Modi 5 by Modi to Georgia

Summertime

Adjara-On the Shore of the Hospitable Sea King David IV “The Builder” Vazha-Pshavela Georgian Trick Riders The Royal Land William Eleroy Curtis Tamara Kvesitadze

ATU DUTY FREE GEORGIA OPENS “WINES OF GEORGIA” STORE AT TBLISI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Georgia is one of the oldest and most blessed regions in the world where winemaking started. Black Sea’s influence on humid-warm summers, cool winters, temperature levels above freezing point, combined with Georgian people’s creativity led to practices of viniculture in Kolkheti region 8000 years ago using ceramic storage jars buried in ground. With the support of the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia, ATU Duty Free is going to transform one of its stores at Tbilisi International Airport into a meeting point for wine enthusiasts and experts who would like to enjoy some of the finest wines of the world: Georgian Wines. The 205 square meters “Wines of Georgia” store is going display over 100 different wines, produced by over 9 different winemaking companies from different regions of Georgia, using local grapes such as Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, Mtsvani and more. Passengers leaving Georgia are going to be able to make excellent gifts or enjoy these in their final destinations. Also, they are going to be assisted by ATU Duty Free’s highly trained sales team who will be ready to guide them to select the right bottle of wine, providing information about varietal, aromas and body. Tasting activities on regular basis will further improve their experience of different varieties of Georgian wines. Additionally, passengers are going to be able to find Georgian sparkling wines and brandies at Wines of Georgia store. ATU Duty Free will also offer some of this fine selection of Georgian wines in its stores at Istanbul Ataturk Airport to more than 20 million passengers yearly. ATU Duty Free provides duty free services at Tbilisi & Batumi International Airports. It currently operates 3 stores at the departure hall of Tbilisi International Airport in a total of 294 square meters area and one store in Batumi Airport. ATU was established in 2000 as a joint venture between TAV Airports Holding, Unifree Duty Free A.S and Gebr. Heinemann. It is the sole duty free operator of the Istanbul Ataturk, Izmir and Ankara airports in Turkey, Tbilisi and Batumi airports in Georgia, Enfidha airport in Tunisia, Skopje and Ohrid Airports in Macedonia and Riga International Airport in Latvia.

PUBLISHER Vladimir Dzhishkariani PROJECT CONCEPT DIRECTOR Giorgi Akhalkatsi EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nino Daraseli ART DIRECTOR Temo Machavariani ENGLISH TEXT EDITOR Tamar Mirianashvili TRANSLATORS Tamar Mirianashvili / Tsisana Gabunia DIRECTOR OF PROJECT & MARKETING MANAGER Leli Mirijanashvili PHOTO EDITOR Temo Machavariani LAYOUT CONCEPT Levan Asatiani AUTHORS : Giorgi Akhalkatsi / Tamar Nadareishvili / Igor Obolensky / William Eleroy Curtis Irakli Makharadze PHOTOS: National Centre of Manuscripts/ Buba Kudava / Lasha Ghughunishvili / Nodar Sumbadze / Giorgi Kalandia Malkhaz Kharbedia / The book-album “Adjara” Serian Baroian, Nino Natroshvili, Guram Turashvili FOUNDERS Kakha Chelidze / Tea Chelidze GENERAL DIRECTOR David Tvildiani IT DIRECTOR Zviad Mosiashvili DISTRIBUTION Mikheil Amashukeli ACCOUNT Maia Gambashidze 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 / The Administration of the President of Georgia / Department of Tourizm and Resorts of Georgia / The Agency of Protected AreasMinistry of Economy and Sustainable of Georgia The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Department Education, Culture and Sports of Adjara Autonomous Republic / Georgian National Investment Agency / Press-speaker of the President of Georgia Manana Manjgaladze / Turkish Airlines Director for Tbilisi ofice Fatih Guven / The Georgian Ambassador to France Mamuka Kudava / Head of Investment Policy Department of Government of Autonomus Republic of Ajara Zaza Gumberidze / Director of the Georgian National Museum David Lordkipanidze / Marriott Tbilisi / Lela Razikashvili

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

COVER Tamara Kvesitadze Detail of Triptykh

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

buba kudava

To Georgia

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

BUBA KUDAVA

To Georgia

CONTENT

36.

SWORD OF THE MESSIAH

20. Adjara - on the Shore of the Hospitable Sea 50. 42.

The Mountain Eagle

68.

58.

Georgian trick riders in the American Wild West Irakli Makharadze

To Georgia

50. The Royal Land

THE PALACE WITH THE UNICORN Igor Obolensky

CONTENT

80.

110.

Around The Black Sea

The Young Lady of the Big Ministry

WILLIAM ELEROY CURTIS

110.

80.

136.

122.

Tamara Kvesitadze Man and Woman

To Georgia

Vladimir Dzhishkariani Tamar Â Nadareishvili

136.

Hotel Intourist Palace Batumi 11 Ninoshvili str, 6010 Batumi, Georgia Tel: +995 422 7 55 25 Fax: + 995 222 7 66 07 E-mail: info@intouristpalace.com reservation@intouristpalace.com www.intouristpalace.com

For Those Who Know And Appreciate The Very Best!

A Georgian

INTRODUCTION

Nat ional Costume Men’s Attire 1.

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

2. Akhalukhi -

arkhalig is a long tight-waist shirt, worn under the chokha (the outer coat).

3. Gurian-AcharianChakura – Kind of Chokha, man’s outer, short coating. 4.

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

5. Cross-belt and pistol 6. Leader travelling mug 7. Gurian-Acharian waist scarf 8. Velvet Pants 9. Tsugamesti - leather boots composed of low shoes and leather leggings to cover the legs from beam to the knees. Tsugha is a shoe, mesti - leggings.

David Takaishvili in Georgian national costume

To Georgia

INTRODUCTION

2 3 4

6 5

July-August

INTRODUCTION

Art project : Nodar Sumbadze

HERBARIUM

To Georgia

INTRODUCTION

TBILISIENSIS

July-August

MAIN STORY

Presents

Adjara - on the Shore of the Hospitable Sea Adjara, the Sea Gate of Georgia, is one of the most beautiful regions of the country combining the Sea side and mountains, picturesque nature, subtropical flora and fauna. Being a part of Colchis and Caucasian Iberia since ancient times Adjara is distinguished with its culture and traditions, colorful national costumes and cuisine. MODI magazine offers its readers to learn more about the history, culture and geography of the region, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations for visitors in Georgia.

MAIN STORY

djara is a unique region in Georgia where wonders of nature merge together mountains and the sea, azure sky and the lavish sun, deep ravines and wide valleys, relict forests, vast snow cover in the highlands and almost snowless subtropics in the lowlands, trout in pure rivers and dolphins in the sea, a resort in the highlands and the chain of seaside resorts along the coastline. The monuments of ancient times are no less impressive - the remains of megalithic culture in Chvana, stone age ancient settlements with unidentified inscriptions in the Alpine zone, the remains of the Colchis and Greek-Roman civilizations in Kobuleti and Gonio-Apsarus, Petra (Tsikhisdziri) fortress - the witness of the battles of the greatest empires (Byzantium and Persia), the archaeological finds of which deserve the great interest of the world famous specialists. Numerous peculiarities characteristic to the Georgian material and spiritual culture has been accumulated in Adjara: production of gun-weapons in the Machakheli and Acharistskali Gorges, wrestling oriented on mastering martial arts and other games, advanced farming, multi-branch craftsmanship, rich folklore, colorful folk costumes, original folk cuisine, ancient choreographic samples and polyphonic songs. Despite the shortage of the arable lands nearly all types of agriculture is developed in Adjara (field husbandry, horticulture, fishery, apiculture). Adjara is distinguished by affluent tea plantations and vast gold-like citrus gardens. Adjara is famous with its rare plant-trees (yew, elm-tree, lime-tree, box-tree, etc). It is evident from the antique sources that the shipbuilding materials used to be exported from the Caucasian Black Sea littoral to Asia Minor. There are many rivers on the territory of Adjara Chorochi, Acharistskali, Jochostskali, Machakhela, Charnali, Bartskhana, Korolistskali, Kintrishi, Achkva and Choloki. There are some lakes too - Green Lake in the Adjara highlands, two lakes in Batumi - one on the territory of the 6 May park, and the other with the musical fountains in Ardagani district. There are also extremely beautiful waterfalls in Adjara - Makhuntseti, Tkhilnari, Kveda Chkhutuneti, Zeda Chkhutuneti, Khala and other waterfalls. Adjara mountain peaks erected round the deep gorges are the beauty of Nature and grant tremendous aesthetic pleasure to the viewers. Among them are: Kanli - 2 987m above the sea level, Kheva - 2810m, Sakornia - 2752m, Shambaleti - 2688m, Sarichairi 2684m, Taginuri - 2662m, Sacharkhia - 1616m, Khino -2596m, etc. The mountainous panorama of the Batumi vicinituies is inimitable in its beauty. Here prides itself mount Mtirala (1381m) situated on the watershed of the rivers Chakvistskali and Korolists-

To Georgia

kali. It has been announced as a preserve. The maximum precipitation in Europe (4520mm) comes on Mount Mtirala. That might explain why it is called “Mtirala” (“weeper”). However, its western slope is used as a summer holiday place whereas in late autumn it offers a splendid panorama onto the Caucasus range and the Ponto Mountains situated along the Anatolian Black Sea littoral. Various types of minerals are extracted in Adjara (copper, gold, silver, lead, iron,. aluminum, peat), construction materials (andesite, basalt, diabase-gabro, brick clay), precious stones (jasper, opal, chalcedony, petrified tree, dolerite, etc.) The supply of oil and gas deposits has also been discovered here. The possibilities of extracting such chemical elements as tellurium, selenium, caesium, cadmium, gallium, etc. have also been confirmed in Adjara. The Black Sea coastline is rich in medicinal magnetic sands, construction clays and paints. Adjara is especially rich in hydro-mineral resources, various mineral waters (sulphur springs in Makhinjauri, Slightly sulphur-hydroginated springs in Shuakhevi, medicinal and drinking waters of Kokotauri and Gundauri. During the centuries Adjara has always been an outpost of the Georgian civilization and its population bravely resisted foreign invaders that determined the harmonious merging of traditional ways of life and sensible innovations accomplished by the population. Notwithstanding harsh pressures and perils, Adjara purely preserved the cherished Georgian word, ancestral customs and traditions, personal courage, shrewdness, insatiable aspiration towards freedom and independence, commitment to justice, great faith in future and peculiar sense of humor. Adjara Autonomous Republic consists of 5 administrative units (Kobuleti, Khelvachauri, Keda, Shuakhevi and Khulo), 1 town of republican subordination (Batumi) and 1 town of local subordination (Kobuleti), 7 boroughs-small towns (Ochkhamuri, Chakvi, Makhinjauri, Khelvachauri, Keda, Shuakhevi and Khulo), 56 Sakrebulos (minor administrative organs) and over 350 villages. The population reaches 381.800 people (according to the 2005 census). The Georgians comprise the 82% of the population. Adjara (officially Adjara) Autonomous Republic borders with the Republic of Turkey to the south, the Black Sea-to the west, Guria (the municipalities of Ozurgeti and Chokhatauri)-to the north, the Arsiani Range-to the east. Green Lake Makhuntseti Waterfall

The area of Adjara territory covers 2,9 thousand sq.km. that comprises 4,3 % of the whole territory of Georgia. The total length of the borders is 304,6 km. (land border -251,1 km, marine border 53,5 km).

July-August

MAIN STORY The mostly spread dialect in Adjara is the Adjarian dialect of the Georgian language with a number of sub-dialects. For instance, the upper-Adjarian reveals certain similarity with the Meskhian dialect, the Kobuleti dialect - with Gurian one, the KirnatiMaradidi sub-dialect is characterized by the vivid influence of the Lazic. In the whole, the Adjarian dialect is very close to the Imerkhevian Georgian dialect widespread in the Artvini vilaiet, Republic of Turkey. The name of the region “Adjara”, is still etymologically inexplicable. The stem “char” belongs to the Georgian (Kartvelian) world. One part of the scholars connects the name of the main river in Achara (the Acharistskali) to the river Chorokhi and points to the ancient contacts and unity of the populations of the Acharistskali and Chorokhi Gorges. It is unquestionable that these two regions composed one common world of the Colchis civilization that later was unified with Iberia. The legendary Colchis still attracts the universal attention to this day. Suffice it to say that right in the center of the city of Batumi on a high pedestal there stands a monument to Medea - the confidante of the famous Argonauts. It is interesting that the name of the ancient fortress Apsarus (present Gonio), situated some kilometers away from Batumi, is associated with Medea’s brother by the scholars. It is not accidental that exactly here, in the most significant center of the Colchis culture, the so called Gonio Hoard of gold items (I-II C.A.D.) was discovered that represents the unique masterpiece of the Colchis goldsmithery. The Colchis bronze culture is no less important the symbolism and mythological thinking of which is vividly expressed in the Colchis axes of the same period found on this territory. The Adjara territory used to be the most significant center for the Colchis iron metallurgy. The furnaces existing here are the confirmation to this fact. The early forms belong to 11th -9th cc BC while the later ones – to 8th -7th cc BC. According to the scholars the tribes living on this territory naturally deserve being the pioneers in the Caucasus in the origin and development of iron metallurgy in the ancient times. Now it becomes clear what aspired the Greek Argonauts when, notwithstanding severe navigation conditions they strove to obtain not only the mythological and sacral knowledge but the really existing metallurgical and agricultural technologies as well. In this respect it is noteworthy that rather later afterwards, after the annexation of the Georgian kingdoms and princedoms, the Russian empire adopted the technology of Georgian production of the highquality steel swords. The Russian army used to be equipped with such swords. The archaeological monuments in Pichvnari, Gonio and Tsikhisdziri reflect the relationships with ancient Greece, Rome, and later, with Byzantium. They

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confirm the intensive contribution of the Georgian ancestors in the trade economic and cultural relations with the developed countries of that time. The so called Colchis tetri (a silver coin) is abundant on the Adjara territory. Apparently it stood equal in popularity with its foreign coins. Hence, the territory of Adjara has its beginning in the ancient past. Together with Samtskhe, the present territory of Adjara is mentioned in the list of the Georgian princedoms of the King Parnavaz period preserved in the work by Leonti Mroveli. Here we read that Parnavaz “…. sent the sixth as the head of the princedom, and gave him the lands from Tashiskari to Arsiani, from Nosto to the sea, that is Samtskhe and Adjara”. According to Mroveli, in 3rd c BC Samtskhe and Adjara were united into one princedom with the residence in Odzrkhe and its borders reached the sea. From the later period (7th c) Adjara became a separate princedom of “country” which achieved particular advance and development in the epoch of the Abuserisdzes.

Adjara Landscape Khikhani Fortress (XI-XIII cc.)

MAIN STORY It is very important for us that one of the first disciples of Jesus Christ, Andrew the First-Called propagated Christianity in Georgia. First he came to Trabzon, Lazika, and then, from Gonio headed towards the Adjara highlands and put the foundations of Christian chapel and Christian faith in Didachara. It was not accidental that Christianity became the official state religion in the 4th century and it made tremendous impact on the further development of the Georgian culture as well as the economic, political and cultural relations with the neighboring countries. The results of these relations are the ancient roads traversing the Adjara territory the relicts of which are fixed throughout the whole area. Especially significant is the road section preserved in the Kirnati-Maradidi region. The existence of which give grounds to assume that one of the main routes of the Silk Road was passing exactly here. The Chorokhi river route used to pass through Kirnati-Maradidi with the help of which the provinces of the Chorokhi side were connected to Batumi. An iron anchor is found in the village of Maradidi that shows the existence of the acting river transport on this route. I-IVcc AD is the most significant and distinguished period in the history of Adjara. By the 30s of III century the significant part of the Adjara territory was subjected to the Kartli Kingdom, while the southern part including the northern districts in Chaneti, belonged to the Macron-Henioh Kingdom. From III-IV centuries the seaside Adjara is the territory of Lazika and its economic and cultural development becomes the organic part of this Kingdom. From VII century Adjara is the part of the kingdom, which played the most significant role in the development of the Georgian culture. Here was formed the so called Tao-Klarjeti literary school the representatives of which - Giorgi Merchule (X), Ioane Khakhuleli (X-XI), David Tbileli (XI), etc. conducted diverse literary and public activities. It was here that Giorgi Merchule formulated his idea of the national unity of the Georgians for the first time. In his opinion Georgia is everywhere where the liturgical service is conducted in Georgian. The Georgian kingdom of Tao-Klarjeti played a crucial role in the formation of unified Georgian feudal state and the development of the national culture (literature, painting, architecture, etc.). In XI-XIII centuries Adjara was governed by the famous family of the Abuserisdzes. The cultural and economic development of the medieval Adjara is connected to this family name. The most distinguished representative of this family was Abuserisdze Tbeli - the famous writer and scholar of the 1st half of the 13th century and a diverse thinker. His works depict interesting every-day life stories of Adjara and the whole south-western Georgia. His astronomical-calendar work rich in arithmetical, astronomical and calendar

To Georgia

terminologies attracted the world-wide attention. He accomplished the system of then acting Georgian and international chronology. Approximately 300 years later the commission of the Pope Gregory XII based the new calendar on the changes made by Tbel Abuserisdze. This period between 10th -11th cc. and 1560s. was characterized by the intensive constructional development in Adjara. A lot of churches were built - Shkhalta and Khino, Tkhilavni, Vernebi, Tikanauri, Kaloti, Satsikhuri (Vardisikhe), Vanadzeebi, as well as fortresses - Khikhani, Takidzeebi (Chvana), Saghoreti, Darchidzeebi, Tsivasula and Machakheli gorge. Arched stone bridges in Dandalo, Makhuntseti, Tsoniarisi, Furtio, Uchkho, Agara, Makho, Mirveli, Chkheri, Tskhemlari, Dzvaria, Gorgadzeti and Chomakhisuri (Machakheli Gorge)- there are more than 20 bridges are registered in Adjara, wine-cellars and winepresses carved in stone (Makhuntseti, Kirnati, Khertvisi, Machakheli Gorge) and other defensive or fortification constructions. From the 1560s. like other south-western regions of Georgia, Adjara appeared under the Ottoman rule and Islam began to be disseminated. Despite this fact even in the 19th century Adjara was governed by the local nobility. During the 3-centurylong Ottoman rule Adjara had maintained national traditions, original Georgian way of living, native Georgian language and a number of ancient elements of every-day life and culture. As a result of the Russian-Turkish was of 1877-1878 Adjara was returned to the unified Georgian space - Georgia. The Russian administrative governance and legislation was established in Adjara. The region was divided into Batumi and Adjara okrugs (districts). Batumi was announces the center of the region.

