains, beaches, lakes, palaces, modern cities and they’re very, very close to each other.” Apart from Tbilisi the Indian delegation visited a large number of sites in the regions including Batumi and Kobuleti along the Black Sea coast, then on to Paliastomi Lake and Poti Port. The trip to western Georgia also included Mestia, the high mountainous region famed for its medieval fortresses and charming landscapes. In addition, the delegation visited the town of Martvili where they have visited the famous Martvili cave in Samegrelo region and the city of Kutaisi - Georgia’s cultural center throughout centuries. Sataplia Cave made an unforgettable impression on the film makers as well. In Eastern Georgia the delegation visited the city of Signagi in the wine-rich Kakheti region, toured the Aleksander Chavchavadze Museum in Tsinandali, and the vineyards and wine cellars of the village of Napareuli. The Georgian National Investment Agency (GNIA), a government body responsible for attracting foreign direct investment, played host to the visit. According to Keti Bochorishvili GNIA Director, Georgia with its small size and diverse climate zones is capable of offering much cheaper opportunities for shooting a film to any interested film crew than in any other European city. Georgia was a genuine discovery for the Indian producers with its untouched nature and geographic features. The idea is that all these advantages allow travel with minimal

While Bollywood producers seek quality locations at low costs, Georgia expects that interest towards Georgia as a perfect destination for shooting a film will rise among filmmakers from other countries as well. At the same time, a rise is anticipated in the number of international visitors. Here, Bollywood movies are likely to serve as the best commercials Georgia could ever have: Therefore the Indian movies are popular around the world; the Georgian government hopes that this will help raise awareness of Georgia internationally. Hence, at the first stage, India with its increasingly large tourist population is the key target for the project.

Vera Kobalia Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development and Kakha Baindurashvili Minister of Finance meeting Indian Businessmen in Mumbai. February 22, 2011

12 Chanturia str., 0108 Tbilisi, Georgia Tel: +995 32 433 433 +995 32 106 392 info@investingeorgia.org www.investingeorgia.org

The five member-delegation, which apart from Narendra Bajaj included Varun Bajaj, a co-producer; Chirag Bajaj, an executive producer; Roop Naik from Zip Pap Zoom Productions, and other high-profile industry insiders, started exploring Georgia from Tbilisi. The sightseeing itinerary in the capital featured Rustaveli Theatre, Narikala Fortress, the National Museum, the National Library, Maidan Palace, Lisi Lake, Turtle Lake, Sharden Street, Sukhishvilebi National Ballet, and the Jansugh Kakhidze Music and Culture Center.

expenses and thus keeps the overall costs for filming by far down.

It is remarkable that Siddhi Vinayak Creations film production company visiting Georgia has an international exposure and films shot by Siddhi Vinayak Creations are shown not only in India but also countries like USA, UK, Singapore, Middle East, South East Asia. For the Georgian National Investment Agency, the best example of such promising tendency is Switzerland, the country which has been the location for a host of Bollywood movies. Bollywood producers noted that impressed by the beautiful locations featured in the Indian movies, the number of Indians visiting Switzerland boosted up. Similarly, there are predictions that I hate luv stories, one of the Bollywood’s most recent creations, shot in Queenstown, New Zealand, will increase the flow of Indian visitors to New Zealand. To date, the movie has been seen by 150 million people. According to official statistics, Indian tourists visiting New Zealand spend approximately $ 100 million annually. In 2010 the number of visitors to Georgia exceeded 2 million. In the future, if this figure includes Indians coming for film tourism, it is easy to see the economic benefits Georgia desires to see. “The film industry is very much connected with tour-

Nikoloz Rurua, Minister of Culture meeting Bollywood representatives. January 27, 2011

INSIDER ism,” commented Roop Naik, who makes commercial advertisements as well as feature films. “You have the beautiful places, hospitable people and good infrastructure.”

Bollywood delegation visiting Martvili attractions

The Indian producers said they seek a long-term cooperation. They hope to come back by around the end of the April or in May to go ahead with their plans. Meanwhile, the process of selecting scripts will begin, and once decisions have been made in this regard, specific locations will be identified. Sataplia Cave During their stay in Georgia the Bollywood representatives made a promotion video on Georgia which will be further disseminated among the leading Indian producers, film making studios and news agencies. Georgia as a first-rate filming location has already attracted interest from western producers as well. Following the Indian moviemakers, delegations of TV and Film producers from Czech Republic and Ukraine are expected to visit Georgia this March. Delegation explored Mestia

12 Chanturia str., 0108 Tbilisi, Georgia Tel: +995 32 433 433 +995 32 106 392 info@investingeorgia.org www.investingeorgia.org

To Georgia

INSIDER

THE MODEST CHARM OF COMFORT OR BON VOYAGE The Air Company “The Turkish Airlines” met the year of 2011 with an innovation. Besides New York, Chicago and Washington, the Air Company will have regular flights to Los Angeles. The new Boeing 777-300 ER, which will have four flights a week from Istanbul to Los Angeles, offers several surprises and innovations to the passengers. The most important among them is the new Comfort Class, which was added to the Business Class and Economy Class Tina Lagidze

o, getting to Los Angeles from Tbilisi via Istanbul is already a reality! A reality and believe me a pleasure, as traveling in the new direction by “The Turkish Airlines” is provided with particular comfort. The 13 hour flight connects Istanbul with Los Angeles, one of the most attractive cities of the United States of America. On board Boeing 777-300 ER the 13 hour flight is pleasant and comfortable, which will take its passengers to “The Mecca of the Film Industry” from Istanbul and by “The Turkish Airways,” which will make its passenger return again and not only once. Moreover, the Air Company has four flights a week (on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday) and an interesting tariff – Los Angeles – Istanbul ticket price is within $725!

THE KNOW-HOW OF BOEING 777-300 ER The Air Company “The Turkish Airlines” had the first flight from Istanbul to Los Angeles on March 3, 2011. I was lucky to travel on this historical flight. Among many new pleasant innovations, it appeared that the air liner Boeing 777-300 ER had its Know How, namely a cozy salon of 63 armchairs, situated between business and economy classes and it is known as the Comfort Class or the Premium Economy Class. I sat down into a large, comfortable armchair and pushed all the buttons at once. The armchair started moving and turned into a wonderful bed. I I realized that I was again very lucky, when I found out that my armchair was provided with a personal, sensor TV screen and while I was thinking about watching an Oscar-nominated picture

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or a classical one, a smiling air host was offering me something every 5 minutes, such as roast nuts, or strawberries, or champagne, or cheese or wine, both white and red, French or Turkish. After a great number of appetizers, the dinner, offered in the Comfort Class was really a special pleasure, particularly for the gourmet passenger, flying from Istanbul to Los Angeles by “The Turkish Airlines.”

THE TRAVELLING, FULL OF DELICATESSEN The people, who often have to fly, are well aware, that passengers are offered dinner exactly at the time, when the majority of the tired passengers close their eyes an take a nap... Just at that time somebody wakes you up and offers you in a plastic bag dinner, supper, or breakfast, bearing the ‘plastic taste’, which is not worth tasting, let alone waking up from your tentative sleep. This inconvenience, which usually brings about the passenger’s annoyance, does not exist in the Comfort Class of “The Turkish Airlines”: As soon as the airliner takes off, the passengers have simple stickers, on which it is written: “Please don’t wake me up for dinner”. Therefore the passengers, who prefer sleeping to having dinner, put the sticker on the armchair and have a quiet nap...Believe me, the Boeing 777-300 ER stuff will do their best to let you sleep as much as you like! Nevertheless the sleep-loving and gourmet passengers in the Comfort Class can sleep quietly until waking up and they will be given fine dinner, adequate to the dinner of the European Business Class flight. A white tablecloth, beautiful dinner-sets and the most delicious dishes! For example the Mediterranean salad, chicken filet in the lime juice, a mix of lettuce leave s, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and mozzarella balls... The second course - fish or lamb pink medallions. Believe me lamb, roasted with sweet pepper side dish is really delicious! I don’t Know about the others, but at that moment I was thinking –‘Life is grand!’ The crown of the dinner is the weak point of every gourmet – the dessert, which will enchant any passenger by its variety – the assortment of French cheese, cake, fruit and the tea, served in an oriental fashion. So I had a flight of 13 hours. How wonderful it was! And I thought, that it was so pleasant when you were taken care of, that you were taken care of so well! As soon as the first flight of Istanbul- Los Angeles was over, there was an official ceremony of “The Turkish Airlines” office opening, held at the airport

of Los Angeles. The representatives of the Air Company pointed out that “The Turkish Airways” got several new air-liners of Boeing 777-300 ER . They will have regular LONG HAUL flights from 2011 in European, Asian, African and Far East countries, which indicates, that distances are easily covered by “The Turkish Airlines,” especially when they are accompanied by the modest charm of comfort. Bon Voyage!