Gonio Fortress (I c. AD) Gonio Hoard (I-II cc. AD)

New perspectives for the economic and cultural development were set in Adjara. The event of great importance was the opening of the first school in Batumi in 1881 that is connected with the name of Ilia Chavchavadze. Other types of schools and cultural-educational centers were also established in 1880-1890s. Significant steps were made towards agricultural development. The road construction was advanced and tea plantations and technical crops were cultivated. In 1912 the Batumi Botanical Garden was founded with the initiative and leadership of the professor A. Krasnov. Together with Krasnov an important contribution to the foundation of the Garden was made by an outstanding gardener and scientist-decorator Iason Gordeziani. By the assiduous efforts of the Garden staff soon the Botanical Garden situated on the Green Cape acquired the world-wide recognition.

July-August

MAIN STORY

CITY OF BATUMI

atumi, one of the oldest towns of Georgia, is the administrative center of Adjara Autonomous republic. It is one of the large-scaled seaports on the south-eastern Black Sea littoral, the last destination of the Baku-Batumi railway and the oil pipeline as well as the road junction. There are about 150.000 inhabitants in the town (according to the 2005 census). It is situated on the banks of the deep and well protected natural bay. The synthetic nature of the Georgian culture is brilliantly presented in Batumi that provides the moderation, accuracy and politeness among the Batumi dwellers, distance from extremities, amazing integration of western individualism and eastern collectiveness. The main part of Batumi adjoins the bay from the south and is developed on the northern section of the Kakhaberi lowland. The rest of the city is situated along the rivers Bartskhana and Korolistskali to the east of the bay and north-east. To the north-east from Batumi, some 3-4 km away the river Chorokhi flows into the Black Sea. Along the whole coastline of the city the Batumi Boulevard is built which is the favorite place of leisure for the locals as well as the visitors. The majority of the city population is formed by the Georgians but the representatives of other nationalities - Russians, Armenians, Abkhazians, Ukrainians, Azeri, Assyrians, Kurds and Jews co-exist with the Georgian population preserving their own identity and national peculiarities. The archaeological find discovered in Batumi and its vicinities, at the mouth of the river Korolistskali and its left bank (the hill on which “Tamari Fortress” was erected in the XI century) confirm that these territories had been cultivated by men as early as the turnoff II-I cc BC. In the Classical period the local population used to have broad trade relations with the neighboring as well as distant regions. The outer world knew Batumi under the name of “Bathus”. The city is first mentioned by Aristotle in IV c BC. In 1878-86 the Batumi harbor was announced the Porto Franco (the port with the right of duty-free import and export of foreign goods) that promoted further development of the city. In 1883, after building the Baku-Batumi railway, the reconstruction of the port and the connection with Baku via the pipeline (1897-1907) Batumi became the important port on the Black Sea littoral transferring the oil products throughout Europe. It is noteworthy that like other parts of Georgian cities and villages, most part of the Batumi population was involved into the social-rev-

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July-August

To Georgia

MAIN STORY olutionary movement against the Russian imperial rule. By its nature this movement can be considered as the national-liberation movement reflected in many significant sites in Batumi. It was at the Batumi Conference in 1918 where the preconditions emerged that stipulated the declaration of Georgia as an independent state on 26 May of the same year. However, the city itself appeared to be first under the Ottoman rule and afterwards under the British sovereignty. In July 1920, the city was returned to the government of Georgia. Though soon in 1921 Batumi and the whole Georgia was occupied and annexed by Russia. Later, in the Soviet period the agricultural, industrial and cultural development of Adjara still continued in spite of difficulties. Several thousand of Adjara population took part in the World War II. It is remarkable that according to the archive documents the hotel “Intourist” in Batumi was discussed as the alternative to Yalta for the allied conference. Batumi is a large road junction of the republic where maritime, railway and road communications are accumulated together. Large-scale maritime-transport operations are being conducted here. Batumi is the oldest and most important sea terminal on the whole Black Sea coastline in transferring Caucasian oil. The role of the sea terminal is incredibly great in respect to the public transport as well. Thousands of people travel annually round the seaside and inland cities. A great number of foreign tourists arrive here as well. After the restoration of Georgia’s independence Batumi has turned into a big “construction polygon”. A lot of hotels have been built here lately including the greatest among them - Sheraton. The transfer to the market economy caused a lot of difficulties but nonetheless the city gains back its place in the economy of Georgia. By the modern highways Batumi is connected with the most important centers of Georgia as well as inland part of Adjara. It is also connected with the Republic of Turkey by the shortest motorway and via it with the European countries. A number of projects are being worked out to make new roads; among them is the Batumi-AkhalkalakiKarsi road. Modern Batumi is one of the most comfortable and beautiful cities in Georgia. The center of the city is of peculiar interest as it was built in accordance with the building of the modern European cities; most of them had been built by the 1920s. The oldest central section of the city gives Batumi particularly cozy and attractive look. The post office building together with the adjacent one can be distinguished here, the hotel “Intourist”, Batumi Ilia Chavchavadze State Drama Theatre, cinema “Tbilisi” and many others.

To Georgia

Princes Medea Monument in Batumi Cathedral

July-August

Straight and well-planted streets as well as the parks and public gardens rich in subtropical plants together with lots of interesting architectural buildings create the impressive view of the city. The city is beautiful by its promenade the territory of which has significantly been enlarged nowadays. Batumi is a big cultural center of the republic. During the last fifty years it has become the real abode of the cultural figures. Writers, poets, filmdirectors, actors, singers, composers and choreographers from Batumi give peculiar coloring to the all-Georgian culture. There are many public schools, a maritime, an art and music schools, Rustaveli State University, maritime academy and several research institutes in Batumi. Among them are Niko Berdzenishvili Institute and Batumi Botanical Garden. There are several museums in the city - Adjara State Museum, Batumi Archaeological Museum, Museum of Art, the Nobel Museum, the Aquarium and the Dolphinarium. Batumi and its vicinities are one of the important tourism and resort zones on the Georgian Black Sea littoral. The climate is humid subtropical. The low annual amplitude of temperature, warm winter and hot summer are characteristic features of the city. The average annual temperature is 14,5oC, the average temperature in January, the coldest month - is 7,1oC and in August - the warmest month 23,2oC. The annual participation is 2560 mm (in the Chakvi zone - 2600mm annually). The showers are frequent. It rarely snows but when it does, the snow melts easily. The average annual temperature of the sea is 16,7oC at the shore. The sea water is distinguished by high mineralization. The swimming season is from May till October. There are comfortable sea resorts to the north of the city: Makhinjauri, Mtsvane Kontskhi (Green Cape), Tsikhisdziri and Kobuleti with numerous sanatoriums and rest homes.

This article was prepared on the basis of the book-album â&#x20AC;&#x153;Adjaraâ&#x20AC;?, published by the sponsorship of Education, Culture and Sports of Adjara Autonomous Republic (Georgia)

To Georgia

Making Georgia

SWORD OF THE MESSIAH DAVID IV 1089 UNTIL

THE

BUILDER

OF THE BAGRATIONI DYNASTY WAS A KING OF GEORGIA FROM

1125 POPULARLY CONSIDERED TO BE THE GREATEST AND GEORGIAN RULER IN HISTORY HE SUCCEEDED IN DRIVING THE SELJUK TURKS OUT OF THE COUNTRY WINNING THE MAJOR BATTLE OF DIDGORI IN 1121HIS REFORMS OF THE ARMY AND ADMINISTRATION ENABLED HIM TO REUNITE THE COUNTRY AND BRING MOST OF THE LANDS OF THE CAUCASUS UNDER GEORGIA S CONTROL A FRIEND OF THE CHURCH AND A NOTABLE PROMOTER OF CHRISTIAN CULTURE HE WAS CANONIZED BY THE GEORGIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH MOST

HIS DEATH IN

SUCCESSFUL

he only son of King George II (1072–1089) by his wife Helena, he was born in Kutaisi, western Georgia in 1073. David was raised during one of the darkest chapters of Georgian history, amidst the strife of the so-called Great Turkish Onslaught (didi turkoba) when the Seljuk tribes began massive migrations to the southern Caucasus. King Giorgi II was unable to cope with the problem, and in a bloodless coup in 1089, he was forced to resign in favor of his 16-year-old son. Despite his age, he was actively involved in Georgia’s political life. Backed by his tutor and an influential churchman George of Chqondidi, David IV pursued a purposeful policy, taking no unconsidered step. He was determined to bring order to the land, bridle the unsubmissive secular and ecclesiastic feudal lords, centralize the state administration, form a new type of army that would stand up better to the Seljuk Turkish military organization, and then go over to a methodical offensive with the aim of expelling the Seljuks first from Georgia and then from the whole Caucasus. Between 1089–1100, King David organized small detachments of his loyal troops to restore order and destroy isolated enemy troops. He began the resettlement of devastated regions and helped to revive major cities. Encouraged by his success, but more importantly the beginning of the Crusades in Palestine, he ceased payment of the annual contribution to the Seljuks and put an end to their seasonal migration to Georgia. In 1103, King David captured the fortress of Zedazeni, a strategic point in his struggle for Kakheti and Hereti, and within the next three years he liberated most of eastern Georgia. In 1093, he arrested the powerful feudal lord Liparit Baghvashi, a long-time enemy of the Georgian crown, and expelled him from Georgia (1096). After the death of Liparit’s son Rati, David abolished their duchy of Kldekari in 1103.

To Georgia

He slowly pushed the Seljuk Turks out of the country, recovering more and more land from them as they were now forced to focus not only on the Georgians but the newly begun Crusades in the eastern Mediterranean. By 1099 David IV’s power was considerable enough that he was able to refuse paying tribute to the Turks. By that time, he also rejected a Byzantine title of panhypersebastos thus indicating that Georgia would deal with the Byzantine Empire only on a parity basis. In 1104 a major ecclesiastical congress known as the Ruis-Urbnisi Synod was held at the monasteries of Ruisi and Urbnisi. David succeeded in removing oppositionist bishops, and combined two offices: courtier’s (Mtzignobartukhutsesi, i.e. Chief Secretary) and clerical (Bishop of Tchqondidi) into a single institution of Tchqondidel-Mtzignobartukhutsesi corresponding roughly to the post of prime minister. The same year, David’s supporters in the eastern Georgian province of Kakheti captured the local king Aghsartan II (1102–1104), a loyal tributary of the Seljuk Sultan, and reunited the area with the rest of Georgia. Following the annexation of Kakheti, in 1104, David routed a Seljuk punitive force at the Battle of Ertzukhi, leading to momentum that helped him to secure the key fortresses of Samshvilde, Rustavi, Gishi, and Lorri between 1110 and 1118. Problems began to crop up for David now. His population, having been at war for the better part of twenty years, needed to be allowed to become productive again. Also, his nobles were still making problems for him, along with the city of Tbilisi which still could not be liberated from Arab grasp. Again David was forced to solve these problems before he could continue the reclamation of his nation and people. For this purpose, David IV radically reformed his military. He resettled a Kipchak tribe of 40.000 families from the Northern Caucasus in Georgia in 1118–1119. Every Georgian and

Gelati Monastry Fresco King David the Builder

Making Georgia Kipchak family was obliged to provide one soldier with a horse and weapons. This 56.000 men strong army was entirely dependent on the King. Kipchaks were settled in different regions of Georgia. Some were settled in Inner Kartli province, others were given lands along the border. They were quickly assimilated into Georgian society. In 1120 David IV moved to western Georgia and, when the Turks began pillaging Georgian lands, he suddenly attacked them. Only an insignificant Seljuk force escaped. King David then entered the neighboring Shirvan and took the town of Qabala. In the winter of 1120–1121 the Georgian troops successfully attacked the Seljuk settlements on the eastern and southwestern approaches to theTranscaucasus. Muslim powers became increasingly concerned about the rapid rise of a Christian state in southern Caucasia. In 1121, Sultan Mahmud b. Muhammad (1118–1131) declared a holy war on Georgia and rallied a large coalition of Muslim states led by the Artuqid Najm al-din El-ğazi and Toğrul b. Muhammad. The size of the Muslim army is still a matter of debate with numbers ranging from fantastic 600,000 men (Walter the Chancellor’s Bella Antiochena, Matthew of Edessa) to 400,000 (Smbat Sparapet’s Chronicle) to modern Georgian estimates of 250,000–400,000 men. All sources agree that the Muslim powers gathered an army that was far much larger than the Georgian force of 56,000 men. However, August 12, 1121, King David routed the enemy army on the fields of Didgori, achieving what is often considered the greatest military success in Georgian history. The victory at Didgori signaled the emergence of Georgia as a great military power and shifted the regional balance in favor of Georgian cultural and political supremacy. Following his success, King David captured Tbilisi, the last Muslim enclave remaining from the Arab occupation, in 1122 and moved the Georgian capital there. A well-educated man, he preached tolerance and acceptance of other religions, abrogated taxes and services for the Muslims and Jews, and protected the Sufis and Muslim scholars. In 1124, David’s army liberated Dmanisi, the last Seljuk stronghold in southern Georgia. In 1124, David finally conquered Shirvan and took the Armenian city of Ani from the Muslim Emirs, thus expanding the borders of his kingdom to the Araxes basin. Armenians met him as a liberator providing some auxiliary force for his army. It was when the important component of «Sword of the Messiah» appeared in the title of David the Builder. It is engraved on a copper coin of David›s day: king of kings, David, son of George, sword of the messiah.

To Georgia

Making Georgia

July-August

Making Georgia Human treatment of the Muslim population, as well as the representatives of other religions and cultures, set a standard for tolerance in his multiethnic kingdom. It was a hallmark not only for his enlightened reign, but for all of Georgian history and culture. David the Builder died on January 24, 1125, and upon his death, King David was, as he had ordered, buried under the stone inside the main gatehouse of the Gelati Monastery so that anyone coming to his beloved Gelati Academy stepped on his tomb first, a humble gesture for a great man. He had three children, the son Demetrius, who succeeded him and continued his father›s victorious reign; and two daughters, Tamar, who was married to the Shirwan Shah Akhsitan (Aghsartan in Georgian), and Kata (Katai), married to Isaakios Comnenus, the son of the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenus. Beside his political and military skills, King David earned fame as a writer, composing Galobani sinanulisani (Hymns of Repentance, c. 1120), a powerful work of emotional free-verse psalms, which reveal the king’s humility and religious zeal. King David the Builder gave close attention to the education of his people. The king selected children who were sent to the Byzantine Empire “so that they be taught languages and bring home translations made by them there”. Many of them later became well-known scholars. At the time of David the Builder there were quite a few schools and academies in Georgia, among which Gelati occupies a special place. King David’s historian calls Gelati Academy. “A second jerusalem of all the east for learning of all that is of value, for the teaching of knowledge - a second athens, far exceeding the first in divine law, a canon for all ecclesiastcal splendors.” Besides Gelati there also were other cultural-enlightenment and scholarly centers in Georgia at that time, i.e. the Academy of Ikalto. David himself composed, c. 1120, “Hymns of Repentance” (galobani sinanulisani), a sequence of eight free-verse psalms, with each hymn having its own intricate and subtle stanza form. For all their Christianity, cult of the Mother of God, and the king’s emotional repentance of his sins, David sees himself as reincarnating the Biblical David, with a similar relationship to God and to his people. His hymns also share the idealistic zeal of the contemporaneous European crusaders to whom David was a natural ally in his struggle against the Seljuks.

To Georgia

Gelati Monastry Fresco

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To Georgia

The Mountain Eagle

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In July 2011, Georgia celebrates 150 anniversary of Vazha Pshavela, the outstanding and exceedingly original Georgian poet. Born Luka Razikashvili in a small village Chargali (Pshavi mountainous province in North-Eastern Georgia), he was brought up in a family of a priest, in which the traditions of Pshav poetry were reverently conserved. In 1882 Vazha Pshavela graduated from the teachers’ Seminary in Gori. A year later he entered Petersburg University, where he studied law. However, through a lack of means, the poet soon left the university and returned to his native country, where he made teaching his chief pursuit, at the same time assiduously pursuing his own studies. He made a deep study of the classics of world literature and became familiar with philosophic and social doctrines. Despite the fact that the poet was greatly interested in the cultural and intellectual movement of his time, he voluntarily left Tbilisi, Georgia’s cultural centre, and returned forever to his native hills, to his village of Pshavi, to the life of a peasant. The poet often wrote his poems by the light of the fire on his hearth, in his primitive hut. Vazha Pshavela, together with the well-known Georgian novelist Alexander Kazbegi, was the first to introduce a fresh theme - the life and traditions of the highlanders of Georgia - into Georgian literature. In his works Vazha Pshavela depicted the way of life and psychology of the contemporary Pshavi, their legendary exploits in battles for the defense of their native land, as well as their great mythology. He was the author of 36 narrative poems, about 400 other poems, plays, stories, and ethnological, publicistic and critical articles. He gave virtually precise ethnological descriptions of the lives of mountaineers; at the same time, he recreated a whole world of mythological concepts. The poet looked to the heroic past of his people and summoned them to

the struggle against their external and internal enemies (the poem The Wounded Snow Leopard, 1890; Letter of a Pshav Soldier to His Mother, 1915, and others). In his best epic works Pshavela raised the problems of the interrelations of man and society and man and nature and resolved the problems of love and duty to the people. The narrative poems Aluda Ketelauri (1888) and The Guest and the Host (1893) depict the conflict between the individual and the temi (the peasant commune): the heroes oppose certain obsolete laws of the peasant commune. These people of strong spirit and their sense of their own worth and thirst for freedom are dear to the poet. He touches upon these themes in the play The Outcast (1894). Vazha Pshavela idealized the old customs of the Pshavi, their purity, and their freedom from the taint of “false civilization.” In the narrative poem Snake Eater (1901) the sage Mindia dies because he cannot reconcile his ideals with the demands of his family and society. The narrative poem Bakhtrioni (1892) tells of the participation of the Georgian tribes in the uprising against the Iranian conquerors in Kakheti (Eastern Georgia) in 1659. As a poet who sang of the natural setting of his native land, Vazha Pshavela has no equal in Georgian poetry. His landscape is full of movement and internal conflicts. His language is saturated with the richness of folk speech; at the same time, it is an irreproachably precise literary language. The poetic world of Vazha Pshavela is one of exceeding breadth, originality and variety. In 2011, the 150th anniversary of the birth of Vazha Pshavela was included in the list of anniversaries with which UNESCO is associated in 2010-2011. Vazha Pshavela’s poems and stories have been translated into many foreign languages. MODI offers its readers Poet’s verses translated by Venera Urushadze.

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LETTER OF A PSHAV SOLDIER TO HIS MOTHER Thy dreams, dear mother, will become A garden full of happiness. O weep not so, nor drown thy heart In languor of grief’s heaviness.

Wool in the quiet of the night. Thy head is bent and tears like torrents Fall on the carded wool so white. A homespun ‘chokha’ wilt thou sew

Our wounds are healed, and once again, We’re ready for a dubious fight. The morn we’ll greet with battle cries, With deeds of wonder and of might.

For me, made holy by thy tear; No sword can tear it, nor can fire Burn through the cloth, O mother dear. And through the long and dreary night

Tamari’s sons will flood the skies With radiance of vict’ry’s light, And with our lives we’ll guard and keep The torch of honour ever bright.

Sleep toucheth not thy tearful eyes. God grant to happy smiles and song Be changed thy mournful dirge and sighs. Farewell! the battle-trumpet rings,

For glory born of fallen pride We ne’er will barter Georgia’s right! We’ll fell the enemy or die, And ne’er like cowards shirk a fight.

And bids us rush where soldiers’ cries Resound; where blades like lightning blaze And cannon’s volley rends the skies. But woe! if glory’s thrill is o’er

Though now we’re far from Georgia, yet, Our hearts for her with longing sigh. One thing sends fires through our veins, As wondering we see on high,

And all our hopes turn to despair! Woe if the spark of valour’s flame To ashes cold be quenched fore’er! Perchance the raven black will croak

Above a red-fanged field of war, Upon a flying steed — a knight! He holds a flaming sword that like A star of hope shines in the night!

A dirge of doom o’er Georgia fair! Farewell! the battle-trumpet rings And bids us rush where soldiers’ cries Resound, where blades like lightning blaze

His glowing eyes flash sombre light. And there midst man-wrought hell and woe That knight protects our souls from blight! When all is still and not a sound

And cannon’s volley rends the skies. Farewell! and weep not, for thy son Will fell the foe or bravely die!

Is heard of cannon’s deafening roar, When battle’s surging din is hushed, And thoughts invade my mind once more, I seem to see thee, mother, combing

To Georgia

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THE SHEPHERD-MAID

A SOLITARY WORD

On quiet sleep you lie, fair maid, With curly locks that lure the eye. What visions, thoughts invade your dreams As you rest here beneath the sky?

I breathed a word that grief had wrought. It winged its flight into the air, Then pierced the haunts and souls of men, And left its tears and laughter there.

With beating heart and hurrying feet You pass this forest every day. Woe if you meet the tiger fierce, The wolf or bear upon your way!

It was a word flung from a heart That knew but misery and tears, — A word that knew its lowly birth In throes of agony and fears.

*** A light worn garment hid her form. Her feet in slippers soft were clad. The beauty of her arms on which Her head reposed nigh made me mad.

Though nursed by suffering and trial, It spread and flourished in its flight, And wondering I beheld it glow, Adorned in sparkling jewels bright.

A sheep-skin sack hung on her back, A shepherd’s rod beside her lay. She slumbered on and sleep brought her A short respite from toils of day. Oblivious of any fear, No troubled dreams disturbed her sleep, Yet, for that angel of the woods I feared, and prayed to God to keep Her safe from every future pain. Though I, by fate, am doomed to wander With dire misfortune all my life, God, may Thy blessings fall upon her, For if those eyes are closed by death, And no more will they brightly glow, What other fires can warm my heart Or on it equal joys bestow?

And soon upon a throne of gold It ruled in radiance and might, — The hope and faith of sunless hearts, The darkened bosom’s torch of light. I marvelled at that vision fair, The offspring of my passion’s fires; Resistless was its beauty as It filled men’s souls with strange desires. I wondered much, and smiled to see How over souls of men it reigned, How it had sprung from misery That birth with tears of blood had stained — A solitary word of woe, Abused, objected and profaned.

O mounts! O trees! O flowing streams! On ye I call in humble prayer, This lass, the angel of my dreams, From pain and sorrow shield fore’er!

July-August

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THE SWORD’S COMPLAINT

A SONG

Rust adorns thee, sword, and mould’ring Is thy scabbard once so fine. Where’s thy master’s arm of iron, Where’s that flashing gleam of thine?’

Once there bloomed upon a meadow Roses, violets, flow’rs of grace. The gods from urns poured nectared beauty On the meadow’s up-turned face.

“On the fatal plain of Shamkor, He fell dead, with many a wound, And his blood flowed like a torrent, Dyeing red the battle ground.

Hanging vines and branches wove Canopies of gold and shade Through which the sky serenely peeped And gentle breezes humming strayed.

Though he fell beneath the struggle With the deadly enemy, Valiant were his deeds and dauntless. Matchless was his bravery

The bulbul sang of only love; Nature listened in delight — I felt joy rise in my breast; Thrilled at the beauty of the sight.

Foremost was he in the battle, Smiting, hewing down the foe. Georgia and a soldier’s honour Made him bear the crushing blow.

Captivated by the place The morrow found me there again... But alas! the scene was changed And horror petrified my brain.

A coward’s hand has hung me useless Here to rust in endless night. Georgia has become a market Cursed and doomed by venal blight!

The violets and roses were Lovely; though the bulbul’s song Was as musical and sweet, Yet my heart in pain was wrung!

I, who proudly fought for freedom, Now am pawned or sold for gold, A bartered thing to crown the downfall Of my country’s pride of old.

Stunned, I saw a sight that made me Wish my seeing eyes were blind... Stagnant vapours and black snakes

Many years have passed since Georgia’s Son did whet me till I flashed, Rendered sharp my blade so deadly, And with me to battle dashed. Nor have I heard sounds of trumpets, Nor the shouts of victory... I have passed an age thus hanging Here in rust and slavery.”

To Georgia

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A FEAST Pour me the wine of liquid flame, And steep my soul in rubied flow; Perhaps twill banish cares away, And tinge with rose this world of woe Perchance ‘twill drown the pangs of life In Bacchus’ horn of nectared fire, And Fancy find for me a maid Upon whose bosom I’ll expire. On whirlwind’s wing my steed and I Will cleave the waves of oceans wide. We’ll fly the haunts of mortal man Where every joy of mine has died. For death on high is sweeter far Than life upon the earth below Which is an urn of buried hopes, Floating on a sea of woe.

It’s heart-corroding to behold The years pass like the stream in sighs...

THE EAGLE In haughty pride, though wounded sore, An eagle fought the raven-crow. The bird in desperation strove To rise but fell in frenzied woe. His right wing swept the blood-stained ground; His bosom shone in crimson glow. “Alas! you smite, O ravens wild, When I am wounded, fallen low. Were I not struck, your feathers black Would surely deck the plains below

A SONG Beyond the river dark thou art. Between us rushing waters flow. There is no bridge, no boat have we, Nor wings to cross the river, so, I gaze upon thy smiling face And long to press my lips to thine, Though well I know I ne’er will hold Thee in my arms, O dearest mine! No hope relieves our hopelessness, Nor lights the brooding darkening sky. Delusion makes us bitter smile Through tears that blind the aching eye. Over the rushing waters wild My voice takes wing and towards thee flies, But mingling with the deafening roar In raging depths it swoons and dies.

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DESPAIR Beneath the shade of a beech tree high In solitude a violet grew. It wished to woo the sunbeams gold And lure them to its realm of blue. The flower in breathless eagerness Waits for the sun-rays from on high And gazes on the sunny world With wistful sighs and tearful eye. The violet longs to curtsey low And dance amidst the sunbeams bright, To have its pretty head adorned With rays of shimmering golden light. The lovely flower droops and weeps; It heaves a piteous, hopeless sigh, For to this realm of shadows soft No rays of sunlight ever fly. The violetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heart in sorrow breaks As on the ground it withering lies. Near by, its dying eyes behold Sun-lighted flowers dance â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;neath the skies.

To Georgia

Presents

To Georgia

WALLS OF THE PAST

THE PALACE WITH THE UNICORN

The author and journalist Igor Obolensky lives in Moscow and Paris. Yet he often visits Tbilisi, where in the last spring the first international presentation of his book “The Destiny of Beauty: The History of Georgian Wives” was held. Today it’s translated into four languages. Igor Obolensky

t’s impossible not to notice this house, or once noticed not to become curious about the origin of this wonder, located on one of many small alleys surrounding Plekhanov Street.

I was no exception. As soon as I saw this palace of beauty unlike anything I have seen before, I started pestering my friends and acquaintances with questions about that miracle I saw from the car window. Alas, nobody could tell me much about an object of my admiration. So, I decided to pay a visit to the archives and it was absolutely worth it. Not only did I manage to uncover the story of the building itself, but I also got acquainted with the incredible history of its inhabitants… but everything in its due time. When in 1810 Napoleon proposed to the Great Princess Ekaterina, the sister of the Emperor Alexander the First, the Russian Emperor refused: ‘my sister will find herself a more deserving husband.’ Two years later,

the Frenchman tried to prove his Russian counterpart wrong, but for Napoleon the year 1812 ended in the complete fiasco. What has it all got in common with Georgia and the palace in Tiflis you will ask? The thing is that Napoleon’s unrealized wife’s greatest love was General Peter Bagrationi. Unfortunately, at the time Great Princess Ekaterina was already married and had children with a man of House of Oldenburg, therefore the romance with the distinguished Georgian did not come into fruition. Yet another romance, this of the Great Princess’ own grandson restored the ties with Georgia and brought the story to Tiflis, to that very palace. Constantine of Oldenburg – that was the name of Ekaterina Pavlovna’s grandson, and great grandson of the Emperor Pavel the First, came to the Caucasus as a part of his military service. In 1881 in Kutaisi, where according to the sketches of Mihaly Zichy the “Live Paintings” from “The Knight in the Panther’s Skin” were exhibited, prince von Oldenburg noticed the ac-

July-August

WALLS OF THE PAST tress playing the lead role of Nestan-Darejan. This lady turned out to be a twenty-six year old Princess Agrippina Dadiani, nay Japaridze. The Prince started asking around about the woman he fell in love with at first sight. He found out that Agrippina had married Tariel Dadiani at the age of fourteen and had two children with him, but was never happy in her marriage. Besides, the Prince Dadiani was a passionate gambler and his gambling debts were sure to bring him and his family to the debtors’ prison. Upon getting this information, Constantine Oldenburg did everything in his power to get himself at the same gambling table as Tariel. Moreover, it was not hard to do it, as the Georgian Prince used to gamble every day. When Dadiani’s loss was getting too big, he could not help exclaiming: Even if I sell the whole Tiflis, I still won’t be able to pay off all my debts! At this the Prince calmly answered: You don’t need to sell Tiflis, simply give me your wife and I’ll even pay you something atop. How much is your Tiflis? Full of joy, that his problem was so easily solved, Dadiani called his wife and said:

Prince Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration (1765 - 1812) a descendant of the Georgian royal family of the Bagrations, a general of the Russian army.

You know, I have sold you! To whom? - Asked Agrippina. Here, to the Prince! - Answered Prince Dadiani, surprised at his wife’s composure (after all, they did have two children). Without uttering a single word, Agrippina slapped now already her ex-husband across his face (for her everything was over), came up to Prince von Oldenburg, took his arm and left the room. The wedding took place on October 8, 1882. As a result of this morganatic marriage, Prince Constantine of Oldenburg lost all the rights to the family inheritance and his children were unable to bear the title of the Princes of Oldenburg. Nevertheless, Constantine Petrovich’s fortune allowed him to pay no attention to such formalities. By the Emperor’s special decree, the descendants of Prince Oldenburg were to be given a different name and the Prince was allowed to choose between two options: Bozi and Zarnakau, according to the land in Golshtinia, which had long been in the Oldenburgs’ possession. The issue was settled by the advice of the Prince’s friend, his highness Prince Giorgi Shervashidze. “If you are going to live in Georgia, take the name of Zarnekau”,

To Georgia

Bagration entered the Russian army as a sergeant in 1782, beginning a thirty year career in the Russian Army, and served for some years in the RussianCircassian War. He participated in the Siege of Ochakov (1788). He served in the military campaign to suppress the Polish Kostiuszko Uprising of 1794. His merits were recognized by Suvorov, whom he accompanied in the Italian and Swiss campaign of 1799, winning particular distinction by the capture of the town of Brescia. In the wars of 1805 Bagration’s achievements appeared even more brilliant. With a small rearguard he successfully resisted the repeated attacks of forces five times his own numbers at the Battle of Hollabrunn (1805), and though half his men fell, the retreat of the main army under Kutuzov was thereby secured. At Austerlitz (2 December 1805) Bagration fought against the left wing of the French army commanded by Murat and Lannes. As a hero of the Napoleonic Wars he returned to St. Petersburg, to become the lover of Catherine, the sister of the Tzar, Alexander I. A marriage was out of the question. In 1812 Bagration commanded the 2nd army of the West. Bagration led the left wing at the Battle of Borodino. During the battle he received a mortal wound and later died on 24 September, in the village of Simi, which belonged to his aunt. Tsar Nicholas I had a monument erected in his honour on the battlefield of Borodino. The general’s remains were transferred to the place where he had fallen and remain there to this day.

WALLS OF THE PAST

said he. The Prince thanked him and followed Shervashidze’s advice. Later on, upon finding out the meaning of the word “bozi” in the Georgian language, he also added a valuable present to his gratitude. It turned out that “bozi” in Georgian was used as an improper word for “a woman of indecent behavior.” As a result, after marriage, the ex-Princess Dadiani and her children acquired the title of the Counts of Zarnekau. She gave birth to five children and was famous for her hospitality. The Countess and her husband were not very fond of mixing in the high society, yet during the era of Nikolai the Second they were guests of the most famous ball of, the masquerade ball of 1903. At the time the most famous families of the empire gathered in St. Petersburg. Every guest was supposed to appear in the stylized costume of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich’s era. A photograph has been preserved, in which Countess Agrippina Zarnekau is depicted in the boyarynia costume of the 17th century. The family life, which started in rather strange fashion, turned out to be quite happy. Almost every day Prince Oldenburg wrote love letters to his wife and gave her presents. The most expensive amongst those presents, was the exquisitely beautiful palace on Novosadovaya Street (a present day Kargareteli Street). Its construction was finished in 1895 and the architect was Paul Stern.

To Georgia

The pediment of the palace has the Oldenburg’s house of arms, the white unicorn. Every hall of the palace was decorated in its own style. The guests were admitted in the Greek or Egyptian Halls, while banquets were held in the drawing room, furnished in Louis the Sixteenth style. One of the large rooms was transformed into library, where the collection of valuable folios of the 17th and 18th centuries was kept. Zarnekau family spent only several weeks a year in the Tiflis residence. Most of their time they lived in St. Petersburg or in their summer cottage in Gagra. In fact, it’s thanks to this family and Prince Constantine’s brother Alexander Petrovich that this resort came into existence. Countess Zarnekau and Prince Oldenburg were frequent visitors to Abastumani as well, where the heir of the crown, His Highness, Prince Giorgi lived. The Empress Maria Fiodorovna used to complain to her husband, Alexander the Third, that the visits of the Countess and the Prince had a negative impact on the health of His Highness, Prince Giorgi. Feasts were contra-indicated to the sick Prince. But the Tsar’s son was so fond of the joyful spirit of the Zarnekau couple that he insisted on their presence in his palace, despite his mother’s objections. The tragic death of the young heir from tuberculosis in 1899 was a great shock for ev-

WALLS OF THE PAST erybody. Countess Agrippina Zarnekau and Prince Oldenburg accompanied the heir funeral procession from Abastumani to St. Petersburg... Prince Oldenburg passed away in Nice in March of 1905. After his death the Countess of Zarnekau used to come to Tiflis only occasionally for short visits. Nevertheless, the palace was kept in a perfect order, as if Agrippina had just left her room. In 1921, after Georgia lost its independence, all of Agrippina’s children managed to leave abroad, except for her son Alexey, who was executed by the Bolsheviks. Countess Zarnekau herself refused to go, because one of her daughters, Nina, was in the mental asylum in Piatigorsk and the Countess just could not leave her. In the old days, Nina Zarnekau was famous for her uncanny ability to summon spirits. Even Nikolai the Second used to ask her “to turn the plate”. Nina passed away in 1922. Unfortunately, Agrippina Zarnekau could no longer leave Russia, neither could she return to her palace in Tiflis, which she used to have fond memories of until the very last day of her life in 1926. During the communist times, the destiny of the wonderful palace turned out to be rather tragic. Soon after 1921, the Nursing Home for the deaf and dumb was housed there. One of its inhabitants was the sister of the principal executioner of the newly born Empire, Lavrenty Beria, who put a lot of efforts into destroying formerly powerful Russia and Georgia and into extinguishing the existence of Zarnekau-Oldenberg family. Before moving the patients in, the luxuriant halls of the palace were split up into small, cage-like partitions, which served as wards, all the valuable furniture was taken out into the yard, while the ancient library was either destroyed or plundered by the people inhabiting adjoining houses. After the war, some Soviet establishments were housed in the palace. According to the tradition of those years, the walls were padded with wooden panels covering the unique wall paintings and decorations of the 19th century underneath. It was in such a deplorable state that only its architectural form allowed one to call it the palace. It was only in 1989 that the resolution was made to place the State Museum of the Theater, Cinema, Music and Choreography in the walls of the palace. Today it is embraced by the scaffolding of the restorers, which gives hope that very soon the day will come when the doors of this palace will be open for the guests, who are welcome...