March

Interview

Sandra Elisabeth Roelofs The Georgian First Lady Interviewed by Maka Kukulava

The Georgian than anyone else

Even a short conversation with Sandra Elisabeth Roelofs suffices to charge one with positive emotions. When she talks about Georgia, its history, nature, culture and especially its people, who she believes are the true wonder of the country, anyone will become convinced that she is “more Georgian than the Georgians themselves.” In your book An Idealist’s Story you write: ‘When I decided to describe the last 10-12 years of my life, I had the feeling that I got off the train somewhere half-way and discontinued my journey in order to collect my bearings, re-arrange them and give them a direction.’ As a rule, when people have analysed their past, they begin something new or move on to the next stage of their lives. Now that the first decade of the new century has passed, can you say what the new Georgia is that you were involved in creating? Working on the book was like a freeze frame. I really had the feeling I had got off one train and onto another... Generally speaking, I love travelling by train. For instance, I’m going to Batumi in two days and though I can easily get there faster by car, I’m definitely taking a train. You can walk up and down a train, have something to eat, listen to music and, what’s most important, you can work. In short, it’s ideal for a journey. I love this romantic means of transport...

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As far as Georgia is concerned, extremely important changes have taken place in the last five or six years, but things are far from being ideal. Much need to be done in insurance and governance, most institutions are run according to obsolete management traditions. There are numerous problems in the healthcare and social spheres, which I am directly involved in. At the same time, I fully agree with my husband’s chosen direction, which leads to Europe, and his attempt to start by developing the country’s economics. Economics in itself is nothing if one neglects healthcare, social issues, education and culture. And in order to take care of all these areas, we definitely need production... Nowadays, agriculture is the centre of attention... It’s of course a politician’s view. Personally, I wish for everything to be happening at the same time. The country is at its developmental stage, a lot of investments have been made, but we need five to ten years to see the results. But what can families in need do in the meantime? It’s something that greatly worries me...

Interview One of my favourite sayings is, “The success of reform depends on the management of the transitional period.” It basically means that if the transitional period is correctly managed, the desired reform is going to be successful. When I describe the condition of today’s Georgia to foreigners, I say that we’re in this kind of transition. But every time I say this, I cannot help thinking that I’ve been repeating the phrase for the last ten years and have no wish to do so any longer. I’d like to be able to tell them that we’re changing every day, that we are advancing in all directions and that Georgia is becoming a better place, slowly but steadily. I believe that we are moving in the right direction, but still have a long way to go before we reach our goal. Basically, I want things to develop in all directions simultaneously.

It seems that modern world history is written by the media, not by the people. Facebook, for instance has radically changed our understanding of media as such, which arguably has started a new history. You are an active user, in fact your page is your diary, with nearly five thousand likes...

ple in person. Sometimes you write things about yourself that you wish another person to know, but not necessarily what you actually feel. I still believe in human contact, when people see each other as often as they can... Besides, it’s much safer. A vile person can get in touch with you through Facebook, which is uncontrollable, especially with youngsters. Mostly, Facebook and Twitter are tools that enhance international contacts, while I prefer real, direct communication.

Remembering your first visit to Georgia in 1992, one can say you were in a country that was virtually unknown to you at the time. Today you welcome others to the country. What do you usually stress when hosting foreign visitors? I didn’t even come to Tbilisi at the time. I visited Tskaltubo and Kutaisi, only for about ten or twelve days and mainly stayed in one place and with one family... You might find it surprising, but I still managed to get the impression of the whole country, its culture, the relationship between people, how they cared, how they feasted, how they sang... I found it all very attractive. When I have visitors now, I tend to show them exactly the same things that impressed me so much during my first time in Georgia. Mainly, it’s the wish to be together and to share, the amazing tradition of feasting together, our polyphonic music, cultural heritage, churches, museums and of course, our rejuvenated cities: Sighnaghi, Batumi, Kutaisi and Mestia. Everyone is proud of these things and so am I. My parents are coming in March and I’m going to take them to Mestia and Batumi which changes like every month. In short, I try to show foreign visitors Georgian culture and its national roots, without forgetting about the new Georgia.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE SAYINGS IS, “THE SUCCESS OF REFORM DEPENDS ON THE MANAGEMENT OF THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD.” IT BASICALLY MEANS THAT IF THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD IS CORRECTLY MANAGED, THE DESIRED REFORM IS GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL

We live in the time when it’s extremely easy to get information, but at the same time it’s rather difficult to distinguish the trustworthy from the unreliable. We receive a massive amount of information, which might not cause any problem for adults to filter, but children definitely need guidance through this virtual world. In this respect, I consider that globalization is slightly frightening. The information can be lopsided or confusing, especially for those who have a rather vague idea of the outside world, not aware of how things function, have no experience... The world is far from being monochrome, while the information spread through the Internet is often black and white. That’s why I think parents should be more actively involved in the process.

What are your favourite places in Georgia? Or your pet likes?

My relationship with Facebook, as you might guess, is very much one-sided, otherwise I’d be obliged to spend all my time at it, unable to do anything else. In my opinion, it is an invention that brings people together, but at the same time distances them, making it unnecessary to visit peo-

Georgian singing first of all, and the natural beauty of course... In a relatively small area of only about 69,000 square kilometers, we’ve got mountains, valleys, deserts, rivers, the sea, cultural monuments everything in fact. I invariably try to show a bit of everything to my foreign visitors.

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Interview Our magazine has a section called, “In Search of the Georgian Wonders.” What tagline would you suggest for Georgia under this section? For me the wonder is the people. Georgians are truly very special; that’s why I fell in love with the nation so easily. I bear West European traditions, which are quite different. It’s true, we Georgians follow European principles, but are closer to nature than Europeans. This concerns men in particular. Every Georgian man is crazy about hunting, nearly every one of them makes his own wine or helps his friend and family make it, each and everyone has his own technique of roasting meat... That’s unimaginable in Holland or Belgium. Likewise, it’s amazing that Georgian girls are so skilled in cooking. For instance, the tradition of keeping silent while taking out khinkali from the boiling water, which is a type of meatfilled dumpling... I just love such kinds of traditions... The bond between people and nature is clearly seen at feast-time, around the table, and it’s not artificial. Also, the Georgians have huge respect for their ancestors, their grandparents, their historical roots, which are often stressed through toasts or by spending summer holidays in their native parts of the country. Such an expression of closeness to nature is unimaginable in northern Europe... This is what I call a wonder...

“Why do you bother? We’re only going to stay for ten days.” I tried to explain that I was interested in the new culture, the unfamiliar life-style... When arriving in a new country, you should keep your mind open. I’ve often heard that all tourists who visit Georgia are “bitten by the Georgian bug.” They fall in love with the country, its traditions and its people. They realise that they have discovered something here they were looking for elsewhere but failed to find. Relationships, mutual respect and many other features make Georgia extremely attractive, which explains why practically every visitor intends to come back one day. We’ve got something special... See, I say “we”... It’s been fifteen years already...