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“Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” is considered to be the most successful touring show of all time. Formed by the Colonel Cody in 1883 it continued to captivate audiences and tour annually for a total of 30 years, until 1913. The shows consisted of reenactments of history combined with displays of showmanship, sharpshooting, hunts, racing, or rodeo style events. Billed as Russian Cossacks the riders from Georgia featured in circuses and shows well into the first half of the 20th century. Their performances, featuring trick riding and folk dance, were extremely popular and exerted significant influence on cowboys in the united States.

Georgian trick riders in the American Wild West

Irakli Makharadze

he amazing, tragic history of the Georgian riders began in 1892, when they first joined the Buffalo Bill’s Wild West in England. In an interview granted to The Oracle (May 28, 1892), Nate Salsbury, the Wild West show’s general manager, confirmed: “Yes, they arrived last night. They come from beyond Tiflis (Now Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia), near the extreme of the Caucasus Mountains.” More on this subject can be found in Sarah J. Blackstone’s book, Buckskins, Bullets, and Business a History of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West (Greenwood Press, 1986, p. 81): “Russian Cossacks first joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West in London in 1892. The original group numbered ten and ranged in age from 18 to 25. Their leader or commander was Prince Ivan Makharadze.” Group lead-

ers were mostly referred to in the lists as “Prince.” In fact, only some of the riders were of noble origin. The rest were mostly peasants. Apparently, it was a publicity stunt to attract more people. Of all the tales told about the riders, the one most often repeated is the story of their recruitment. Thomas Oliver, a commissioner, arrived in Georgia to locate riders for circus in the United States (Later, he interpreted for the Georgian riders (1892-96) presumably in Russian or quite possibly, in Georgian. Riders called him Tommy). In Batumi, Oliver stopped at the home of James Chambers, the British Council. An employee of Chambers, a fellow named Kirile Jorbenadze, who was on familiar terms with some of the riders in Guria, offered help. Oliver accepted and soon the two men plus vice-council Harry

Georgian horsemen in England

July-August

JUST SO STORY Briggs, departed to the village of Lanchkhuti. On the way there they stopped at village of Bakhvi, where they visited Ivane Makharadze, a distinguished rider who promised Oliver that he would be responsible for signing up other riders. Georgian newspaper Iveria Weekly once again confirms this story in an article published in June (#124) 1892: “A visiting dignitary from England has arrived to Batumi and stayed at the councils. A fellow dressed in long, typical Georgian dress, working for a council, caught the guest’s attention. He asked the fellow to help him collect twelve good-looking, similarly outfitted fine riders. He also mentioned that he would pay good money and bring them back in six months’ time at his own expenses.” The following story may also help explain why the riders from Guria and not from other regions of Georgia or the Caucasus had been selected to perform in Wild West shows. Ivane Makharadze, the Georgian riders’ first acclaimed leader, spent his childhood in the small village of Bakhvi. The story goes that when he was fourteen years old, his father asked him to ride to a distant village - Bakhmaro. Fond of horse riding, the young Ivane was more than happy to oblige. He fast rode till he got thirsty and dismounted at the spring. The sweaty horse, left unattended, gulped down too much cold water and died. Ivane came back with only a saddle on his back and accepted a deserved thrashing from his father. The boy, ashamed of his failure could not tolerate his offence and ran away to Batumi. It was then 1880 and by that time Batumi was declared a tax-free seaport. There he bumped into two young men, which were employed on one of the ships. With their help Ivane was introduced to the ship’s captain. The captain grew fond of the short but lively fellow and gave him a job. The ship weighed anchor the next day and arrived in New York harbour almost a month later. By that time, Ivane quit and after days of aimless wandering picked up another job at a bakery. The rest of the story is a bit vague, but a year or so later he surfaced as a cleaner at one of the circuses

in New York. His diligence and penchant for horses caught the attention of an Arab rider employed by the circus and he was again hired. From this point forward, Ivane was responsible for taking care of the horses. He worked really hard. With his circus earnings, Ivane bought his first horse and soon was asked to perform trick riding for the circus. Clad in his national dress he pioneered the trick of grabbing coins while riding. His successful debut allowed him to buy a second horse and become increasingly independent. Only now, when he had enough personal savings, did Ivane dare to send a message to his parents telling them where he was. In 1885, before Thomas Oliver’s appearance in Georgia, Ivane Makharadze returned to his homeland. This story suggests that Oliver might have known about Makharadze’s odyssey in America, and as a result, he knew perfectly well where to look for the Georgian riders. In 1893 the Gurians went to the United States where for more than 30 years they performed under the name of Russian Cossacks in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West as well as other circuses and shows. They won widespread recognition and significantly influenced cowboys. “When the Cossacks came to the United States for the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893, the Americans picked up some hints and bright ideas. From that date on trick riding had a boom from coast to coast.” (Frank Dean, Trick and Fancy Riding, The Caxton Printers, ltd. Caldwell, Idaho 83605, 1975, p.3) Out of all the international performers, the Georgian Riders performance was perhaps the most

To Georgia

Georgian riders in London 1892 Buffalo Bill and Georgian riders in Windsor

Audience wanted to see different kind of presenters and clever businessman Buffalo Bill Cody decided to involve representatives of other nations in his show and solved this problem at once: Georgian peasants became Cossacks, Sioux Indians became Cheyenne or Apaches, all Native Americans were chiefs in the show, all Asiatic women were princess; army horsemen were colonels, etc... Georgian writer Tedo Sakhokia, who bumped into them in Paris in 1903, quoted riders as saying: “It’s a disgrace. No matter how hard we try to explain that we are from Georgia, they don’t get the message and call us Cossacks and don’t even want to recognize the fact that we are actually Georgians” (Tsnobis Purtseli, April 16, 1903).

Georgian riders and Indians Gurians

popular feature of the Wild West Show. Only Indians and cowboys enjoyed similar popularity. The owners of circuses and shows had found real gold mine - cheap artists, who were so popular that lots of people came only to see their performance. It is very interesting that the Cossacks became an essential feature of every respectable show of that time. The Gurian riders were called Cossacks for different reasons, perhaps, the most important of which was the fact that Georgia was part of the Russian Empire at that time (Georgia annexed by Tzar’s Russia in 1801 and by the Soviet Russia in 1921) and so each Georgian was referred to as Russian. Regarding this confusion, it might be worth mentioning that employers were responsible for creating this initial mystery in the media by declaring that the riders came from the southern part of the Russian Caucasus, where the Cossack family in Lord Byron’s “Mazepa” came from. Even the riders boasted that they were awarded medals for bravery but it was a con, of course. Other newspapers went even further, “The Cossacks were the real thing, right from the Tzar’s army. Splendid horsemen and brave fighters, they are also fierce and cruel. They were members of the same regiment that charged upon a throng of men, women and children in the streets of St. Petersburg two years ago and shot and sabered, murdered a thousand” (The Hutchinson Leader, July 24, 1908). No wonder such stories helped make them popular heroes.

The usual performance of Georgians began with the riders, all dressed in national attire (chokha in Georgian), taking the stage while carrying their weapons and singing. First they marched around the arena, then stopped and dismounted on mid-stage, broke into a new song and started to perform one of Georgian native dances to the accompaniment of handclaps. Sometimes this dance was executed upon a wooden platform. This act usually followed by stunt riding. It represented the perfection of man and horse and the Georgians did the most unbelievable stunts while galloping The riders performed a series of manoeuvres (they were standing on their heads up, standing straight in the saddle, riding three horses simultaneously, jumping to the ground and then back, picking up small objects from the ground; one of the tricks that was very popular with the spectators was, the rider at full gallop standing on horseback and shooting) including the most risky tricks, carried out only by a chosen few. One of these tricks was when a rider removed his saddle and dismounted while riding at a full gallop and then remounted again fixing the saddle back on a horse. This trick riding style called dzhigitovka (a Turkic word taken to mean skilful and courageous rider) or jiriti in Georgian.

July-August

JUST SO STORY According to the noted Western historian Dee Brown: “Trick riding came to rodeo by way of a troupe of Cossack daredevils imported by the 101 Ranch. Intrigued by the Cossacks stunts on their galloping horses, western cowboys soon introduced variations to American rodeo. Colorful costumes seem to be a necessary part of trick riding, and it is quite possible that the outlandish western garb which has invaded rodeo area can be blamed directly on Cossacks and trick riders.” (Dee Brown, The American West, a Touchstone Book, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1994, p. 388). Some Georgian sources claim, rather unconvincingly, that they rode the Georgian breeds (One rider recalled that American horses needed time to get accustomed to their way of riding). First, it was very expensive, to transport a horse across the Atlantic and second: it was prohibited by quarantine regulations. When asked about it, Ivane Makharadze said: “Our horses? They couldn’t have borne the journey. We ourselves had difficulties in crossing the Black Sea let alone our horses. But we brought our saddles, our whips and the rest of the stuff ” (Iveria, June, #124, 1892). The Cossack saddle is another thing that attracts much attention. Here’s an interesting bit from one American newspaper: “...Its chief peculiarity, seen from the sides, is two thin pads, fore and after, resembling loaves of bread. A closer examination shows there are four of these pads. The Cossacks stand up in their stirrups with two or three pads on, before and behind his legs. They are stuffed with horsehair. Why does the Cossack use this saddle? Prince Luka, a Georgian Cossack, could only shrug his shoulders when the question was asked him. All he could state positively was that style of saddle had been used in his native section of the Caucasus as long as human memory could extend.” These saddles were not cheap, an ordinary Cossack saddle cost $75, and the one custom made for well known rider Alexis Georgian (Gogokhia) cost $275 (The Neola Reporter, July 7, 1904). More quotes from American newspapers testify to their unique riding skill: “They stood in the saddle, on their feet and on their hands and kicked their legs as the horses flew madly around. They rode standing in their saddles with their faces facing their horses tails and chased each other to capture a handkerchief carried in their mouth” (The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 9, 1893). “Our cowboys are universally the best exponents of expert horsemanship, but the famous Cossacks are their close rival” (The Billboard, July 28, 1906). Even Cody himself said in one of his interviews, “Ride? They can ride anything, and if they get thrown they are up again in a flash. You can’t tie ‘em down.” (New York Daily Tribune, April 20, 1902) It was not uncommon for princes, kings and other royals to attend the Wild West shows including Presidents

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Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt. The latter, a Spanish-American war hero, outdoorsman and rough rider, attended a show in Chicago and was so fascinated by Giorgi Chkaidze’s performance that he presented him a golden ring and a tray as a token of his esteem. “It was so big that it nearly covered my finger” - recalled Chkaidze. According to Chkaidze’s daughter Ekaterine, her father had to sell the ring to escape prison after coming back to Georgia. The riders, in turn, had a chance to visit the White House: Alexis Georgian attended president McKinley’s reception in honor of Pawnee Bill, Dimitri and Frida Mgaloblishvilis’ were received by President Cleveland, Ivane Makharadze and his interpreter were invited by the Duke of Orleans to the Savage Club. In general, the Georgians’ decision to travel to distant lands was based on financial hardship, - touring meant profits. However, on occasion group leaders were targeted with bribes in their native villages. Their American employers paid relatively good money, up to $40-50 per month or 100 rubles. (The price of a cow in Georgia in those days was 3-5 rubles). In the Georgian newspaper Tsnobis Purtseli it was reported, “They are paid 100 rubles per month and are given a wonderful chance to see the world.” Giorgi Gvarjaladze wrote to his family, “In case I will be employed by the shows I will be financially secure. Mother, I was thinking about sending you some money but I had to quit my job and couldn’t find another one for a while. Now, thanks to Panteleimon Tsintsadze I’m engaged in a show again and hopefully will get $12 per week. It amounts to 25 rubles. If things go well they may pay us $13 per week” The leader of the first team Ivane Makharadze stated: “It’s impossible for us to like the United States as much as we like our own country. We have come here just to earn more money than we could at home. We have come here only for six months... after that we will return to our wives and chil-

Jigitovka

Prince Ivane Makharadze and his troop of Cossacks performing their lively feats

dren.” Luka Chkhartishvili , a famous rider, also wrote, “I have father, mother, wife and children. They all live in Russia and I have to take some money for them in winter, if I don’t break my neck, of course.” Asked by a reporter what was his idea of having fun in his country Luka responded with many gesticulations, “Plenty friends, plenty wine, good time” (Minneapolis Tribune, August 13, 1900). It must be said that not all of the riders went to America voluntarily. Gurian riders Vaso Tsuladze and Sam

Sergie (His real name is not known. He performed in 1911-1914) fled to the States following a train robbery. Later Sergie used to show off a golden cigarette holder imprinted with a double-headed eagle, boasting that he took it from a Russian army officer. Sam Sergie died in Fort Worth, Texas in 1965, aged 81. He was an owner of cafe Sam’s Club. Word has it that his lawyer took all his belongings after his death. Sam’s Georgian friends in the United States protested but couldn’t do anything at the time to stop the confiscation. Vaso Tsuladze died in Chicago in mid sixties.

July-August

JUST SO STORY Unfortunately, the riders were not insured against tragic accidents. Who can count how often they used to break their arms and legs and many even died after such accidents: On July 3, 1901 an unknown Gurian rider died during a performance of Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show in the City of Iron River. In about 1903 Polta Tsintsadze died in a very ambiguous situation on board a ship entering the port of New York. Some said that he was poisoned. On October 28, 1907 another unknown Georgian rider died during a performance of the same Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show in Amarillo, Texas. In 1914 Khalampri Pataraia was killed in Louisa, Kentucky... The Evening Times (Cumberland, Maryland, May 25, 1912) ran a story about Cossack Steve Graceley’s death. George Henney, a friend of Graceley’s was demonstrating a challenging trick during a break and was injured although not seriously. After some time Graceley, who had been in the riding business for 12 years, tried the same trick during a performance and fell from his horse and was admitted to the hospital where he died on May 26. According to the reporting journalist, he was 38. Graceley was buried at Cumberland cemetery. Soon after his death, Alexis Georgian informed journalists that Graceley’s real name was Irakli Tsintsadze and he was 52. He had no relatives in America and apparently was deep in financial trouble and his friends had to collect the money for his funeral and family. They managed to raise $84; $40 that was spent on Tsintsadze’s burial, the remainder sent to his widow and 6 children (The Billboard, July 20, 1912). The reason the Georgians took on nicknames was that their real names were unpronounceable to the show’s organizers and the public. The financial manager even had to call them by numbers on payday. Alexis Georgian must get his due for identifying Irakli Tsintsadze for us. The same can be said about George Henney; who was, reportedly, one of the Cossacks. The list goes on. All the participants of the show, whether cowboys, Indians, Arabs, or Mexicans used to tell journalists fictitious stories about themselves, which they would fill with blood and gore. The Gurians were no exception. Luka Chkhartishvili told a story to several newspapers of how he killed Dons Cossacks. He mentioned a different number of Cossacks in different versions of the story, with the number varying between one and twenty (The Morning Journal, May 20, 1894). “Londoner” gives us more of an insight into the relationship between the Georgians and the representatives of other nations: “I would like to tell you one very exciting story: during the Boer War, a number of wounded Boers were invited to join the circuses. Boers were the American’s favorites and they used to attract huge audiences. While they performed for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show they stayed away from cowboys and Mexicans and kept company only with the Gurians. They even used to eat dinner together though they couldn’t even talk because of the language barrier” (Tsnobis

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Purtsely, April 12, 1903). Frida Mgaloblishvili, the Wild West shows woman employee added, “We don’t socialize a lot with others and it has nothing to do with our arrogance. It’s a sort of a custom to cling to each other.” One newspaper reports on this, “Everyone in the show got along like one big family. The main exception was the objection of the cowboys to the Russian Cossacks, who mistreated their horses and really caused an ill feeling with many who dearly loved their horses.” The article doesn’t say much about the bad treatment of horses but it must be noted here that the Georgians didn’t use spurs, which are very painful to horses; instead they wore soft leather riding boots and used whips. As the whole, the Georgians were treated friendly and the riders of various ethnic origins usually were companionable when their paths crossed. The Gurian riders, most of whom had never even been in Tbilisi, were seriously impressed by the Western countries, especially by the United States. Their favorite was California. “The climate, fruit and hospitality remind us of our home country” (Kvali, April 16, 1903). Nikoloz Chkonia, a rider, wrote in a letter to his family: “...I’ll just tell you that we have toilets made of marble stones. They look very expensive.” According to Kirile Khoperia, they lived in multistoried buildings in which they used moving rooms to get to their floor. It astonished the Gurians. He mentioned the unusual cleanliness and order in the streets. Giorgi Chkhaidze wrote his family: “There are so many wires in the streets that birds often fly into them and fall down dead.” “We are much respected here, especially by ladies, - said one Gurian rider, - One wealthy American woman even offered a friend of ours to marry her but the poor bastard chose to tie the knot with a Georgian lady and now he relishes all the inconveniences of life in Guria” (Tsnobis Purtsely, April 12, 1903). Still, there

Georgian riders in buffalo

were Georgians who entered into marriage bonds with the American ladies and settled down there. Some of the riders became citizens of the United States and used to say that if they ever returned to their motherland, they would introduce American democratic principles and laws there as well... According to the rider Giorgi Chkhaidze once the Gurians passed by some wonderful apple orchards. One of them jumped over the fence, picked some apples and gave them to his friends. The next day an article describing some Cossacks who had stolen apples was published in a newspaper. In Guria nobody would have said a word about a few apples, but in the United States media were looking for sensational stories concerning anything related to the Cossacks. Chkhaidze recalled that they were so ashamed that they would not even go out.

Georgian riders in Washington DC USA

An American newspaper Arkansas Democrat (October 21, 1901) describes another incident: A Cossack who was drunk with red wine horrified the visitors of a Muler’s Saloon early in the morning at half past eight. He threatened the visitors with his dagger and wanted to turn them out of the saloon. His friends tried to calm him down, but in vain. A policeman came and the drunk tried to use his dragger against him as well. He was taken to the police station and they waited until he sobered up for an interrogation. As to his name, it

appeared to be another problem; the only thing that the policemen understood was his first name, which they wrote down as: The ford. His real name was Teophane Kavtaradze. For the sake of fairness it must be noted that the Georgians tried their best to behave well. Based on the words of Kirile Khoperia and Giorgi Chkhaidze, they usually visited the restaurants dressed in their best and always kept an eye on each other in case they didn’t know how to handle an unknown dish. The journalists used to write about the riders appetite and how they could digest even a stone if it was served to them. One time, the Georgians, not conversant in English, entered a canteen and asked for scrambled eggs. The waiter didn’t understand until Serapion Imnadze crouched and doodled around the place like a hen. They had scrambled eggs that day. The chief cook of Buffalo Bill’s Show stated in one of his interviews: “...We prepare 800 to 1000 individual steaks every morning and serve them for breakfast... Oh, the boys love the steaks! The Cossacks and the Indians want ‘em three times a day-and they get ‘em, too!” (Chicago Evening Post, June 6, 1896) The Wild West Show’s female employees brought more grace to the Georgians performances. It is known that four Georgian ladies used to participate in these shows in the United States: Frida Mgaloblish-

JUST SO STORY

vili, Kristine Tsintsadze, Maro and Barbale Zakareishvili. After Russian Revolution Barbale and her husband Christephore Imnadze stayed in America and continued to perform. One of the highlights of Barbale’s set was when she rode with the American flag in her hands while standing on the shoulders of two galloping riders. Barbale Imnadze died in 1988 in Chicago. The First World War and the Bolsheviks ended the Georgians’ voyages abroad. Those Georgians who found themselves stuck in the States, mostly in Chicago, continued performing in Miller and Ringling Brothers’ circuses and returned to their homeland only when the war was over. Many Georgians settled down to create American families and lost ties with their homeland. In one case, a rider who had a family in his native Guria wedded an American woman and returned to Georgia after a while. But when he was about to go back to the States the Bolsheviks wouldn’t let him out of the country and he committed suicide. As the century progressed, many Wild West shows had to compete with new entertainments, including motion pictures. Some of the shows’ organizers, including Buffalo Bill, started to make film versions of the shows but despite these most of the shows were in deep financial trouble due to declined attendance. The occasional feeble attempt by some to reanimate the previous glory of the shows led to tasteless endeavors in

To Georgia

which some of the Georgian original participants were enlisted. But by that time they had lost the luster of stardom along with their energy and endurance. Fatally, the media had lost interest in them. The organizers even stopped mentioning their names in the programs. Hard times were ahead for those who returned to Georgia as well. On the grounds that they all were American spies, most of the riders were imprisoned and exiled by the Bolsheviks. Many riders had to destroy all evidence and photographs of their trips abroad in order to survive the new regime’s iron hands. There were cases when riders were forced to sign a document in which they promised never to mention America or Europe again. The Bolsheviks confiscated all the precious gifts and present they had been given. Usually, these things surfaced in the houses of the party nomenclature. Daughters of the rider Pavle Makharadze recalled: “They used to take different things that had been brought from the United States from the families of all riders. Finally they took a comb and a tab from our family. My mother was so horrified that she fell ill. She was always waiting for the Bolsheviks to come again.” Nervous stress was too much for many, - some committed suicide, others died in oblivion... The Georgians have left an indelible mark on the development of American show business, of which Buffalo Bill is considered to be the pioneer. The connection between Buffalo Bill and Georgian trick riders represents one of the oldest known relationships between Georgia and the United States of America.

Georgian riders in buffalo

The Royal Land BORJOMI-KHARAGAULI NATIONAL PARK THE NATIONAL PARK OF BORJOMI-KHARAGAULI IS THE FIRST NATIONAL PARK IN CAUCASIA THAT IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS. IT WAS CREATED IN 1995 AND WAS OFFICIALLY OPENED IN 2001. BORJOMI NATIONAL PARK IS LOCATED 170 KM WEST OF TBILISI.

MODI GEO

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n 2006, the Nedzvi Managed Nature Reserve was joined to the national park and Borjomi state reserve. After that, the total area of national park of BorjomiKharagauli reached 85 000 hectares. It is 1% of the territory of Georgia. The national park includes territories of 6 administrative districts: Borjomi, Khashuri, Kharagauli, Akhaltsikhe, Baghdati and Adigeni. According to the area it is one of the best Protected Lanscape of Europe, and it is distinguished with bio-variety— the forest tracts and endemic species of flora and fauna are retained. In 2007, the National Park of Borjomi-Kharagauli became a member of European network of Protected Lanscape—Pan Parks. In the national park were unified territories that border parts of several historical regions. The park is located in the territories of Tori, Imereti and Samtskhe. These integrated regions were separated into the different political units: Kartli and Imereti kingdoms and Samtskhe principality. In the fifteenth century, the bloody invasions of Temur Leng (Temur the Lame) frustrated the last hope of the reunification of a once integrated and solid Georgia; two small kingdoms and one principality became separated for a long time. Soon Samtskhe together with Javakheti became a part of Ottoman Empire for 300 years. Because of the separation during these centuries, we can see amazingly different customs and habits in the territories bordering the park of Borjomi-Kharagauli. However, this variety, preconditioned by its tragic past, is expressed only in interesting ethnographic variety nowadays. It contributed to an additional impression over the visitors of the national park. The adjacent territories of the national park are rich with the monuments of that period. For the lovers of antiquity and history, it is surely very interesting to see such monuments against the beautiful sights such as the doomed temple of Timotesubani of the thirteenth century, Nedzvi church (ninth century), Nunisi church (ninth century), Sakvirike basilica near the village Dviri (tenth century), Green Cloister of Chitakhevi (ninth century), Gogia and Petra fortresses near Likani borough (ninth century), Vakhani and Gold fortresses in Adigeni District. There are even older archeological monuments in the adjacent territory of the national park, e.g., cyclopean settlement ruins of the Bronze Age at the village Boga, crypts of the Bronze Age and cultural layers of the antique age. In geological terms, the national park of BorjomiKharagauli belongs to the rugged system of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains and covers the central sub-zone of Achara-Trialeti crimpled zone. The

Grand Duke Mikhail Aleksandrovich Romanov The history of Borjomi-Kharagauli protected territory began much earlier in the 1860’s, and it is connected to the imperial family of Russia. In 1862, Mikheil Romanov, the brother of Russian emperor, –was assigned as a deputy in South Caucasia. He liked the Borjomi ravine so much that he decided to arrange a summer residence there. In 1871, he got the entire Borjomi ravine as a gift from his brother, Alexander II. Mikheil Romanov was a real lover of nature. He fenced the great part of the forest and made the conditions of cutting wood and hunting there extremely strict. Later in 1926 a nature reserve was created.

region is mainly composed with so called Borjomi flysch (sediments of Paleocene - lower Eocene period: marly clay, marls, limestone sandstones and marly limestone). Its composition also includes the sediments and sediment volcanic formations (tubofractions, layered tufas, and carbonic tuffas) of Oligocene and Neogene ages. Volcanic formations are present in Bakuriani, Tsikhisjvari and Gujareti lava flows of andesite composition. The Borjomi plateau is completely constructed by lava flow. The Gujareti lava flow is exposed near Tsaghveri borough. From the mineral resources, the Tsikhisjvari acid proof andesite mine, Baniskhevi marble-like limestone mine and Vashlovani habro-diabaze mine are very important. In terms of mineral water, the adjacent territory of the national park and especially the Borjomi ravine is famous all over the world. The resorts, Borjomi and Tsaghveri, successfully work on the basis of local mines of mineral waters. The famous Borjomi mineral water having a number of therapeutic characteristics is one of the most important export products of our country.

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As for the flora, the northern section of the BorjomiKharagauli national park—Kharagauli—belongs to Colchis botanical. The southern section—Borjomi—directly borders this province. At the lower part of the forest belt from 500 m to 900-1100 m above sea level, in the Kharagauli part of the Borjomi-Kharagauli national park, - the mixed deciduous forest mainly consists of chestnut-trees, beech-trees, horbeams, Colchicul oak, Caucasian rhododendron and ash tree. In the middle of the forest belt from 200-1000 m to 1300-1600 m above sea level there are spread the beech groves which are replaced by the mixed deciduous forest with subforest of Colchicum type in some places. In some areas you can see hornbeam groves, beech-chestnut groves, fir-tree woods and silver fir woods. At the upper level of forest belt, the dark coniferous forests dominate with fir-tree woods, silver fir woods, and the mixed deciduous-coniferous woods. In these forests, the Colchicum sub-forest is comparatively sparse. In the subalpine zone from 1800 m to 2200 m above sea level the subalpine forests and scrubs, subalpine high grass and meadows are spread.

In the Borjomi section of the park, especially in the ravine of the Baniskhevi, Samotkhisgheli and Zanavi rivers there are plants characteristic of eastern Georgia and real Colchicum forests too. In these gorges the floristic structure and arrangement is generally as follows: from 750-800 m to 1300 m above sea level the beech-tree, fir-tree and beach-tree-fir tree woods with Colchicum subforests are spread; the south slopes are covered with the mixed deciduous forests the sub-forests of which are also Colchicum. In the Baniskhevi River ravine, from 1350-1400 m to 1750 - 1800 m above sea level the slopes are mainly covered with fir-tree woods; there are silver-fir groves in some places as well. From the non-colchicum groups, fir-tree woods and beech-fir-tree groves are most common with the cover of mountain fescue, blackberry and moss. In the Borjomi part of national park of BorjomiKharagauli in subalpine zone, at over 1800 m below sea level are the subalpine forests and scrubs and subalpine tall grass and meadows. There are different plants in the ravines of the Kvabiskhevi and Zoretastskali Rivers and the Baghe-

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MODI GEO

bi gully. There is a slight influence of the humid climate of western Georgia in this ravine. In areas from 200-1100 m above sea level are the Georgian oak forests and the secondary plants that grow after the oaks are cut down. From 1100 m to 1300-1350 m above sea level Sasnovski pine forests are spread. In southern slopes there are Georgian oak together with the pine trees. In northern slopes there are fir-tree, pine-fir-tree and hornbeam groves. In the territory from 1250-1400 m to 1800 m above sea level only the coniferous forests are spread: fir-tree, pine, pine-fir-tree, silver-fir and fir-tree-silver fir groves. In the subalpine zone at heights from 1800 m to 20002100 m above sea level there are mainly subalpine silverfir woods. Small groves of fir trees and high mountain maples are rare.

species are the chestnut tree, Colchicum oak, yew, Stanleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s peony and iris. The fauna of Borjomi-Kharagauli varies. From the reptiles you can see different species of lizards and snakes in national park. Among them is the Caucasian agama. In the reserve there lives the Mediterranean tortoise too. From the habitant birds of Borjomi-Kharagauli national park are found such rare species as Golden Eagle, Caspian Snowcock and Caucasian Grouse. Still the beauty of the national park is its mammals. From small mammals there live several species of Mice, Dormice, Weasel, Pine Marten, and Beech Marten. Also found is Persian Squirrel and Red Squirrel. You can see the Red Fox and Hare everywhere. Unfortunately, there is no information about the population of Otter. However, this rare carnivore inhabits the rivers of Borkomi-Kharagauli Park.

IN THE TERRITORY OF BORJOMI-KHARAGAULI NATIONAL PARK THERE ARE SPREAD SUCH RARE, ENDEMIC SPECIES THAT ARE ENTERED INTO THE RED DATA BOOK.

In the territory of Borjomi-Kharagauli national park there are spread such rare, endemic species that are entered into the Red Data Book. Such

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From large carnivores in the reserve you can see

Gray Wolf, Lynx and Brown Bear - the real king of the locality. For the hoofed animals, most frequently you can see the Roedeer and Wild Boar in the territory of park. Borjomi Gorge has always been famous for its population of Caucasian subspecies of Red Deer. In the period of Tsarist Russia the deer were hunted but they were strictly protected too. Markov, the first director of the Tbilisi zoo and an unusual Russian naturalist and hunter, has described how the Borjomi forest guard saved the deer—famous all over the gorge with its huge horns—from the bullet of the officer close to the imperial family who was visiting from Russia to go hunting. The population of deer was stable in the period of Soviet Union. In the 1990s, during the period of civil wars and disorder, the number of deer drastically decreased due to poaching. Besides, the national park of Borjomi-Kharagauli is surrounded by settlements, and the deerpopulation is not genetically replenished. After the establishment of the park and cessation of hunting, the number of deer began to increase again, and currently nearly 150 deer live in Borjomi-Kharagauli national park. Bezoar Goats lived on local rocks in the past. But then they disappeared from Borjomi. Several tens of bezoar goats—not so rare an animal in Georgia in the past—have remained only in the northeast of Georgia in Tusheti and Reverse Khevsurethi.

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MODI GEO The administration of Borjomi-Kharagauli national park decided to reintroduce Bezoar Goats to the national park and has performed primary actions in this direction. Three males and six females were brought from neighboring Armenia and were released in Atskuri territory of park. Bezoar Goats are comfortable in the park, and soon they will breed. This is the first step for restoration of their population, and perhaps Bezoar Goats will again be the habitant of local rocks and will contribute to the beauty of this part of Georgia that is nowadays called Borjomi-Kharagauli national park. In comparison with the other Protected Lanscape the park has the best tourist infrastructure. The comfortable shelters located in its different parts: Merelisi (Imereti), Atskuri (Samtskhe are), Likani and Kvabiskhevi (Borjomi area) will host the visitors. Information about the shelters is presented in guide book; reserving is also possible trough tourist agencies. Besides, in town Borjomi and Bakuriani borough there are several big and small comfortable hotels where one can also stay without advanced reservations too.

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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IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

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IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

WILLIAM ELEROY CURTIS

Around The Black Sea Asia Minor, Armenia, Caucasus, Circassia, Daghestan, The Crimea Roumania

WILLIAM E. CURTIS PROMINENT AMERICAN AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST OF “CHICAGO RECORD-HERALD” VISITED GEORGIA IN 1910. IN 1911 HIS NEWSPAPER LETTERS WERE COMPILED INTO ONE BOOK “AROUND THE BLACK SEA” PUBLISHED BY HODDER & STOUGHTON , GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY. THE CITY OF TIFLIS The Right Honourable James Bryce, British Ambassador to Washington, who visited Tiflis thirty-five years ago or more, on his way to climb Mount Ararat, described that city as “a human melting pot, a city of contrasts and mixtures, into which elements have been poured from half Europe and Asia and in which they as yet show no signs of combining. The most interesting thing about it,” he said, “is the city itself, the strange mixture of so many races, tongues, religions, customs. Its character lies in the fact that it has no character, but ever so many different ones. Here all these people live side by side, buying and selling and working for hire, yet never coming into any closer union, remaining indifferent to one another, with neither love nor hate nor ambition, peaceably obeying a government of strangers who conquered them without resistance and retains them without effort, and held together by no bond but its existence. Of national life or numerical life there is not the first faint glimmer; indeed, the aboriginal people of the country seem scarcely less strangers in its streets than do all the other races that tread them.”

There are said to be seventy different languages spoken on the streets of Tiflis, or at least so many dialects of the various races of Europe and Asia who have been attracted there by business and other interests and in search of employment. Many of the dialects belong to the same parent language; many of the races sprang from the same stock, but each has acquired a certain individuality by reason of its environment and the conditions under which it has been living. As Mr. Bryce says: “Probably nowhere else in all the world can so great a variety of stocks, languages, and religions be found huddled together in so narrow an area. All these races live together, not merely within the limits of the same country, a country politically and physically one, but to a great extent actually on the same soil, mixed up with and crossing one another. In one part Georgians, in another Armenians, in a third Tartars, predominate, but there are large districts where Armenians and Georgians; or Armenians, Georgians, and Tartars; or Tartars and Persians; or Persians, Tartars, and Armenians, are so equally represented in point of numbers

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that it is difficult to say which element predominates. This phenomenon is strange to one who knows only the homogeneous population of west European countries, or of a country like America, where all sorts of elements are day by day being flung into their melting pot and lose their identity almost at once.” What Mr. Bryce wrote thirty-five years ago of Tiflis is equally true today. Perhaps it is even more true than it was then because of the increase of population. Tiflis is twice as large by the census of 1905 as it was in 1875, when he was here. Tiflis already has two hundred thousand population, and is growing rapidly. A bird’s-eye view of this curious old town can be obtained by taking a funicular, or inclined plane, railway to the top of a bluff, where there are a restaurant, tea houses, a merrygo-round, and other simple amusements which are much patronized by the working classes. Standing upon a platform, you can take in the whole panorama. The different sections of the town can be pointed out to you — the Russian, German, Georgian, Persian, Armenian, and Tartar quarters, with the brown river dividing them and the roofs painted in different colours.

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There are several other cities in the Caucasus, but none of any importance, and Tiflis, being the political capital, with a viceroy; the military headquarters, with a force of 35,000 men; and the centre of ecclesiastical jurisdiction, there is much beside commercial business and agriculture to draw the people there. The city is divided almost equally by the river Kur, a swift, muddy stream about the colour of strong coffee, which is confined to a narrow canyon, with steep walls of stone, where it dashes through the town. There is a great waste of manufacturing power, which might be profitably utilized, but, with the exception of some curious floating flour mills, I did not see any mechanical industries. These flour mills are built of wood, and at first glance look like bath houses. Each of them has a big water wheel, which turns the stones. The houses are supported on the water by a sort of catamaran, a wide float being underneath the mill and a narrow one on the other side of the power wheel. They are anchored near the banks, and their position can be shifted according to the will of the owner. Usually each of them has a little warehouse barge attached, where the raw material and the finished product are stored, and if you will watch you can see men going back and forth between the sawmill ship and the shore carrying bags upon their backs.

IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

At the eastern end of the town is a narrow pass between two rocky hills, which seems to have been cut by the water. The walls are precipitous - one hundred feet or more above the river. On one side the bluff is crowned by a citadel strongly fortified. It commands the entire city. A few shells from one of the guns could utterly destroy both the business and the residence sections. Within these fortifications is a repulsive looking prison, said to be crowded with political offenders. Strangers are not invited to visit the place, and they are likely to make themselves unpopular by discussing it. The Russian section is new and modern, with wide, clean streets, good sidewalks, an opera house, a theatre, a club, and a military museum or â&#x20AC;&#x153;Temple of Glory,â&#x20AC;? as they call it. There trophies won by Russian arms, battle flags, portraits and relics of military heroes and other interesting mementoes, have been collected, with several battle pictures and other representations of war. Bronze tablets inscribed with records of all the battles fought by the Russian soldiers in the Caucasus from 1567 to 1878 have been embedded in panels in the outer walls of the museum, which are of great historical value. They give the number of men engaged and the casualties.