FOR ME THE “WONDER” IS THE PEOPLE. GEORGIANS ARE TRULY VERY SPECIAL; THAT’S WHY I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE NATION SO EASILY. GEORGIANS HAVE HUGE RESPECT FOR THEIR ANCESTORS, THEIR GRANDPARENTS, THEIR HISTORICAL ROOTS; SUCH AN EXPRESSION OF CLOSENESS TO NATURE IS UNIMAGINABLE IN NORTHERN EUROPE... THIS IS WHAT I CALL A “WONDER”...

They say that a tourist differs from a traveller in their attitude. When a tourist visits a country they think of the time they return home, while a traveller thinks they might never go back home. When you first visited Georgia, what were you, a tourist or a traveller?

I guess I was a tourist... I have described my journey from Russia to Sukhumi in my book. At the time I was travelling with a Russian girl, Natasha. Throughout the long journey I was learning the Georgian alphabet. In general, I like languages and I remember my wish to learn the script in order to at least read the names of cities. Natasha found it strange and asked,

Have you remained an idealist? What does it mean to be one in the 21st century? They say idealism is a state of mind. If you’re an idealist, it’s for life. It means being optimistic, facing challenges... My husband says a person’s age doesn’t matter, because if someone is open-minded, ready for novelty and changes, the person remains young. I also believe it’s not the actual age that determines a person – it’s his or her attitude towards life and challenges.

We’ve mentioned the young generation and you’ve often voiced your wish to see the number of listeners of Radio MUZA, which you started, to grow so that more youngsters listen to classical music. You have often said that the music transmitted by your station is background for people while they work or drive. You have also included ailing people and those suffering from insomnia among the listeners. Once again you are adopting a holistic attitude. Do you believe that classical music is what the young generation needs for as a background? I can repeat what I said earlier – a person should be open-minded, in this case, to accept such music. They can later decide whether they like it or not. I’d like to say that those who have had any touch with

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Interview classical music can discover plenty of things in life. Incidentally, our girls from Radio MUZA visit schools with the aim of popularizing it among teenagers. Reportedly, the kids grumble at first, saying classic music is “boring, fit for grannies,” but when they listen to Ravel’s Bolero or a lively jazz composition, they start to like it, often asking surprisingly, “Wow, is this classic music too? What instrument is that?” They show a lot of interest. That’s why I have to say again that it’s about being open-minded, the ability to accept new things; then one starts to appreciate them and wants more.

In one of your interviews you said: ‘My maternal great-aunts were Catholic missionaries in Indonesia and Ghana, which I have always admired. I thought that we, the well-off Dutch, should help those in need.’ Your charity organization SOCO started with small projects in the educational sphere, but then it expanded its activities and included healthcare as well. Did you decide that ‘helping those in need’ was better done through healthcare rather than education? Why is that? Do you find the medical profession appealing?

respect I was exactly like my countrymen. But when I became the First Lady, I thought I needed training in the sphere, especially that serious reforms were underway in healthcare at the time. In their letters, people often asked me to help them with this or that medicine or this or that medical treatment or rehabilitation course. And I wasn’t sure what they wanted or how I could help them. I appreciated so much the profession of nurse when I had delivered my younger son Nikoloz. I had a private tutor at home, as I couldn’t attend lectures regularly. However, at the time of the exams, I realized I was going to be examined by a panel of pediatricians and therapists, and hated the idea of just getting a high grade as a present. I wanted to rightfully deserve it. As a result, I studied and revised thoroughly, even pharmacology, which was particularly difficult. And I succeeded because I tried hard. Now I feel I’ve got a good foundation, though I’m not a doctor and will never be one. I just haven’t got enough time to devote another five years to further studies. But I like the profession so much that I could have been a doctor under different circumstances. Apparently, taking care of others is an inherent trait...

NOW I FEEL I’VE GOT A GOOD FOUNDATION, THOUGH I’M NOT A DOCTOR AND WILL NEVER BE ONE. BUT I LIKE THE PROFESSION SO MUCH THAT I COULD HAVE BEEN A DOCTOR UNDER DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES. APPARENTLY, TAKING CARE OF OTHERS IS AN INHERENT TRAIT

Initially, when we had no funds, we used to collect toys and books which we took to various schools and kindergartens. Then we succeeded in finding sponsors and we shifted to healthcare as well. On the whole, my knowledge in medicine was rather limited. My background is linguistics, as I wanted to become an interpreter. I worked as one for two years, but then I decided it was uninspiring to translate someone else’s speech. I’m more of a creative person and wanted to work with people, not their texts. I soon discovered that when I communicated with medics, I didn’t have sufficient knowledge, which was a serious drawback. If we compare an average Dutch with an average Georgian, the latter’s knowledge in medicine is much wider. A Dutch never knows how to take blood pressure, which medicine is designed for which illness. They don’t have to as there are a lot of clinics and hospitals for that. In this

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How do patients address you?

They are utterly confused when they see me. I recall one instance. I was present at a Caesarian section at the Ghudushauri Hospital. A four-kilo baby girl was born. Then I went looking for the lucky father and found him, nervous and shivering from cold, sitting in the far end of the corridor. I asked him if he was Khatuna’s husband. He sprang to his feet and I congratulated him on having a baby girl. I was wearing a surgical mask and a cap, it was kind of dim and it was midnight, so no wonder he failed to recognize me. He pulled a 50-lari banknote from his pocket and gave it to me. I started to protest, refused to take it... It was funny. I was in the role of a traditional messenger. Soon my workmate came looking for me and asked the happy father where was Sandra, the woman he was talking to a minute ago. I was told the man gaped, utterly bewildered. Later, there was a party in honour of one of the nurses where I was awarded the title of “Best Messenger” and given a blown up, laminated 50lari banknote.

Interview ly speaking, I learnt so much during my nursing shifts at hospital. Now it’s my desire to raise public awareness of the importance of the nurse’s profession. They must have higher salaries and more rights. Also, I believe doctors should delegate more duties and responsibilities to them.

Your other passion is writing, isn’t it? I know that you’re working on another book about two Belgian brothers who settled in the town of Chiatura at the turn of the 20th century. My older son makes fun of me and asks what’s happening with my second book. He knows I’ve got some drafts, notes and jottings. Quite a pile of material, actually. If I happen to hear anything at all about Chiatura of that time, I always make a note of it and keep it in my binder, which is getting thicker by the day. Unfortunately, I can’t find time to get down to it properly. Hopefully, the book will make a good reading for teenagers, as there is a lack of literature for this group of readers in Georgia.