The principal street of the town is called Golovinski Prospekt, in imitation of the Nevsky Prospekt of St. Petersburg, and it is a fashionable promenade. To the east of this clean Russian town is the Persian quarter, as genuine as any city of Persia, with narrow, crooked streets and mud houses of only one or two stories, which were built when the Persians occupied this country. On both sides of the street are little shops, like closets, set back into the walls, not more than six or eight feet square, with no light or ventilation except that which comes through the door. Each line of business has a street or a covered arcade to itself. The rug dealers are all in one street, the silversmiths and goldsmiths in another; the hat makers, the dry-goods dealers, the hardware men, the butchers, the bakers, and even the bath houses and the barbers are segregated like the tailors and the dealers in kitchen utensils, which is a great convenience. One whole street is given up to barbers, who do a big business, for the Persians shave their heads instead of their faces. All the bath houses are on one street, which seems to be well patronized also.

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IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

Many of the merchants make their own goods and work at their own trade in their shops where their customers can see them. The Persians are petty merchants; the Georgians manufacture arms and are gold and silver smiths. Their handiwork is rude but artistic; that is, they show more taste than skill. They run to belts, daggers, revolver handles, cups, flagons, filigree buttons, and saddle ornaments, which the Georgians covet more than virtue. They do some very clever work by inlaying steel with silver and gold, but it is not so fine or so artistic as the cloisonne of Japan.

The Tartars are the toughest of the lot. They are kindly and loyal but hot-headed, with a fondness for a fight and strong drink, notwithstanding the prohibition of the Koran. When a Tartar lets himself go, other people are wise to give him the right of way, particularly when he wears a knife at his belt and â&#x20AC;&#x153;totesâ&#x20AC;? a couple of guns. He abominates the Armenians, who are a constant moral reproach to him, and makes no effort to conceal his hatred.

The Armenians are the big dealers, the bankers, the money lenders, and, like most prosperous people, are the object of jealousy and resentment. I was told that when an Armenian loans money he expects to have it repaid. His business reputation is fine, but the people who owe him money hate him. All the Armenians are thrifty, industrious, and temperate, and do not waste their substance in riotous living.

Upon the summit of a mighty rock, upon a promontory projecting from a ridge rising several hundred feet above the river that bathes its base, is an old citadel built in the twelfth century by Georgian kings to defend Tiflis against Persian invasion. It is a mighty mass of brick masonry but was abandoned a hundred years ago. The ruins are well cared for and the government has made a botanical garden which is very creditable in the old moat and the approaches that surround the fortifications.

The Tartars, who have their own section of the town, hate the Armenians more than the Persians do, not only because of a difference of temperament and habits of life, but because the Tartars and Persians are Mohammedans and the Armenians are Christians.

The Tartars are as careless and indifferent about money matters as the Armenians are keen and cunning, and are always in debt to the latter, which makes hatred, of course. No man loves his creditors. The Tartars, who are Mohammedans, abominate the

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IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

Armenians as much as the Kurds do, first, because they are Christians; second, because they are money makers, economical, frugal, and thrifty; and, finally, because they won’t fight. The Tartars care nothing for money nor for property of any kind, except that they love their horses and their wives and children alike and are extremely jealous of all three. The family attachment and devotion of this rough and turbulent race is said to be an example for all the rest of mankind. The Tartars have been the terror of Asia for centuries. You have read, of course, about the invasions of the Tartar hordes from time to time that have overrun the eastern part of Europe. They are always fierce, always restless, and do not thrive under the restraints of civilization. A Tartar will fight his weight in wildcats on any provocation, but an Armenian is a man of peace. Not long ago there was an international row here between these two races, whose settlements adjoin on the east side of the river. I cannot find out how it began but it was over some trifle that everybody has forgotten. It waxed more serious daily, and when the Armenians, who have been butchered mercilessly

for ages in Turkey as well as in the Caucasus, saw the bloodthirsty Tartars sharpening their knives, they sent a committee to the viceroy to plead for protection. The viceroy, who is a humane man, understood the situation, but naturally did not care to butt in for fear of exciting animosity against the government. Hence he instructed the leaders of both races to appoint committees of representative men to discuss the troubles with him. The delegates were selected and came to the palace; they went over the history of the feud from its primal causes to the present moment, and then each side submitted arguments. The viceroy, having heard them through, dodged the issue, and told them that it was not a matter for the government to meddle with, but one which they must settle among themselves. “You are all rational, sensible, business men of intelligence and experience,” he said, “and it is absurd that you should quarrel over such trifles as you bring here for me to settle. The government does not propose to take any part in your controversy; it is too trivial to waste our time about, and now I simply ask you to sit down together like sensible men and settle it among yourselves”, and with that he dismissed the delegation.

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IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS The next morning the Armenian committee received a challenge from the Tartar committee demanding that it select one or two hundred men, or as many as it pleased, of the best fighting Armenians in Tiflis, to go out into the country and fight to the death with an equal number of Tartars. The Armenians returned a scornful reply. They are better at writing than at fighting. With great dignity and decorum they rebuked the Tartars for suggesting such a barbarous method of settling a quarrel in the twentieth century of human civilization. The Tartars reported that the Armenians were cowards and offered to give them odds of two to one, but the Armenians refused to discuss the subject any further, and kept inside their doors as closely as possible until the excitement died down. There is no unity among the seventy races of Tiflis, there is no common national feeling; there is nothing upon which patriotism could be based. No two of the many races represented here are on amicable terms, except the Germans, who mind their own business and are friendly to everybody.

PROBABLY NOWHERE ELSE IN ALL THE WORLD CAN SO GREAT A VARIETY OF STOCKS, LANGUAGES, AND RELIGIONS BE FOUND HUDDLED TOGETHER IN SO NARROW AN AREA. ALL THESE RACES LIVE TOGETHER, NOT MERELY WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE SAME COUNTRY, A COUNTRY POLITICALLY AND PHYSICALLY ONE, BUT TO A GREAT EXTENT ACTUALLY ON THE SAME SOIL, MIXED UP WITH AND CROSSING ONE ANOTHER.

There is no loyalty to the tzar and nothing to inspire it. The administration of the Caucasus is purely military. The first thought in the Russian mind is conquest. After that there is no other thought but to retain possession. Instead of planting trees and encouraging the people to improve their methods of agriculture, the Russians build fortresses, and instead of building school-houses they build barracks. The railway across the province and that which runs down to the Persian border were primarily for the movement of troops, and military supplies are given preference over all other freight. The famous road through the Caucasus Mountains is for military purposes rather than for commerce. At least one hundred and fifty

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thousand soldiers are kept on a war footing in this province alone. That number of men are not only withdrawn from the fields and factories, and the number of producers thus reduced, but the peasants who work the farms, the shopkeepers and other peaceful members of the population, are taxed to pay for their support, which is a continual grievance that cannot be removed. If the money that is spent upon military purposes could be devoted to material development and the education of the people the army would not be needed. The political situation here is practically the same as that in Poland. Georgia is a conquered province. It was added to the Russian Empire without the consent of the people. They are Russian subjects by compulsion and they do not like it. Their former king appealed to the Russians for protection against the Persians more than a century ago; the Russians responded to the appeal and have â&#x20AC;&#x153;assimilatedâ&#x20AC;? the kingdom of Georgia as they did the kingdom of Poland.

All the big buildings are barracks. The garrison of Tiflis is thirty-five thousand soldiers, and that does not seem to be sufficient to keep the people in order. There are soldiers everywhere. Every other man you meet on the street wears a uniform; almost every guest at the hotel is a general or a colonel, and every first-class passenger on the railway trains is an officer of rank. They are a fine-looking lot of men, and their uniforms are very conspicuous, being of a light bluish gray, with an abundance of gold braid. A Russian officer is never out of uniform and never parts from his sword. In the railway trains, in the restaurants, even at church, he is heavily armed, and every officer seems to wear his winter overcoat in this hot weather which is difficult to understand. There may be a regulation requiring officers to wear overcoats twelve months in the year, regardless of the temperature, and that is the only way we can explain it.

IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

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IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

The condition of affairs here may be judged by the manner in which the mail is carried through the streets between the railway station and the post-office. There is a military guard on every train, always occupying the car next to the locomotive, and at every station when the train stops the soldiers are the first to alight and assume defensive positions. This is in addition to the local police, who are also in evidence in every direction. When a train comes into Tiflis the guard alights and takes a position around the mail and express car, where it remains until all the passengers have disembarked and gone their way. Then when the mail car is opened, the bags and express packages of value are placed in steel safes, which are lifted upon light wagons drawn by three horses. When the transfer is made the horses start on a dead run for the post-office, led by a drosky containing two heavily armed men and entirely sur-

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rounded by a squad of Cossacks, the famous Rough Riders, every one of them with a cocked rifle across the pommel of his saddle. These precautions are said to be necessary because on several occasions mail has been held up and destroyed and valuable express packages have been stolen by gangs of men representing the social revolutionary party. The most satisfactory section of Tiflis is called by everybody â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Colony.â&#x20AC;? It is a settlement of between four and five thousand Germans from Wurtemberg, who came to southern Russia early in the nineteenth century by invitation of Catherine the Great. She gave them lands, guaranteed them the free exercise of their religious beliefs, and exemption from military service forever. The latter pledge was violated during the war between Russia and Turkey in 1877, and since that time the Germans

IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS have been compelled to serve their five years in the army with all other Russian subjects, although they take no part in politics and have no social relations with the Russians, but are very exclusive and tenacious in their adherence to the customs and habits of the fatherland. There are fifty thousand Wurtembergers in the Caucasus and they are pretty well scattered, but always in colonies, this one at Tiflis being the largest. They left their native country because the government attempted to compel them to sing from a new hymn book which they did not consider orthodox, and rather than submit they abandoned the homes of their fathers and sought new ones in a far country where they could worship God in their own way. The members of “the Colony,” as it is always called, have never attempted to proselyte the Russians or other neighbours, but are fanatical in their Protestantism, which prevents them from marrying or even mixing with believers in other faiths. They have a wholesome Protestant contempt for Mohammedans and also for the Armenians. They regard the former as worse than heathens and the latter as treacherous, deceitful, and insincere in their professions of the Christian creed. They speak nothing but German among themselves, although they are compelled to use Russian in their business transactions. “The Colony “ was originally a distinct town, but when the railway was built into Tiflis the station was located on the farther edge of the settlement, and since that time the gap has been filled and the Germans have become surrounded with Russians, Persians, Armenians, Tartars, and representatives of the numerous other races which form the population here. But they have maintained their exclusiveness just the same. They have their own beer gardens and places of entertainment, as well as their own church and schools, and they confine their trade to their own race so far as possible. The Lutheran church is a large, fine building, and attached to it, under the direction of Pastor Mayer, is a school for the education of teachers, missionaries, ministers, and other religious workers for the many German colonists throughout the Caucasus. Four miles in the country is a German farming settlement, resembling an agricultural village in the fatherland, as closely as it is possible here, with big stables, cattle-yards, and pigstyes, and evidences of German thrift on every side. Their orchard fruits, their strawberries and garden truck, are always the first and the best in the market and bring the highest prices, and they furnish a valuable object lesson for the Russian and Georgian farmers. The viceroy’s palace is a miniature copy of the winter palace at St. Petersburg, of the same architectural design and painted the same terra-cotta colour,

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IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS although it is not more than one tenth the size. It stands upon the principal street, with a large garden in the rear, and across the street are the barracks of the guards, which seem to be needed. Wooden barriers have been placed upon the sidewalk to prevent unauthorized persons from approaching near enough to the building to do any harm, as some of the people down there have a nasty way of throwing bombs about, and the posts and railing are painted in stripes like barbersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; poles. The viceroyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guards wear the Georgian uniform, with red coats. They are striking-looking fellows, who are often mistaken for Cossacks, and the sentinels add a touch of colour to the picture. There is usually a drosky, drawn by a beautiful black stallion, awaiting orders at the entrance, and the isvostchik, as the driver is called, is well worth looking at. Prince Woronzoff Dashoff,the viceroy, has been there many years and is popular with the people, who regard him as a just and humane man, but they complain that his authority has been limited to such a degree that he is practically a figurehead representing the emperor, while the military commander rules the country. I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wonder if there was a good deal of truth in the complaint, but the Georgians are in a state of chronic rebellion and martial law prevails throughout the province. There has been no peace but that of the sword and the torch since the 1905-6 revolution and the granting of a constitution several years ago, and there will be no peace until the government gives the Georgians a show by recognizing their racial individuality and permitting them to use their ancestral language and enjoy a liberal measure of home rule. The more we saw of both the men and women of Georgia the better we appreciate the reputation they have among the beauties of the world. You could not find a finer looking lot of men in any city in the world than you meet on the streets of Tiflis, and the women have all the charms they have been credited with, although it is said that they become fat early in life from indolence and sweetmeats. Perhaps dress has a good deal to do with setting off the shape and the features of the men. I have heard that fine feathers make fine birds. No national costume is more stately or adds more to the stature and the pose of a wearer. Perhaps the high-stepping heroes of romance and tragedy whom we were constantly meeting on the sidewalk would not look so well in an ordinary suit of store clothes, but one can at least give them the credit of wearing their ancestral garments with stunning effect. A certain Georgian dandy patronized the Hotel de Londres, where we were stopping, to excess. It was remarked that so long as he continues to spend his money so freely there, the bustling little German

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IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

lady who keeps the house will never fail to make an annual profit. He is said to be very rich, and is a prince, of course. The gossips reported that he had a quarrel with his brother, and as the two were partners he was spending the money of the firm more freely than was prudent. But that is neither here nor there. We only asked the privilege of admiring his clothes and his poses. We were not responsible for his moral behaviour and would continue to admire him even if his reputation was twice as bad as it is. He wore a different coat and a different dagger and a different shako every day, and they always matched. He had coats of white, blue, red, gray, brown, and a mixed colour like Irish homespun. The tunic that he wore under them was always of a colour to make a striking contrast. When his overcoat was red, it would be white, and when his overcoat was white, the tunic would be red. He must have had a large ar-

moury of daggers and pistols, for he seldom wore the same ones, and we liked those with plain ivory handles the best. He was a moving picture unlike anything you can see outside of Georgia. And then we had another prince with a good reputation, one of the best men in the province, a man of great wealth and eminent respectability, who was stopping at the hotel with his two little sons. The boys wore the national dress, like their father, and with the same dignity and grace. And we must not forget the Paderewski hair, which is quite fashionable among gentlemen of literary and musical taste. I do not know how they make it stick out as they do, but I have seen heads that a bushel basket would not cover. It is fine hair, too, not coarse and rough and vulgar. You see such bushy heads upon real, live, ordinary men frequently upon the streets, with the hair bulging

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IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS

To Georgia

IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS out below shakos of lamb’s-skin like the curls of the Circassian beauty in the sideshow of a circus. One would never tire of the fantastic costumes that are to be seen at every railway station. The men wear tall chimney-pot hats of Persian lambskin, which look very heavy and very hot, and you wonder how they can endure them in the summer weather. The hats must weigh several pounds, but if you ask the wearers they will tell you that the weight is nothing; and that, like the Irishman’s sheep-skin coat, the fur keeps the heat out in summer as it keeps the cold out in winter. Their long coats of homespun are of varied colours. We are accustomed to see the Cossacks at Buffalo Bill’s great moral show in dark gray coats, but the Georgians, whose costume is precisely similar in every particular, affect bright colours — reds and blues of various shades, grays, and browns, as well as whites and blacks, according to their taste, and some of them have their shakos of Persian lamb dyed the same shade as their coats. Many Georgian gentlemen wear beautiful cloaks of heavy cloth as thick as a board, with a pile heavier than that of plush and curled like Astrakhan wool. We were told that this material is homespun too, and it makes a stunning garment.

a long dagger with an ivory handle and an ivory sheath and a revolver mounted to match; although other people might fancy a gentleman done up in scarlet, who is also worth looking at. The costumes of the women are not so fancy as those of the men, and are mostly head dress and veil. They do not wear bright colours like their husbands and brothers, but chiefly black. The head dress is a little skull cap about an inch high made of black velvet, with the top embroidered in silver or gold braid. It is worn low on the forehead and over it a square of lace or chiffon hanging down over the shoulders to the waist, either embroidered or trimmed with edging all around. There is as much difference in the quality of the veil as there is in the incomes of the wearers. But it is the principal feature of the costume, and the effect is studied accordingly. Some of the veils are of Venetian point, others of Brussels lace, and you often see very fine examples, but most of them are from the local lacemakers or made at home.

THE MORE WE SAW OF BOTH THE MEN AND WOMEN OF GEORGIA THE BETTER WE APPRECIATE THE REPUTATION THEY HAVE AMONG THE BEAUTIES OF THE WORLD. YOU COULD NOT FIND A FINER LOOKING LOT OF MEN IN ANY CITY IN THE WORLD THAN YOU MEET ON THE STREETS OF TIFLIS

Every gentleman wears high top boots outside of his trousers, which are very loose and hang over his boot tops like the knickerbockers of an English school-boy. Sometimes the boots are embroidered in colours over the shin and down the calf of the leg. And every gentleman wears an arsenal in his girdle, consisting of richly mounted knives and pistols, which look very formidable, but I am told are seldom used.

A Georgian dandy is a great sight, and you see them everywhere in the Caucasus. The most perfect costume and the most becoming to their dark complexions, intensely black hair and beards, and their glowing black eyes is, I think, a pure white coat and a shako of white lamb’s-wool. And with that colour the Georgian gentleman usually wears

The hair is dressed in four curls, two hanging down in front of the ears upon the breast and two down the back. As the glory of a Georgian woman is her hair, her curls are usually conspicuous and kept with great neatness. Sometimes they reach below the waist.