Among all these professions and occupations, which is of primary importance? Being the First Lady must be difficult. Quite difficult, but it transpired that I was relatively well-prepared for it, if one can call it a profession. I don’t want to sound over-confident, but I feel I’ve got the right to say so having tried my hand at various occupations. I used to be a linguist, a teacher, worked in a pizzeria in the US, both as a waitress and in the kitchen, I was an accountant, an administrative assistant and worked in a consulate, the Red Cross, and also as a business consultant. All these proved hugely helpful as I have accumulated invaluable experience.

forget to say hello I USED TO BE A LINGUIST, Itonever a bus driver because I know the job is extremely though not seen as A TEACHER, WORKED IN A useful, such, so I want them to feel and their work PIZZERIA IN THE US, BOTH AS A respected appreciated. I always try with everyWAITRESS AND IN THE KITCHEN, toonesympathize around, irrespective of their particular jobs. I WAS AN ACCOUNTANT, AN As a consequence, I can communicate with Laura any governmental ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Bush, minister and ordinary too. Today, for inIn fact, the book would AND WORKED IN A CONSULATE, people stance, I spent some time make a wonderful film as parents and their well. Apart from the main THE RED CROSS, AND ALSO with children, who are suffering story-line of with the two from rare diseases. FebruBelgian brothers, I have 29th is international added several side-stories. AS A BUSINESS CONSULTANT. ary day of rare diseases, but For example, there was the date itself is Sandro Kavsadze, a wellALL THESE PROVED HUGELY because rare, it’s celebrated on the known singer of the time, 28. I met about 150 people who moved from the city HELPFUL AS I HAVE in the clinic, among them of Kutaisi to Chiatura and children with Downs syntaught children to sing Georgian national songs. ACCUMULATED INVALUABLE drome, thalassemia, mucoviscidoses, hemophilia, It fully coincided with the phenylketonuria... There time the Belgian brothEXPERIENCE. are many such disorders ers decided to settle in the town. If the book ever sees daylight, you will find that the story begins with two girls, both named Tamar, and their friendship. One of them lives next to the Belgian brothers, while the other Tamar is Tamar Abashidze, my husband’s great grandmother in reality. In time, she falls in love with the young man who would become Misha’s grandfather, while her friend falls for one of the Belgians. Then they meet at a traditional party and so on and so forth... Now that I’ve been talking about the book, I feel I want to sit down to write it... But it’s all in my head and I’ll get down to it eventually...

and approximately 80% are genetic. Our work is directed at making their lives easier...

If I’m not mistaken, ergotherapy is the main priority of your organization. ‘Ergo’ means ‘work’ and ‘ergotherapy’ is occupational therapy. Basically, it means that while some mentally handicapped can have problems with their speech or physical development, they start to show progress if properly occupied physically and involved socially; they even demonstrate certain talent in some areas.

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Interview At present it’s an ideal therapy for psychiatric patients, autistic children and mentally impaired children... They express themselves with the help of such an approach. They might find it difficult to speak, might not be able to think logically or rationally, but they are capable of expressing themselves through drawing, music or knitting. That is ergotherapy. In Holland I had a neighbour. Her name was Marianne. We were the same age, but as time passed she remained the same, physically, while I grew up; but she had a phenomenal memory for dates. Today they brought a girl, Lika, who sings wonderfully. She was awarded a prize in Istanbul, but sadly, she is mentally and physically impaired. Unfortunately, these cases are around us and my wish is to help them as much as I can.

What do you think will be written about you in 50 years’ time?

I’m proud of in my small, humble way... Other First Ladies don’t have the same privilege or advantage of being able to reach any place in the country in just 4-5 hours. For comparison, I don’t suppose the First Lady of Russia has visited more than a couple of districts of Moscow, probably made trips to Petersburg. She can’t have an idea of what takes place in other parts of Russia and people haven’t seen her. On the other hand, I often receive letters in which the author states they and I met at this or that event in Sachkhere or in Batumi. I can meet the same person at several different events, which makes me happy. Personal contact is always more important as it fills people with hope, especially when they talk to you, look at you directly... Personal attention is much more effective than an official ministerial decision to, for example, send someone a package or two. Frankly speaking, I like giving presents. There’s hardly a day when I’m not preparing a package to present. Even now, I’ve got a whole bundle of clothes, sweets and toys for a family in need. I actually went to their house but found no one there. I’ve got their neighbor’s number to find out where they are. I think they might have moved out because they were unable to pay the rent. But I’d hate the thought they’ve disappeared without a trace...

YOU KNOW WHAT MY DREAM IS? THEY OFTEN SAY THAT I’M MORE GEORGIAN THAN THE GEORGIANS... I HOPE THAT I CAN RAISE MY CHILDREN IN ACCORDANCE TO TRULY GEORGIAN TRADITIONS, BUT They might write that I AT THE SAME TIME PASS MY BEST was very close to people and that’s correct. ProbDUTCH QUALITIES TO THEM AS ably they’ll also write that I could not only WELL. speak Georgian, but other On the whole, I prefer languages of Georgia too, THAT’S MY DREAM choosing a present rathsuch as Megrelian, Svan You know what my dream is? They often say that I’m more Georgian than the Georgians... I hope that I can raise my children in accordance to truly Georgian traditions, but at the same time pass my best Dutch qualities to them as well. That’s my dream.

and Laz. But that won’t be true. I did learn Georgian, but my grammar and pronunciation is still faulty. I know a little Megrelain, just like a tourist, able to count, a couple of songs and the phrase ‘How are you?’ Once Anzor Erkomaishvili, the well-known singer, founder and director of the Rustavi ensemble, told me that my singing manner suited Megrelain. I don’t know the Svan language, though the public opinion is that I do. I certainly know that ‘lile’ means the sun, but that’s all. My husband in his election campaign was surprised that people knew me in all villages and wanted to know how I had achieved that… With the help of the schools I visit, the patients I meet and through frequent trips to different parts of Georgia, I have achieved a certain success, which

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To Georgia

er than being told what someone wants or needs. While talking to a person, I like guessing what they might need. Whenever I give a present, I’m happier than the person who receives it, I believe...

Do you, as the First Lady, have idols? I’d say Maria Kaczynska, who sadly, isn’t with us any more. She was exceptionally tender, noble, a true example for the Polish people. She was a wonderful mother and grandmother, an extremely caring person, as those who knew her would agree. She was a model for me. She was very important to her husband, but spent her life in his shadow, so to say. She did her job, none the less significant than that of her husband. I’m trying to be like her...

PORTFOLIO

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PORTFOLIO

PRODUCT AND INTERIOR DESIGN STUDIO ROOMS Nata Janberidze, Keti Toloraia, Baia Davitaia

Rooms is a partnership between the young Georgian designers Nata Janberidze, Keti Toloraia , who became friend while studying at the Tbilisi Academy of Art. Recently they have acquired a new partner Baia Davitaia They all believe that design needs to think globally while acting locally Rooms intends to create inventive, catchy, playful, ironic, distinctive designs. Rooms is not a follower of any particular style; designers think that design cannot be described by a dogma. On the contrary, designs come about through the situation, product and consumer oriented design process, which exist somewhere between the method and the magic. Their studio and most of their works can be found in the capital Tbilisi. Rooms clients are shops, restaurants, Hotels, architects and individual customers. Interiors created by ROOMS : Tbilisi Holiday Inn Hotel, boutique PriveDirk Bikkembergs shop, restaurants: Vong, buffet, dining room ,cafe Gradus in Gudaurisixties in Bakuriani, record shop Paprika in Tbilisi,private apartments and ofice interiors. Collaboration and experimentation are the key factors to the ROOMS creative practice The design company was established in 2003

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PORTFOLIO

LATEST STORIES ABOUT ROOMS In 2010 Rooms took place at Salone Del Mobile, Milan – Salone Satellite space, which is organized for the young designers. This exhibition is a big opportunityfor the industry representatives. World’s leading brands are presenting their products and trying to discover new faces. Exhibition appeared very productive for Rooms design team: Dutch company Moooi and its creative director Marcel Wanders decided to producethe lighting - Position Lamp by Rooms, and In 2011 Moooi officially will present it at Moooi showroom in Milan, which is a huge successes for the young designers. Same year Rooms performed at art and desitgn exhibition under the name “Special Needs” at Nhow hotel, Milan,2010. Nhow gallery hosted such famous designers as ZahaHadid, Marcel Wanders, Karim Rashid, Campana brothers , Vivienne Westwood and David Lachapelle photography . Rooms wasproud to representits design furniture – Table Storage, Dressed chairs (with “Kvadrat “material) TV Table Soviet and Video Art specially created for the exhibition. Special Needs– needs of today’s man – rooms responds with its exposition. Table and chairs were set

as a Supra (Georgian feast) – which serves as a social gathering place: “Special Needs”: need of relationship, emotional sharing, friendship, respect, family and love. Video art by Rooms and Nick Machaidze corresponds to the concept of the exposition made in a minimalist way and with a sense of humor. Humor follows Rooms in most of cases: Rooms special recipe for happiness was prescribed for the exhibition, which was displayed in a medical bottle. In 2011 Rooms collaborated with Danish fashion designer Christian Westphalat Copenhagen fashion week and presented hiscollection at Me contemporary gallery. The concept of the presentation represented by Rooms was responding to the idea of the collection which is about the DNA of Cutting. Rooms created an operational space, were the fashion designer is a surgeon and he makes an operation for his upcoming collection – mannequin is placed on the operational table and waiting for the surgery. Video art created by Rooms serves for the same concept were human body parts are used as a material for the creating the art of perfection. Rooms also presenttwo Dressed Chairs – Fashion as Furniture. info@rooms.ge

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GALLERY

Georgian Modern Art What I paint is always real - my surroundings, my friends or ordinary people. Some think my pictures are not topical, that they don’t reflect or solve any of today’s problems. But a lime tree bore fruit only after I had painted it and a sleeping man confessed to me that he had a wonderful dream. I try to express true emotions and show the reality in which I live, in its true colours. There are still some people who agree with me. Tinatin Chkhikvishvili.