The rest of the costume is a jacket, either sleeveless or with slashed sleeves, a frill of lace or a silk handkerchief embroidered in bright colours around the neck and crossed upon the breast as a Quakeress would wear it, and from the waist in front hang two broad ribbons or strips of silk edged with a different colour, like an apron. The costume varies as to the quality of the material and the amount of embroidery according to the means of the wearer. The entire dress is notable for its refinement. Although we saw few of the dazzling beauties for which Georgia has always been famous, it is probably our own fault, or rather our misfortune. The best-looking women in any country are not in the habit of going to the railway

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IN SEARCH OF GEORGIAN WONDERS stations or promenading in the parks. We noticed several ladies with beautiful and refined faces in the shops, and often passed them driving â&#x20AC;&#x201D; sufficient to justify a confirmation of the stories we have heard about the clear olive complexions; the regular features, the Egyptian eyes, and the midnight hair, which are the gifts of the women of the Georgian race. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a joke among the Russians that every Georgian is a nobleman and that your porter or drosky driver is certain to be a baron or perhaps a count. It is undoubtedly true that titles were once bestowed with lavish generosity by the Georgian kings, who paid their debts as well as rewarded merit by conferring rank promiscuously. A gentleman remarked the other day, however, that the only title worth taking off your hat to is that of a prince. Every large land owner is a prince. I do not know that it is necessary for him to have any given area. As a rule, a Georgian nobleman looks and dresses the part much more naturally than Russian or other European dukes and princes. The national pride is equally amusing â&#x20AC;&#x201D; pride of ancestry, pride of race, pride of costume, pride of children; and, as John G. Saxe wrote of a similar case, they are proud of their pride. To this characteristic we are indebted for much pleasure. It induces them to cling to their national costumes and even to the gilded daggers at their belts.

To Georgia

lado

MODI To Georgia

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT GEORGIA By Director General of the Georgian National Museum, Prof. Dr. David Lordkipanidze

HOME OF THE FIRST EUROPEANS A large number of significant archaeological discoveries that span many different periods attest to this, including findings of the oldest human fossils in Eurasia, at Dmanisi. Dated to 1.8 million years ago, these fossils and thousands of artifacts are the oldest evidence of humans discovered outside of Africa. Visitors to the Dmanisi Archaeological Site can enjoy guided tours of the picturesque medieval fortress and ruins that cover the ancient deposits, and watch archaeologists excavating new discoveries.

HOMELAND OF WINE The history of wild vines and their grapes can be traced back over tens of millions of years . Although scholars still do not know for sure when ancient humans first made wine, the 7000 year-old grape stems discovered at the Shulaveri mountain near Marneuli in Georgia are the oldest in the world. Wine encyclopedias describe this as the benchmark of wine-making culture. Also, the oldest clay pots in Georgia with ornaments depicting vines are some 7-8 000 years old. Visitors to Georgia can enjoy the unique varieties of Georgian wine made by the ancient wine making-tradition. Fascinating images on cultural monuments of different periods, together with ethnographic and folkloric data, reveal Georgiansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; affection for their vineyards and wine throughout Georgiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long history. You can see these objects at the Signagi Museum, located at the heart of Kakheti region, famous for wine production.

To Georgia

MODI To Georgia

THE LAND OF THE GOLDEN FLEECE

THE LAND GUARDED BY THE LAND OF THE HOLY VIRGIN PIROSMANI

Almost everyone has heard the myth of the Argonauts, but not everyone knows of historic Georgia’s connection to the myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece. Many archaeological discoveries prove that the mythical land of Colchis is indeed the Colchis of western Georgia. “The Archaeological Treasury” exhibition at the Georgian National Museum, displays magnificent gold and silver jewelry and vessels that reflect the importance of the kingdom of Colchis, as one of the main pillars of Georgia’s cultural identity. Back in Georgia after an extensive tour of major European and American Museums, the stunning exhibition reveals masterpieces of ancient goldsmithery, as well as the development of Georgian culture from the first millennium BCE to the 4th century CE, which preceded Georgian Christian culture.

Georgian Orthodox tradition reveals that Georgia is a country under the special protection and intercession of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The legend tells that St. Nino received a vision where the Virgin Mary gave her a grapevine cross and sent her to Georgia to spread Christianity. After the great vision St. Nino of Cappadocia started to preach Christianity in the Georgian kingdom of Iberia in beginning of the 4th century. To see the evidence of the earliest Christian Art of Georgia you can visit Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts located at the downtown of Tbilisi. Especially in the old part of Tbilisi, tourists can experience the full spectrum of religious life in Georgia by visiting the beautiful Jewish Synagogue, Muslim Mosque, as well as ancient Armenian and Georgian churches.

The beautiful exhibition the Masterpieces of Georgian Fine Arts (The first half of the 20th century) shown at our renovated exhibition halls at the National Gallery, represents a broad spectrum of the artistic styles of the 19th century and of the European avant garde of the 20th century. Great masterpieces of Pirosmani, L. Gudiashvili, D. Kakabadze, E. Akhvlediani, Sh. Kikodze, D. Shevardnadze and others show that despite extremely strict ideological boundaries and attempts to destroy the artists both morally and physically, the Soviet regime was unable to prevent the expression of individual freedom and creativity.

Explore the ancient culture of Georgia www.museum.ge Facebook/ Georgian National Museum

July-August

MODI To Georgia

Fundraising For Moqvi Gospel

36065 Gels were raised on July 1, 2011, at charity auction arranged by the National Center of Manuscript and Publishing House â&#x20AC;&#x153;MODIâ&#x20AC;? for the preservation of Moqvi Gospel. 65 artworks out of the presented 138 lots were sold. Among participants of the charity auction were members of government, parliament, artists, etc. Moqvi Gospel was created in 1300, in Abkhazia by request of Daniel the Bishop of Moqvi. The Gospel is distinguished by its miniatures performed on gold sheets and colorful ornamentations. Over the time, the coating has been damaged and the miniatures are fading, thus it needs intensive care and restoration. Second stage of Charity auction will be held for autumn.

Many thanks to all those involved in the rescue of the Moqvi gospel 98

To Georgia

Tariel Gvalia / Bank of Georgia Osman Turan / Geocell

Vladimer Dzhishkariani / Buba Kudava Charity Auction Founders Vera Kobalia / Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia

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

Hotel to be constructed in Anaklia

Hotel to be Constructed in Anaklia

INSIDER

New Boulward in Anaklia

GEORGIA OPEN FOR INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM

Imagine a country with snow-capped peaks 5000 metres high, a lush, sub-tropical coast, gentle Tuscany-like vineyards and hot thermal waters. Think of people whose sense of hospitality is central to their national identity. A tourist paradise bursting with untapped potential? Indeed. But Georgia is so much more. Sandwiched between the high Caucasus mountains and the Black Sea country is the new frontier for unique investment opportunities. Georgia used to be the Soviet Union’s holiday spot of choice. Now, global demand for new, unspoiled destinations is putting the country back on the world tourism map. The government is confident that new resorts and intensive marketing will unleash the sector’s potential, therefore setting ambitious targets: 5 million foreign tourists should visit the country by 2013 which is more the country population itself.

There has never been a better time to invest in Georgia. Thanks to an aggressive reform agenda implemented by the government over the last 7 years, our country has dramatically improved its business and investment climate, as well as its rankings in international business surveys. Says Vera Kobalia Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia adding:” Look no further than the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business surveys. Ranked 112th out of 178 countries in 2005, Georgia rocketed to 12th in 2011. The Bank hailed Georgia’s commitment to reforms over the past four years as “unprecedented”. The government’s liberal trade regime and low taxes deliberately target foreign investors.”

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Keti Bochorishvili, head of the Georgian National Investment Agency (GNIA), the arm of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia believes the time is ripe for foreign investment in tourism.

“Georgia has lots to offer to tourists seeking unspoiled nature and quality service, and the numbers show a growing interest from international travelers” she says, “We can also propose a very attractive policy for investors, a friendly environment for foreign businesses to come and invest.” Rooms, rooms and more rooms! According to recent tourism data in 2010, more than 2 million people visited Georgia, an increase of 36% compared to 2009. 63.3% of these visitors live in CIS countries. The World Economic Forum’s first annual Travel and Tourism Competitiveness report ranked Georgia as the most competitive tourist destination in the region, while its visa requirements are the most simple anywhere in the world. Between January and May 2011 879,065 tourists visited Georgia, up 44% from the 612,226 visitors in the same period in 2010. Tourists need somewhere to stay. Georgia’s hotels are getting crowded. In Tbilisi, high-end hotels with over one hundred rooms reached 100% occupancy in May according to STR global, a US-based research firm that specializes in hotel benchmarking reports and analysis for the hospitality markets worldwide. “Hotel developers here are working hard to catch up with the aggressive growth of demand from international travelers coming for business or leisure,” says Iva Davitaia, CEO Adjara Group which in December 2010 opened the 252room Holiday Inn in Tbilisi. “A tourism market growing 42% year-on-year is self-explanatory,” he adds. “We opened six months ago, and we already have two other projects in the pipe-line. It is notable that throughout June and up to date there were 7 days when the Holliday Inn Hotel was again fully booked.

Yacth Club Opening This Summer

Hotel to be Constructed in Anaklia 12 Chanturia str., 0108 Tbilisi, Georgia Tel: +995 32 433 433 +995 32 106 392 info@investingeorgia.org www.investingeorgia.org

Natalie Luchaninova, Head of Marketing and PR of Radisson Blu Iveria, expressed the similar view, saying that the future of the hotel market in Georgia is very promising. “The data show why Georgia needs to focus on the development of tourism infrastructure as the number of international travelers in the country is increasing by 35-37% annually,” says Vera Kobalia, the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development. Recently, in response to the high demand for hotels the government has launched so called Hotel Investment Initiative project to stimulate further development of the tourism industry in Georgia. According to Kobalia, investors would find this latest initiative interesting, as they have already demonstrated “a big” success. Keti Bochorushvili GNIA director is happy to note that Georgian hotel investors have begun to attract global franchising operators. In the Black sea coastal Adjara region, in Batumi, it is expected that global brands such as Kempinski, Hyatt, Hilton and Ritz-Carlton will start operating over the next five years. The Sheraton, Adjara’s first internationally-branded 5-star hotel, opened in June 2010 and this month ribbons will be cut at Radisson Blu. Presently there are more than 120 hotels in the Adjara region. GNIA forecasts that by 2014, up to12 international hotel brands will be present in Georgia. Numbers show a thriving trend in Georgia. The industry revenues grew at an annualized rate of 49.7% between 2005 and 2008, for a total growth of 236%; the hotel fixed assets increased by 45.6% between 2007 and 2009 and the hotel room demand grew by 10% annually between 2006 and 2008. This performance is more stunning if considering the higher prices relative to European equivalents. The global financial crisis hit seriously the industry which registered a 4.7% contraction, but in Georgia the tourism revenues expanded by 0.5%. In 2010 occupancy rates increased 50% over 2009 adds GNIA head. Currently there are almost 400 hotels, guesthouses and family houses across the country, making a to-

tal of 10,000 rooms. As the demand shifts from focusing on “price and budget” to “value and quality”, Georgia is ready for new hotels, especially in the 2 – 4 star range: there is a significant demand for traditional, boutique and designled, and resort complexes. In response to the demand Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia has announced a privatization of the six state-owned properties located in the very center of Tbilisi city. Given the scarcity of the real estate assets in the center of Tbilisi, this privatization provides the unique investment opportunities in the Georgian real estate sector taking into consideration property’s extremely convenient location, it is ideal for development of various business activities including but not limited to a hotel, high-class office space etc

ANAKLIA, THE BLACK SEA GEM-TO-BE To boost the hotel business development Government of Georgia has introduced Free Tourism Zones which offer highly desirable incentives: free land, free hotel master plans, and exemption from income and property taxes for 15 years. They also provide connections to all basic utilities, such as gas, electricity and water, as well as critical infrastructure such as new roads.Alberto Domingo Cabo, the well-known Spanish architect, fell in love with Anaklia on his first visit in 2009.“The coast is spectacularly beautiful. The landscape, the Inguri River, the comfortable temperature and the sunlight in the region were an inspiration for me,” says the Valencia-based Spaniard, a professional from the firm Cmc Engenieros who designed the seafront promenade of the town that will become the next must-see attraction on the Black Sea. GNIA already registered a strong interest from Georgian and foreign investors in Anaklia. “At first, we will select five projects, with a total investment volume of around $ 40 or 50 million,” Bochorishvili says: In Anaklia, though, the boulevard is just the beginning, as Georgia’s mission to make the resort a flourishing tourist haven is well underway. The construction of hotels in the Anaklia Free Tourism Zone (FTZ) will start soon with the resort ready to welcome big number of holidaymakers in the summer of 2012. Three hotels are already operating in Anaklia and this summer tourists are able to spend unforgettable holidays on the Black Sea.

Come and invest in Georgia! A new world of opportunities is waiting for you!

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

NIKORA AND BANK OF GEORGIA:

EXCELLENCE IN QUALITY, EXCELLENCE IN PARTNERSHIP

For more than 12 years now NIKORA JSC keeps the leading position in the local food market. Starting as the food manufacturing enterprise, presently, the holding includes meat products, semi-finished products, fish products, dairy products, bakery products, frozen confectionary, soft drinks and wine companies. The number of the chain stores across Georgia exceeds 70. In his interview with “MODI” Mr. Irakli Bokolishvili, Director General of NIKORA JSC, talks about the potential of the company and partners.

“NIKORA” is one of the most famous brands and successful company within the Georgian market, respectively. “What is the formula for success?” “NIKORA” is really one of the most popular Georgian brands. It’s been 12 years already that Company keeps its strong position on food market of Georgia; the main key to success consists of continuous development and introduction of novelties, wide assortments and high quality of products. “NIKORA” was the first Company, which developed brand network besides its manufacturing industry and offered to the customers “NIKORA” products; so, the holding containing shop network, manufacturing industry and distribution network, is one of the guarantees to success. When we speak about success formula, we should underline the principle of Company’s continuous, direct contact with its customers; considering the interests of society, widely develops success and popularity of the Company as of business subject.

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We may say that there are lots of meat producers in Georgian market. Besides local companies there are foreign brands as well. Highlevel of competition brings relevant challenge for all companies. What is the main challenge for “NIKORA” and how Company aims to attract its customers, saying that “NIKORA” is the best one? Meat Market in Georgia is distinguished by high-level of competition – for both local and foreign brands. Though, the fact that “NIKORA” develops rapidly and keeps its leading position through 12 years, speaks for itself – the Company can compete definitely. To say once more – meat, fish half-finished, milk products, alcohol and soft drinks manufacturing plants, all in one holding offering the wide variety of products with high quality gives our Company real priority among the competitors. As for the international brands in Georgian market, “NIKORA” as Georgian Company keeps great priority.

The fact that, we are local manufacturers and it takes a short time for products to get to the customer’s kitchen, is very decisive while making a choice. Wide variety high quality products, service, comfortable and pleasant environment – “make” the customers to visit NIKORA chain again and again.

Permanent development is one of the main segments of success in business. In the last years “NIKORA” chain was much increased, including its product assortment. What are the plans for the next 5 years? For the next 5 years, NIKORA will continue its development and introduction of novelties. Increase in product choice is our main goal. Thereby, we plan to widen our chains through central and regional areas. Simultaneously to technological innovations, NIKORA brand network transforms into super market style step-by-step, which will provide our customers with all-in-one service.

“NIKORA”; so each financial institution cooperating with the Company is deemed as its companion. As for Bank of Georgia, the leading financial institution in Georgia, it supported “NIKORA” and offered various banking tools for business development. Since 2007 “NIKORA” is the client of Bank of Georgia; as VIP client we use the following products: loans, transactions, corporate service, and full package of internet banking. Support of the largest and successful financial institutions is very important and valuable for us. No one will argue that the most important thing for any company is a strong financial companion, i.e. stable organization, supported by many international financial institutions. Regarding the relations with the corporate department of Bank of Georgia, we are pleased that employees practice a really customer-oriented policy, offering qualified and prompt service.

Growth of business activity requires relevant funds and within global economical crisis attraction of some extra funds and investments is quite difficult job. In such case, any company, even a very strong one should cooperate with the strong financial institutions. Considering all these, who can be the “companion” of “NIKORA”? Bank sector of Georgia is considered as one of the successful economic segments. How can you estimate your companion from this point of view and does Bank of Georgia offer all bank products, which is necessary for the development of business in modern surroundings? It is not strange that fast growing company, introducing novelties continuously, may need some extra funds and investments. That is why cooperation with Georgian bank sector is a very important factor for

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105

INSIDER

TAV GEORGIA FOR

GEORGIA

MODI MAGAZINE HAD CHANCE TO MEET WITH TAV GEORGIA, OPERATOR COMPANY OF TBILISI & BATUMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS AND REVEALED SOME INTERESTING ASPECTS OF AIRPORTS’ LIFE WITH GENERAL MANAGER METE ERKAL. TAV Georgia is a subsidiary company of TAV Holding, the leader in air transpiration of Turkey, that shaped Tbilisi International Airport into an economic development tool for our region, tell us more about the holding... We are part of one big family that unites 10 international airports worldwide – TAV Holding. TAV’s history began in 1997 with the tender for Istanbul Ataturk Airport international Terminal. After being awarded the tender, Tepe and Akfen Groups established TAV as a joint venture. After the construction of the International Terminal of Istanbul Ataturk Airport was completed, TAV Airports, founded on 9th January 2000. TAV Airports Holding is among the leading airport operators in the world. It operates Istanbul Atatürk, Ankara Esenboga, Izmir Adnan Menderes(international terminal) and Antalya Gazipasa airports in Turkey, Tbilisi and Batumi Airports in Georgia, Monastir and Enfidha Airports in Tunisia, as well as the Skopje and Ohrid Airports in Macedonia. With its subsidiaries, TAV Airports provides fast, accurate, quality services in all areas of airport operations, including duty free sales, food and beverage ser-

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vices, ground handling services, IT and security. TAV Airports has also taken over operations of the duty free, food & beverage and other commercial areas for 10 years at Riga Airport in Latvia. In 2010, TAV Airports served approximately 416,000 flights and 48 million passengers globally.

Tell us briefly about TAV Georgia... TAV Georgia is a subsidiary company of TAV Airports and took the operations of Tbilisi Airport in 2005. The new passenger terminal constructed by TAV Georgia commenced in service in February 2007. While operating Tbilisi International Airport TAV Airports continued its investment in the region and assumed the operation of the Batumi International Airport in May 2007. As the most operationally efficient Airports passengers of Batumi and Tbilisi Airports can enjoy exceptional services provided by Duty Free Georgia, BTA catering service and CIP Primeclass Service-subsidiary companies under TAV holding structure. Tbilisi and Batumi International Airports has an important and proffered places among TAV Holdings’ international projects. Located at the crossroads of Europe and Central Asia, Georgia is a bridge connecting several important economic regions. It is a key link in the shortest transit route between Western Europe and Central Asia for transportation.