“SUPERSTAR IN LOVE “ Salome Machaidze

i see- a lot of light. enormous beauty. miracle everywhere. i am surprized. Maya Sumbadze

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GALLERY

Tinatin Chkhikvishvili Sliping girl 2009

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GALLERY

Lemon tree 2009

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GALLERY

Salome Machaidze â&#x20AC;&#x153;My supervisor told me :you will never be privileged to witness y tears â&#x20AC;&#x153;

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GALLERY

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GALLERY

Maya Sumbadze P.m.

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GALLERY

Untitled 4-P.Auster

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Gourme’t

Irina Enchmen

long, long time ago our world was a peaceful and unpolluted place to live. A divine project - to create the world resembling Paradise on Earth - was divinely realized. Evidently, our Father the Creator didn’t expect us to be good children because He established ten Commandments - ten Holy rules - explaining what we were strictly forbidden to do: “Do not kill, do not steal etc.” Of course this was after Adam and Eve’s son Cain killed Abel. Since the dawn of mankind, people have never stopped breaking those basic rules. They have turned the world upside down, declaring war on one another and sentencing their flora and fauna to death. In all this chaos Georgia somehow survived and even kept many of its traditions. It may sound ridiculous but in this country a man is still “a hunter” and a woman is a keeper of the “hearth and home.” They still remember their functions granted from above. For this we should pay a tribute to Georgian women and give special thanks to King Tamara who set a brilliant example as a woman who can be not only beautiful and tender, but be strong enough to rule a country and lead it to prosperity.

stupidly. She always knows what to say and when, being as diplomatic with him as a European parliament member is with her colleagues. As a result, he adopts all her ideas, having not even noticed when exactly they became his. Therefore, a Georgian lady is a good manager (“mother” + “man”, remember?) but she not only manages her husband, but her household as well. As a housewife, she is beyond compare. Her children live in a clean and tidy home, they eat healthy and tasty food. Doing housework today is not tiresome as it was before. Modern household equipment is at her service now (though a Georgian housewife doubts the quality of its work because deep inside she recognizes handwork only, but must give in due to lack of time). In general, a Georgian woman doesn’t like a helping hand for the same reason. Why, you ask? Because she doesn’t trust anybody, especially in the kitchen.

FOR A GEORGIAN HOUSEWIFE,THE KITCHEN IS A RESTRICTED AREA. IT’S HER TERRITORY

In Georgia “woman” is a compound noun, consisting of two parts - “mother” and “man.” And it’s not accidental. The first part explains a lot, as the Georgian woman’s basic instinct is motherhood. They are mother to all the members of their family including their husband, who is, by the way, the most difficult and naughty child they bring up. That’s why a Georgian wife is the best in the world - she treats her hubby like a big child that is not quite aware of what he is doing, and who is always tired and hungry. (No wonder! “Hunters” usually are). And more than this, she possesses a secret knowledge of how to manage her husband and do it in a quiet and gentle way. She will never object or insist on something

For a Georgian housewife, the kitchen is a restricted area. It’s her territory, where she wants to reign and rule alone. Here she works her wonders and needs nobody by her side asking for a recipe. Can wonders have recipes? It’s almost a magical process for her and if she could, she would hang a sign on the kitchen door like, “No Admittance” or “Do not Disturb”. To become a good cook is no of less importance for a Georgian woman than to get a good education or learn good manners. Dignity is another feature of a Georgian lady (also inherited from her great ancestors). She is also a real beauty. She knows all the secrets about how to look like “a million bucks” with the minimum amount of money and time. When she goes out she looks like a real Hollywood star or rather, like King Tamara. Come to Georgia and see for sure yourselves that every word in my story is true.

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Gourmeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t

Chef in Love

er childhood dream was to be a movie star, but after finishing a German school in Tbilisi,Tekuna Gachechiladze decided not to pursue acting and studied psychology at Heidelberg University instead. From Heidelberg she ended up at the Culinary Academy of New York, returned to Georgia and donned a chef ’s uniform. Her friends and family were amaized at her transformation but she found it perfectly natural. Tekuna soon became the Head Chef of the leading Tbilisi Hotels and Restaurants Management group, M- Group, with runs a network of 11 popular restaurants. She dismisses cooking titles and ranks and the need to prove oneself by competing for prizes and medals. The fact that over 2000 people eat at her restaurants daily is the real reward. Tekuna’s innovations are even esteemed by the President of Georgia, who trusts her talents to cater to his VIP guests. Inspired by her passion of traveling, Tekuna aims to challenge local palates with her Georgian fusion projects. By constantly searching for ways to advance contemporary Georgian cuisine, Tekuna compels us to break away from the stereotypes of both Georgian food and Georgian cooks. She may have passed on her dream to be an actress, but that’s only because she found her stage in the kitchen, where she is a star.

Gourmet’t

Sumac-crusted Salmon with Aubergine puree and Wild Berry Sauce Ingredients 4 Salmon Fillets (app. 200 gr. each) 50 gr. Sumac Powder 4 Medium Aubergines

1 Yellow Onion finely chopped 2 Medium Potatoes 200 gr. Wild Berries 20 gr. Soy Sauce 20 gr. Chilli Sauce Juice of 1 Lemon 50 gr. Olive Oil 100 gr mixed berries (fresh or frozen) Yield: 4 Servings Directions Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Oil the baking dish and place salmon fillets. Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt, paper and cover with the sumac powder. Bake for 20 minutes. Boil peeled potatoes until soft. Sauté diced onions and aubergines in a pre-heated iron skillet or thick-bottomed pan and until golden-brown. Blend the vegetables with them together with a hand blender until a soft puree is formed. Puree mixed berries, add soy sauce, chili sauce, season with salt and pepper and heat on very low heat. Place the eggplant puree in the middle of plate, put the sumac-crusted salmon on top of it and finish with berry sauce. Serve hot.

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GUIDE

CINEMA

EVENT GALLERY

Tbilisi , 8/10 Erekle II St. , Tel: 93 89 14

AKHMETELI Tbilisi , “Akhmeteli”

GALA

Subway Station , Tel: 58 66 69

Tbilisi , 27 Atoneli St. Tel: 93 14 18

AMIRANI

GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM - PICTURE GALLERY

Tbilisi , 36 Kostava St. , Tel: 99 99 55, Fax: 93 38 71

Tbilisi , 11 Rustaveli Ave. , Tel: 98 48 14

CACHE - CINEMA CLUB

GIA GALLERY

Tbilisi , 18 Nikoladze St. , Tel: 25 05 80

CACHE - CINEMA CLUB

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

CINEMA HOUSE

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

MOVIE TIME

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

RUSTAVELI

Tbilisi, 5 Rustaveli Ave. , Tel: 92 03 57, 92 02 85, Fax: 55 50 00

SAKARTVELO

Tbilisi, 2/9 Guramishvili Ave., Tel: 69 66 47; 69 66 51

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

GTM FRAME

Tbilisi , 10 Abashidze St. , Tel: 23 21 07; 14 36 24

HOBBY

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

KARVASLA’S EXHIBITION HALL

Tbilisi , 8 Sioni St. , Tel: 92 32 27

KOPALA

Tbilisi , 7 Zubalashvilebi St. , Tel: 99 99 02, Fax: 99 99 02

LA MAISON BLEUE - TEXTILE ART STUDIO

GALLERY

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

ART AND ANTIQUE SALON

M GALLERY

Tbilisi , 30 Leselidze St. , Tel: 92 05 76

ART GALLERY LINE

Tbilisi , 7 Bambis Rigi; 44 Leselidze St.; Airport, “primeclass” CIP lounges Tel: 50 85 80, Fax: 50 85 80

BAIA GALLERY

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

CAMEO

Tbilisi , 11 Rkinis Rigi , Tel: 72 48 72; (93) 31 92 66

CHARDIN

Tbilisi , 13 Rustaveli Ave. , Tel: 99 09 25

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To Georgia

Tbilisi , 11 Taktakishvili St. , Tel: 25 23 34

ORNAMENT - ENAMEL GALLERY

ESTONIA - EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 7 Erekle II St. , Tel: 93 64 12, Fax: 98 90 13

Tbilisi , 4 Likhauri lane Tel: 36 51 22, Fax: 36 51 38

PHOKANI - GALLERY OF PHOKA ST. NINO NUNNERY

FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY - EMBASSY

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

RUSTAVELI 34

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

RUSUDAN PETVIASHVILI`S GALLERY

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

TEVDORE

Tbilisi , 6 Erekle II St. , Tel: 98 98 56

VERNISAGE

Tbilisi , 20 Telavi St. , Tel: 44 73 00, Fax: 44 73 64

GREECE REPUBLIC - EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 37d T. Tabidze St. Tel: 91 49 70, 91 49 71, 91 49 72, Fax: 95 49 78, 91 49 80

IRAN ISLAMIC REPUBLIC EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 80 Chavchavadze Ave. , Tel: 91 36 56, 91 36 57, 91 36 58, Fax: 91 36 28

IRAQ REPUBLIC - EMBASSY

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA - EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 52 Barnov St. , Tel: 25 26 70 (+2601)

PHILIPPINES - HONORARY CONSULATE

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA EMBASSY

CHINESE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC EMBASSY,

Tbilisi , 12a Kips hidze St. Tel: 25 39 61, Fax: 25 11 86

CZECH REPUBLIC - EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 37 Chavchavadze Ave., b. 6 , Tel: 91 67 40, 91 67 41, 91 67 42, Fax: 91 67 44

ESTONIA - EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 4 Tetelashvili St. Tel: 95 17 23, 95 94 43, Fax: 96 42 87

JAPAN - EMBASSY

REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 7d Krtsanisi St. Tel: 75 21 11, Fax: 75 21 12

KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS - EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 20 Telavi St. , Tel: 27 62 00, Fax: 27 62 32

FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY - EMBASSY

KINGDOM OF DENMARK HONORARY CONSULATE

Tbilisi , 20 Telavi St. , Tel: 44 73 00, Fax: 44 73 64

GREECE REPUBLIC EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 37d T. Tabidze St. Tel: 91 49 70, 91 49 71, 91 49 72, Fax: 95 49 78, 91 49 80 http://www. greekembassy.ge

Fax: 29 25 49

Tbilisi , 3a Chitadze St. Tel: 99 64 18, Fax: 99 64 15

Tbilisi , 12 T. Tabidze St Tel: 55 03 20, Fax: 25 12 26

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

Fax: 29 35 53

ITALIAN REPUBLIC EMBASSY

EU MONITORING MISSION

NEWKAZ - TOURISM DEVELOPMENT CENTRE

Tbilisi , 20 Abasheli St. Tel: 29 09 79,

EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 49 Krtsanisi , Tel: 24 37 18, 24 37 10

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

NORWAY HONORARY CONSULATE

Tbilisi , 9 Takaishvili St. Tel: 22 45 44,

MODERN ART GALLERY

N GALLERY AND SANDRO ANTADZE

Tbilisi , 25 Abuladze St. Tel: 91 29 33, 25 81 00, Fax: 22 17 93

Tbilisi , 17/6 Agmashenebeli Ave. , Tel: 91 00 24

MARCO

Tbilisi , 3 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 98 21 33, Fax: 98 21 33

LITHUANIA REPUBLIC EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 16 Kobuleti St , Tel: 91 35 96, 23 45 01, Fax: 29 45 03

Tbilisi , 4 Likhauri lane \Tel: 36 51 22, Fax: 36 51 38

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

LATVIA REPUBLIC - EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 4 Odessa St. , Tel: 24 48 58, Fax: 38 14 06

KINGDOM OF SWEDEN EMBASSY

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

KINGDOM OF BELGIUM HONORARY CONSULATE

Tbilisi , 24 Kazbegi Ave. Tel: 46 52 00, Fax: 46 52 00

Tbilisi , Kipshidze St., q. 2, b. q , Tel: 25 35 26, 25 35 27, 25 26 39 Fax: 25 00 13

REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 61 Agmashenebeli Ave. , Tel: 91 01 94, 91 01 95, Fax: 91 02 70

REPUBLIC OF FRANCE EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 15 Gogebashvili St. , Tel: 99 99 76, 93 42 10, Fax: 95 33 75

REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 83 Lvovi St. , Tel: 39 90 08, Fax: 39 90 04

REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 23 Shatberashvili St. , Tel: 99 76 84, Fax: 29 24 24

GUIDE REPUBLIC OF POLAND EMBASSY

VATICAN (THE HOLY SEE)

Tbilisi , 19 Zubalashvili Brothers St. , Tel: 92 03 98, Fax: 92 03 97

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

REPUBLIC OF TURKEY EMBASSY

MUSEUMS

Tbilisi , 35 Chavchavadze Ave. , Tel: 25 20 72, Fax: 22 06 66

Tbilisi , 23 Amagleba St. ,

ROMANIA - EMBASSY

Tel.: 99 57 88

Tbilisi , 7 Lvov St. , Tel: 38 53 10, Fax: 38 52 10

RUSSIAN FEDERATION (RUSSIAN FEDERATION INTERESTS SECTION AT THE EMBASSY OF SWITZERLAND)

Tbilisi , 51 Chavchavadze Ave. , Tel: 91 26 45, 91 24 06, Fax: 91 27 38

SAN-MARINO HONORARY CONSULATE

Tbilisi , 39a Chavchavadze Ave. , Tel: 23 00 72, 29 22 19, Fax: 91 27 41

SPAIN HONORARY CONSULATE

Tbilisi , 29 I. Abashidze St. , Tel: 35 58 35

STATE OF ISRAEL - EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 61 Agmashenebeli Ave. , Tel: 95 17 09, 94 27 05, Fax: 95 52 09

SWISS CONFEDERATION EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 11 Krtsanisi St. , Tel: 75 30 01, 75 30 02, Fax: 75 30 06

UKRAINE - EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 75 Oniashvili St. Tel: 31 11 61, Fax: 31 11 81

UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND - EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 4 Freedom Sq. Tel: 27 47 47, Fax: 27 47 92

USA - EMBASSY

Tbilisi , 11 Balanchini St. Tel: 27 70 00, Fax: 27 77 01

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To Georgia

ANIMATION TOY`S MUSEUM

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

Tbilisi , Agmashenebeli Alley , Tel: 52 13 05

GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM-PICTURE GALLERY

Tbilisi , 11 Rustaveli Ave. , Tel: 98 48 14

GEORGIAN OLYMPIC MUSEUM

Tbilisi , 2 Dolidze St. , Tel: 36 57 23, 36 57 20

I.CHAVCHAVADZE HOUSEMUSEUM

Tbilisi , 22 Chubinashvili St. , Tel: 95 02 60

STATE MUSEUM OF THEATRE, MUSEUM AND CINEMA

NIGHT CLUBS

Tel: 95 19 00; 95 86 98

Tbilisi , 76 Chavchavadze Ave. , Tel: 22 51 33

Tbilisi , 6 Kargareteli St.

STATE SILK MUSEUM TBILISI

6 Tsabadze St. ,

Tel: 34 09 67, 34 09 63 Fax: 34 09 67

TBILISI Z.PALIASHVILI OPERA AND BALLET STATE THEATRE’S

Museum Tbilisi , 25 Rustaveli Ave. , Tel: 93 37 43

CLUB 33A

CUBIC

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

DIVA

Tbilisi , 37 Kostava St. , Tel: (58) 40 50 20

GURU

Tbilisi , 88 I. Javakhishvili St. , Tel: 34 74 79; 91 01 92

Tbilisi , 8 Marjanishvili St. Tel: 94 00 76

TOY’S MUSEUM

Tbilisi , 12 Ru staveli Ave. Tel: 98 38 03, (93) 22 20 60

Tbilisi , 17 Shavteli St. , Tel: 99 53 37, 99 65 11

MINERALS MUSEUM

D. BAAZOV GEORGIAN JEWISH HISTORICAL ETHNOGRAPHICAL MUSEUM

Tbilisi , 27/1 Leselidze St. Tel: 98 92 89

VAKHTANG CHABUKIANI MUSEUM

Tbilisi , 13 Shavteli St. , Tel: 99 66 83, Fax: 92 24 96

CINEMA HISTORICAL MUSEUM

Tbilisi , 3 Anton Catholicos St. , Tel: 98 59 92; 98 90 62

DENDROLOGIC MUSEUM (BOTANIC GARDEN

Tbilisi , 1 Botanikuri St. Tel: 72 11 85, Fax: 72 34 09

E. AKHVLEDIANI HOUSEMUSEUM

Tbilisi , 12 Kiacheli St. Tel: 99 74 12

FOLK AND APPLIED ARTS MUSEUM

Tbilisi , 28 Sh. Dadiani St. Tel: 99 97 22, 99 61 52

GEORGE CHITAIA THE OPEN AIR ETHNOGRAPHICAL MUSEUM

Tbilisi , Kus tba highway 1 , Tel: 72 90 46

GEORGIAN FOLK SONGS AND INSTRUMENTS’ MUSEU

Tbilisi , 6 Samgebro St. Tel: 45 77 20, 45 77 21

GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

Tbilisi , 3 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 99 71 76; 98 48 11, Fax: 98 21 33

K.MARJANISHVILI STATE ACADEMIC THEATRE’S MUSEUM

MIRZA FATALI AKHUNDOV AZERBAIJANIAN CULTURE MUSEUM

Tbilisi , 17 Gorgasali St. , Tel: 72 15 71, 75 35 30

MONEY MUSEUM

Tbilisi , 3/5 Leonidze St. , Tel: 44 24 05, 44 24 06

NIKO PIROSMANASHVILI STATE MUSEUM

Tbilisi , 29 Pirosmani St. , Tel: 95 86 73

SH.AMIRANASHVILI STATE MUSEUM OF ARTS

Tbilisi , 1 Gudiashvili St. Tel: 99 99 09, Fax: 98 21 33

SH.RUSTAVELI ACADEMIC THEATRE’S MUSEUM

Tbilisi , 17 Rustaveli Ave. , Tel: 98 40 51

SIMON JANASHIA GEORGIAN MUSEUM

Tbilisi , 3 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 99 80 22 Fax: 98 21 33

SOVIET OCCUPATION MUSEUM

Tbilisi , 3 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 99 80 22 Fax: 34 86 51

Tbilisi , 83/23 Agmashenebeli St. , Tel: 95 19 63, Fax: 23 70 25

Z.PALIASHVILI HOUSEMUSEUM

Tbilisi , 10 Bakradze St. , Tel: 99 81 16

CLUBS TWO SIDE PARTY-CLUB

Tbilisi , 7 Bambis rigi St., reservation: , Tel: 30 30 30

AVTOGRAPH

KALAKURI

MAGTI CLUB

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

NIGHT FLIGHT

Tbilisi , Baratashvili bridge, Mtkvari Right embankment , Tel: 92 30 17, Fax: 92 30 16

PICNIC

Tbilisi , 13 G. Akhvlediani St. , Tel: 92 00 45

SAFE

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

TRIUMPH

Tbilisi , 67 Kostava St. Tel: 33 59 21; (93) 10 60 50

Tbilisi , 116 Tsereteli Ave. Tel: 35 09 57,

BAMBA ROOMS

35 51 05

BEATLES CLUB

Tbilisi , 4 Chardin St. , Tel: (99) 45 74 41; (97) 07 77 29

Tbilisi , 12 Bambis rigi , Tel: 43 99 77, (99) 33 92 29 Tbilisi , 25 Kostava St. , Tel: 92 09 50

CITY CLUB

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

VITAMIN

GUIDE

THEATERS A. GRIBOEDOV RUSSIAN STATE DRAMA THEATRE

Tbilisi , 2 Rustaveli Ave. , Tel: 93 58 11; 93 18 40, Fax: 93 31 15

AZERBAIJANIAN STATE THATRE

Tbilisi , 1 Gorgasali St. Tel: 72 47 25, 72 35 83

FINGERS THEATRE

Tbilisi , 8 Merjanishvili St. Tel: 95 35 82

G. MICKELADZE STATE TOY THEATRE

Tbilisi , 103 Agmashenebeli Ave. Tel: 95 69 03, Fax: 95 17 13

G. SHAVGULIDZE THEATRE SAKHIOBA

Tbilisi , 64 Guramishvili Ave. , Tel: 61 84 26, 61 84 13

GLOBE

Tbilisi , Alexandrov garden , Tel: 14 13 77

IMPRO

Tbilisi , 20 Vazha-Pshavela Ave. Tel: 39 32 72, (97) 11 52 63

INDEPENDENT THEATRE

Tbilisi , 2 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 98 58 21, Fax: 93 31 15

K. MARJANISHVILI STATE ACADEMIC THEATRE

Tbilisi , 8 Marjanishvili St. , Tel: 95 35 82, Fax: 95 40 01

KAKHA BAKURADZE MOVEMENT THEATRE

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

KONSTANTINE GAMSAKHURDIA SOKHUMI STATE DRAMA THEATRE

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

M. TUMANISHVILI CINEMA ACTORS THEATRE

Tbilisi , 164 Agmashenebeli Ave. , Tel: 35 31 52; 34 28 99; 35 70 13, Fax: 35 01 94

MEORE SAKHLI (THE SECOND HOME)

Tbilisi , 60 Agmashenebeli Ave. , Tel: 95 78 22

MUSIC AND DRAMATIC STATE THEATRE

Tbilisi , 182 Agmashenebeli Ave. , Tel: 34 80 90; 34 79 59, Fax: 34 80 90

NABADI - GEORGIAN FOLKLORE THEATRE

Tbilisi , 19 Rustaveli Ave. , Tel: 98 99 91

NODAR DUMBADZE STATE CHILDREN`S THEATRE

Tbilisi , 99/1 Agmashenebeli Ave. , Tel: 95 50 67; 95 78 74, Fax: 96 32 89

P. ADAMIAN ARMENIAN DRAMATIC THEATRE

Tbilisi , 8 Tsamebuli Ave. , Tel: 74 77 64, 74 76 96

ROYAL QUARTER THEATRE

Tbilisi , 10 Abesadze St. Tel: 92 38 70, Fax: 99 61 71

S. AKHMETELI STATE DRAMATIC THEATRE

TEATRALURI SARDAPI – RUSTAVELI

Tbilisi , 42 Rustaveli Ave. , Tel: 99 95 00

THEATRE – VERIKO

Tbilisi , 16 Anjaparidze St. , Tel: 22 13 38; 99 98 96, Fax: 22 13 38

THEATRE OF PANTOMIME

Tbilisi , 37 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 99 63 14, (77) 41 41 50

THEATRE ON ATONELI

Tbilisi , 31 Atoneli St. Tel: 93 32 38

KUTAISI THETRE

Kutaisi, Agmashenebeli square 1

RESTAURANTS, BARS,CAFES ACID BAR-

TBILISI STATE MARIONETTE THEATRE

Tbilisi , 26 Shavteli St. , Tel: 98 65 89; 98 65 93, Fax: 98 65 89

KALA – CAFÉ-

KGB - CAFE WITH SOVIET INTERIOR

Batumi, Vazha-Pshavela str.2

8/10 Erekle II St. Tbilisi

8/10 King Erekle St. Tbilisi

L’EXPRESS - FRENCH CAFE MASPINDZELO - SAKHINKLE

Restaurants Network - 7 Bambis Rigi St. Tbilisi

MATRYOSHKA – SLAVIC

MISSONI – LOUNGE,

Cocktail Bar - 11 Erekle II St. Tbilisi

OLD METEKHI

3 Metekhi slope, Tbilisi

PHAETON –

Georgian Restaurant Beliashvili St. Tbilisi

PUR PUR

1 A. Tbileli st. Tbilisi

ANTRE

Salve – French cuisine

Restaurant- 29 I. Abashidze St. Tbilisi

BREAD HOUSE- GEORGIAN

restaurant-7 Gorgasali St. Tbilisi

BUFFET - ITALIAN CUISINE

31 I. Abashidze St. Tbilisi

CARAVAN - LITERARY ARTCAFÉ

10 Purtseladze St. Tbilisi

CHARDIN 12 RESTAURANT

on Chardin Street- 12 Chardin St. Tbilisi

COURTYARD MARRIOTT –

Tbilisi, Telavi str. 20

16 Chavchavadze Ave; 1 R. 37 Abashidze St; 3/a Al. Kazbegi

SH. RUSTAVELI STATE THEATRE

MARRIOTT TBILISI

Tbilisi, Rustaveli ave 13

Georgian Restaurant-29 K. Tsamebuli Ave. Tbilisi

BATUMI THEATRE

Batumi, Rustaveli str. 1

HOTELS

Tbilsi, Freedom square 4

cuisine- Hero’s Square, Tbilisi

Tbilisi , 25 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 98 32 48; 98 32 49, Fax: 98 32 48

BELLE DE JOUR - FRENCH

Tbilisi , 8 Tetelashvili St.Tel: 96 17 40

IN THE SHADOW OF METEKHI

14 Chardin St. Tbilisi

Tbilisi , 8 I. Vekua St. Tel: 62 61 97; 62 59 73

SOKHUMI CHILDREN’S THEATRE

Dzveli Sakhli –Georgian Restaurant - 3 Sanapiro St. Tbilisi

Z. PALIASHVILI TBILISI STATE THEATRE OF OPERA AND BALLET

Batonebi - American café 64 Paliashvili st. Tbilisi

Tbilisi , 17 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: 93 65 83; 93 18 94, Fax: 99 63 73

CHINA TOWN - CHINESE RESTAURANT –

SHERATON METECHI PALASE SHERATON BATUMI

RADISSON BLU

Tbilsi, Rousen square

CITADINES

Tbilisi, Freedom square 4

HOLIDEY INN

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

INTOURIST BATUMI PALACE

Batumi, E.Ninoshvilis str. 11

BETSY’S HOTEL

Tbilisi Makashvili str.32/34 tel: (995 32) 93 14 04

RCHEULI VILLA

Batumi, N. Zhordania str. 31

RCHEULI MARANI

10’ A

Telavi, I. Chavchavadze str.154

SAKURA

Signagi, Central square

TSISKVILI

Svaneti-Mestia, Margiani str.9

Japanese Restaurant - 29 I. Abashidze St. Tbilisi Georgian Restaurant The Right Bank of the R. Mtkvari. Tbilisi

TWO SIDE

Club-Restaurant - 7 Bambis Rigi St. Tbilisi

VERA STEAK HOUSE

American/Georgian Restaurant -37a Kostava St. Tbilisi

RCHEULI

TETNULDI

BAGRATI

Kutaisi, A.Cereteli 2a

SPORT HOTEL GUDAURI

Gudauri

CARPE DIEM

Gudauri

POLSPORT

Bakuriani, Didveli (Close to Tatra-puma lift)

VONG

Asian Restaurant - 29 I. Abashidze St. Tbilisi March

131

Special Project

Cloisonné Enamel Art

Khakhulis karedi, VIIIVII century

March

133

Special Project

The Secret of Cloisonné Cloisonné enamel art in Georgia goes back to the Middle Ages. The Georgian art of this period is recognized as a part of the Byzantine culture, although cloisonné enamel art, as the other fields of art, manifested itself in a very original way. An ancient art form, cloisonné enamel was devoted especially for the Church. In the treasure house of the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi, there is a rich collection of works from the 8th -15th centuries, as significant as the collections of the largest museums in the world. Some exemplary pieces of Georgian cloisonné enamel are exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Cluny Museum in Paris. The secret of cloisonné enamel technique was lost in the 15th century and was only restored in the creative works of a very few artists in the 1940s. Along with traditional Christian subjects, work of secular character appeared at the end of the 20th century. By the 1990s, cloisonné enamel was becoming very popular. The first group and personal exhibitions were held, cloisonné enamel workshops were established so that many artists can learn this ancient technique. Moreover, many artists participate in an enamel club, set up in 2000. Georgian cloisonné enamel artists have taken part in international exhibitions and contests. More than once

honorary prize was awarded to Georgians (Barcelona, Tokyo, Baltimore, Morez). For the development and integration of Georgian enamel art into the world the 1st and 2nd international Biennial “A New Wave” event was organized in Tbilisi in 2004 and 2006, in which enamel artists from many countries took part. The art of cloisonné enamel is an extremely intricate technique. Contemporary Georgian artists incorporate modern and individual designs to this ancientartform.Theirwork is distinguished for their highlyartisticvalue,rich creative imagination and original color combinations.

About technique: Cloisonné Enamel Art refers to a particular technique that uses a “cloisonné” - a thin strip of wire that is welded to a precious metal (silver or gold) plate. To create cloisonné enamel artwork requires a combination of artistic and sophisticated craftsman’s skills. It is a complex technology based on the high temperature burning of metal and paints. Each partitioned hollow is gradually filled with a specially prepared colored glass powder, and then baked in an oven. Every color requires a fixed temperature, the range of which varies from 800 to 1200 Celsius. It usually takes four to six weeks to complete a relatively small piece.

David Chkheidze, brooch,silver

134

To Georgia

Special Project

Mamuka Megrelishvili, Jewelry Box, silver, wood

March

135

Special Project

David Chkheidze, Pendant, gold

136

To Georgia

Special Project

David Chkheidze, Pendant, silver

March

137

Special Project

Paata Paatashvili, Cross, gold, diamond, blue topaz

138

To Georgia

Special Project

Paata Paatashvili, Pendant, silver

March

139

Special Project

Guga Sutidze, On the boat, silver, wood

140

To Georgia

Special Project

Nino Simonia, Necklace, gold, turquoise

March

141

Special Project

Nino Burkadze, Pendant, silver

142

To Georgia

Special Project

Nino Burkadze, rings, silver

March

143

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