Taking into account the raised passenger traffic and importance of every new air company for Georgia’s economy, it’s interesting to know the statistics? The statistics are authentic proof of how much TAV has done for the development of airport operations and for increasing air traffic in both airports. Tbilisi airport has enjoyed huge growth as result of new air companies and routes. In 2010 passenger figures increased up to 17% in Tbilisi and 28% in Batumi Airport. These growth are accompanied by 19% and 26% ATM increases respectively. Passenger figures boomed in 2011 also and reached 34% growth in first five months (January – May) in Tbilisi and 32 % growth in Batumi Airport. Furthermore, TAV Georgia fully supports the development of domestic air traffic, which has increased up to 326% in 2010 and what is the most important, we are expecting 1 million passengers to pass through Tbilisi International Airport by the end of this year. We have exiting plans for the growth and development of the airport to benefit Georgia as a whole.

The achievements listed by you above are requiring significant developments of Airport infrastructure. My next question would be about the infrastructural development you implement in Tbilisi International Airport?

Well, many of those infrastructure improvements that TAV Georgia has fulfilled may or may not have been visible to the average citizen; however, number of developments addressed a lot of the inside effects that many passengers want to see in today’s travel. As TAV Georgia operates two international airports, the infrastructural issues are key points of its day-to-day operations. Due to the peculiarities of Airport Management, we are permanently making investments in the projects aimed at infrastructural development. Considering this, the main idea here is ascribed to that fact that, taking these two airports under our operations is not limited only with making initial investment, but this event is accompanied by huge amount of investment in technical equipment and other infrastructural units. Take for instance one recent example, we’ve done investment to improve information technologies in Tbilisi Airport, as high level of service eventually requires high level of technology in aviation sector. Apart from this, we acquired the expensive assets like passenger bus, X-ray devices, Tow-bar, High Loader, etc. As I have already mentioned, we permanently update equipment and facilities of the terminal, make maintenance of the apron and taxiways, investing in the different services of the airport, so that our passengers can utilize all our services more effectively in our airport. All areas in the terminal allow us to be more focused on customer service issues and we hope all changes allow our customers to have a very positive flying experience

What else do you see on the horizon, as changes in airport as well as in air market of Georgia? There is no question that we will have changes and improvements further in the airport operations, infrastructure and services for becoming the leading airport in the region. Our target is to be the best. Doubtless, there will be further challenges… Economic concerns are putting flying in the spotlight, nevertheless, I believe that Tbilisi and Batumi Airports have good credentials and they will remain as the best airports of the region. I’m very happy to see how Georgia continues to grow and prosper. Georgia has been developing rapidly and hence, all areas of economy are driven with these huge improvements that are visible for everyone in the country and for investors abroad. So, I believe Georgia has a huge potential to become a hub for east and west, for that TAV Georgia is doing its best and we are always at the service of Georgia, a reliable and strong partner of Georgia. TAV Georgia is for Georgia !

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INSIDER

TAV GEORGIA FOR

GEORGIA

HOW BIG IS THE ROLE OF TAV GEORGIA IN ATTRACTING NEW AIR COMPANIES AND IN SUPPORTING TOURISM DEVELOPMENT MRS. TEA ZAKARADZE, TAV GEORGIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ADMINISTRATION MANAGER TOLD MODI DURING FACETO FACE INTERVIEW.

I would like to address to you, as to the Georgian Manager, what feelings are associated with being a manager of foreign company, especially the strategic institution as two main international airports of the country? First of all, I would like to mention that I do not feel I am working in foreign company; to my mind TAV Georgia is Georgian enterprise and for this reason it is a double responsibility for me to be a manager at this company, a member of big international TAV family which annually serves millions of passengers and has approximately 46000 employees throughout the world. I am very proud of having opportunity of playing a role of bridge between these two cultures, share common values and make this international company as a reputable Georgian enterprise. I think it is crucially important that TAV Georgia operates Tbilisi and Batumi International Airports. As these airports are essentially operated for Georgia, I deem my primary mission is to adjust the experience in operating airports of TAV Holding to the Georgian mentality, culture and customs. As a result of our devoted attempts, TAV Georgia is becoming fully Georgian company. The core objectives of the management are inspired by the potential of bringing significant benefits to Georgia and its population. It is absolutely enough to prove the above if I mentioned several facts as example. Our company has approximately 1000 personnel in both airports operated, only 17 of which are expatriates. Furthermore, we are doing our best in improving employee satisfaction as we do believe it is directly connected to the motivation and advance customer service resulting in increased passenger traffic and tourism potential of the country. Our personnel is a key aim of care, all necessary fringe benefits, trainings and career planning activities are carried out by the Management

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in order to benefit Georgian nation and country’s economy as a whole. As a Georgian manager of this international company, I do hope our effort will really reach envisaged targets and serve as a support for the further development of Georgia.

We’ve seen lots of activities carried out successfully by TAV Georgia for attracting more new airlines on Georgian market and some of the biggest names in aviation industry have started services from Tbilisi & Batumi International Airports, tell us more about them and do you expect more airlines by the end of this year? Based on the evidences mentioned by me above, it is clear that increased customer satisfaction stimulates the passenger flow to the country. In parallel to this, effective marketing campaign carried out by TAV Georgia during the year managed to attract 6 new airlines to Georgian air market and these companies are: S7 Siberian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Pegasus Airlines (low-cost), ATA Airlines, Air Astana, China South Airlines. 3 new airlines started operations from Batumi Airport: Belavia, Aerosvit, Anadolujet-Borajet, which is low-cost airline. Moreover, air company Ural will start regular flights in the nearest future and from November 30th Qatar Airways will launch flights to Tbilisi. Thanks to these permanent endeavors Tbilisi Airport will serve million passengers by the end of this year. This is really noteworthy success for our country. It was a lot of work and efforts by many people and I truly believe that these latest developments make our airports a great first impression for our visitors as well as an economic development asset for Georgia. Hereby I would like to emphasize that every new airline entering our market is directly inferred as increased inflow of tourists to Georgia. This fact logically is prompted by the consideration, any additional destination means simplified access to the country and more visitors, which significantly contributes to the development of tourism in our country.

Thank you for highlighting the issue of tourism. Let me ask about your contribution to the development of tourism in our country. What activities are carried out by TAV Georgia in this sphere? A. It’s a challenge… We’ve all got to make right steps in order to get visible results. For attracting and bringing new airlines to Georgia, TAV is seen to have a vital role to play. Having a clear strategy and promoting both airports on forums and fairs in aviation sector regularly worldwide resulted that several new airlines started regular flights from Tbilisi and Batumi Airports. We’ve been visiting ITB international tourism fair in Berlin (2010/2011), Routes Europe Conference (Toulouse/ France), 126th IATA Scheduled Conference (Berlin), Routes World Conference (Vancouver/Canada), WTM

(London), 128th IATA Scheduled Conference (Gothenburg/Germany), etc. On these fairs it’s all about showing and promoting the country first of all and convincing potential partners about the benefits which will come out by flying to Georgia. There is a huge competition on this market and while representing not only my country but also Georgia’s two main airports on these exhibitions, I’m immediately looking at the ways of doing things we need to do to make companies interested with the Georgian market. This can bring hundreds of passengers to Georgia and ensure development of tourism industry. We offer full high service package, international standards in airport operations and excellent customer care, we have all facilities to meet the requirements of all airlines. As recently new airlines started flights and more and more tourists find chance to visit Georgia, for supporting our visitors with proper info about Georgia, TAV Georgia built “Tourism Information Centers” in both Tbilisi & Batumi Airports (in cooperation with Georgian National Tourism Agency) and to enable faster passengers flow into the aircrafts, TAV Georgia made investment and built a new gate entrance in departure level.

Can you outline TAV Georgia’s social activities and Awards that company have received so far? A. TAV Georgia is a socially responsible company, we have close cooperating with many charity funds and organizations and this is something we are very proud of. Through our financial support and assistance many charities are able to realize projects that have genuine effect on the lives of others, including Iavnana, Catharsis, House of Hope, Red Cross Society, State Agency for disabled, elderly and orphans, CENN, GEFPOR, Charity for the Charitable, additionally we operate airport community kindergarten with 200 children. Awards are our achievements … they are testimonials that prove our service quality and professionalism which is of course huge responsibility. Our ISO Certification for both airports in Quality and Environmental Management Systems are the guarantee that all our services are conducted in compliance to the international Standards and the applicable regulatory requirements. We’ve been awarded as on international level as well as on local level. Tbilisi International Airport was named The Best Emerging Airport in Russia and Eastern Europe, (2010); Best Airport in Russia and Eastern Europe (2011); Golden Brand in Transportation & Service (2011). We do hope devoted efforts of so many people will succeed in attaining our ultimate goals and support future development of Georgia. That’s why I can proudly claim - TAV Georgia is for Georgia!

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Interview

The Young Lady of the Big Ministry

After the year of notable working in the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, magazine MODI decided to meet the Minister Vera Kobalia and reveal the secret of success. Interviewer: Vladimir Dzhishkariani / Tamar Nadareishvili Ms. Vera, before your appointment as the Minister of Economy of Georgia, you lived in Canada. And it’s been more than a year already, you are keeping your Office in Georgia. I believe views are different from immigration point of view as well as from the place you live in now. What’s so special in Georgia from your point of view and why a person should visit Georgia? You are absolutely right, I lived in Canada for 15 years, but I always had contact with Georgia, because I think, that we, Georgians are very patriotic nation. And the truth is that I do not know any Georgian, who moved from Georgia abroad and didn’t want to come back again. It’s true that during nineties many people left the country due to economic uneasiness, but presently, in the last three years more people are coming back to Georgia then leaving, which is a very important fact. What is so special about Georgia it’s really hard to answer, because there are so many special things about this country and, I think, this is why we are so patriotic. I’ll tell you a short story: in around 1999-2000 years, they were showing Georgian films at Vancouver Film Festival. And few people, Georgians that lived in Vancouver decided to attend the show and to support the films, somehow, and if given a chance to tell the audience - well, we are Georgians, we are part of the country you’ve just watched.

And the movie was, well, very negative, so to say… It was about the problems of Georgia in nineties and it was about power outrages basically, how Georgia was in lockout constantly, fighting the economic troubles. The showroom was full, probably about six hundred people. So, after the movie, one of my Georgian friends was so upset about the way those six hundred people learned about Georgia that he just stood up, we were sitting in first or second row, turned around and said: “Hold on a minute, no one leaves the room. I want to tell you about Georgia and this is not what you’ve just seen. You know that we are one of the oldest countries in the world and fore example, the oldest sculls were discovered in Georgia“ And he started telling stories about the wine and many other things and people were completely confused: why he did all this. And you know, this is what I mean, saying that Georgians are very much attached to their country, and that’s what makes it so hard to describe what’s so special about it, because everything is special in our country.

What’s the most distinctive mark of Georgia, presently? I think it’s a highly diversified country. So if you look at the climate map, you will see that we have nine climatic zones, of the existing eleven. There is everything from the subtropical to alpine zones. So, in this small geographical part of the land, when you come

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to this country, you can experience everything; from sea to mountains, from the subtropics to semi desertsâ&#x20AC;Ś We are wine country and we have area where more than five thousand species live. So this highly diversified nature is, or at least should be our distinctive mark, our presentation card to the world.

It is notable that you are a record holder in the History of Georgia, nobody could hold the office for such a long time. Recently, President of Georgia noted that you revived the Ministry. Tell us about the projects, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve launched. Ministry of Economy is covering quite wide range of issues. Georgian economy is rather diverse as well. In this light, the main challenge is to be flexible in all directions, to have activities and projects in various fields. So we have tried to be active across the board and implement projects that would bring results both in short and long term. We have naturally been very active in FDI promotion. While until the Global Financial Crisis it was relatively easier to attract investment, currently the competition for investment is very high; while the appetite for investment is less by far. In these conditions, it was very important to have specific offers at hand. We have managed to develop a portfolio of

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specific investment packages that we can promote directly. We will make sure that this portfolio is updated and expanded. We have been quite active in other directions as well, following-up on old and launching new projects. For example we have a very big program in the field of transport, both reforming the institutions and investing in infrastructure. We have embarked very seriously raising efficiency of state property management, both in terms of better managing state enterprises, but also facilitating privatization process. We have introduced and continue to do so a few new IT systems in these areas and the results are already there. We have also taken the first steps in the direction of sustainable development. We are in the process of putting in place very specific action plans for next few years.

Tourism became one of the key directions of your Ministry. Tell us about this field and your plans on how to compete with Turkish tourism, for example. Tourism is an important field for various reasons. Firstly, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fast growing section, in general. Some-

Interview times, I joke that one thing people will never stop wanting is something to eat (unless we invent some special kind of a pill that takes care of that) and somewhere to stay and relax and as the global population is increasing so is the number of travelers. I am very happy to see that in the first five months of 2011 we had over one million people visiting Georgia that is a 44% growth comparing to the same period of 2010. One thing we deem very important is having more direct flights to Georgia. That is essential to increase the traffic. In today’s world no one wants to have 3-4 stops along the way before reaching the final destination. One you have one week for the holiday, you don’t want to spend too much time on the plane. So direct flights are one big priority. Tourism infrastructure is another important area. While it is government’s job to provide transport infrastructure which is on par with international standards, private sector has a far greater role to play in building other tourist facilities. IN this regard as well we are offering strong incentives creating Free Tourism Zones and opening up privatization opportunities. It is also important to have high quality of services in place. Again the private sector has an important role to play here as well. Tourism is a strategic sector for us. It should create a large number of jobs both permanent in services and temporary in construction. So we will be continuing to focus on this sector. As for Turkey, I do not think we necessarily compete with. While we have similar services on offer such as sea-side resorts, we also have many points of differentiation. SPA, mountain, winter, eco, wine and cultural tourism opportunities in Georgia abound. Importantly, we are also a new destination, something on demand right now and in immediate future. We need to do a good job in terms of having communication campaigns that promote what the customers are looking for, not just what we think is important.

What are you planning for the development of Mestia and for what kind of tourism it is designated for? Mestia is certainly a very important project, but besides, I would like to touch upon other serious projects such as Anaklia and others. I’ve been interviewed by a foreign journalist, recently, regarding Mestia and he was asking me whether we are afraid of all the ecological issues that may arise in terms of all the infrastructural projects we have in Svaneti – a region that still remains untouched area. We are very much aware of the environmental risks

associated with infrastructure projects, and we are committed to develop the region in a sustainable manner. We have used a very prudent approach, first commissioning a master-plan to a global-name specialist organization. This plan encompasses all aspects including environmental. At the same time Svaneti project has huge economic and social impact on the region. All we do – constructing, airport, rehabilitating road, building hotels serves an important objective of infusing life into a region that had very difficult life conditions. Because of those locals were leaving their homes in search of better standards of life and economic opportunities. The projects we implement will open new jobs and new business opportunities, generate more income locally and eventually turn it into an economically dynamic, sustainable

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region. Achieving this objective is just as important as achieving a broader objective of developing tourism in Georgia. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interesting also, I found that in the beginning of the 2008 the ministry received a letter signed by about 3000 Svaneti dwellers asking the government to start working on some kind of project for setting up the ski-lifts. And when I learned about this letter I realized that all the things we are doing right now was kind of request of the local population. As for Anaklia and Kobuleti, seeing that the demand for accommodation is far outpacing supply, there was a clear need to encourage resort developers and operators to invest more aggressively in hotel construction. Last month we had near 100% occupancy rates in Batumi and Tbilisi as well. To jump-start this process we have created incentive packages in the form of Free Tourism zones with very attractive features such as land for free, tax breaks, free casino licenses etc. These initiative

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I am sure will allow us to successfully cope with the surge of visitors we anticipate. This will create modern tourist facilities that will not only be able to serve more, but also serve on a higher level.

One of the important factors for tourism development â&#x20AC;&#x201C; presence of direct flights. Can you tell us about current situation in this field? You are absolutely right. Having many direct flight destinations is the key to have more visitors to Georgia. Currently we get roughly half of the visitor traffic via air travel. The other half chooses to use road transport or railways. This is alright for the visitors from neighboring countries but if we want to fully use our tourism potential we also need to tap into more distant markets. At this point having direct flights becomes critical. With this in mind, we are very active to quickly increase the number of direct flights and diversify geography. On every visit outside of Georgia I make sure to meet a local airline and persuade

Interview

them to start flying to Georgia, explaining them in detail the current and future developments in the field of tourism as well as general business. I am happy to see that the interest form airline industry is growing.

How do you thing, is it possible to develop NANO Technologies in Georgia, if so, what are these directions? Technologies can and have to be developed in Georgia. This directly depends on the quality of human capital Georgia owns and all reforms and projects in Education sector are aiming at increasing it. Right now we have some progress in developing IT sector, which I think has very good potential in Georgia. I believe the opportunities for developing nano- and other sophisticated high-tech areas will grow with time. In couple of years we will be better positioned to expand in technology R&D and its commercialization. Meanwhile, we’ll continue preparing human and institutional base for it.

Our magazine has a section called, “In Search of the Georgian Wonders.” What tagline would you suggest for Georgia under this section? When I lived abroad for such a long period of time, 15 years approximately, I was thinking what I missed about Georgia. It could be a lot of things. I mean, for tourists it’s different. The tourist comes here for a couple of weeks and then leaves. Thus, each of them has his own impression about the country he visited. For me the secret about the country is truly the people; very intense, emotional relationship that the Georgians have with each other. I think this kind of relationship could hardly be found in many places of the world. Generally, we can say that in Georgia everyone knows his neighbors, or even that everybody knows everyone even in big cities. And although sometimes we find this tiresome, still losing of these “ties” is very hard and you begin to miss them. So, the most important thing about Georgia is its people, definitely.

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Irakli Bugianishvili

PORTFOLIO

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To Georgia

PORTFOLIO

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PORTFOLIO

“Generally saying I am very reluctant to talk or write about my artistic work assuming that the pictures could explain by themselves. For me art is the universal communicative medium, a universal language. Art cannnot solve the problems but quite contrary it poses the questioins.So I don’t want to claim or make an exact defination of something with my pictures but try neutrially present of the pictures contents. I consider the framgentary picture language (applications, collages) as the most relevant form to reveal the content because I think we (people) experience this world piecemeal. The coherency of the elements interrelates through the observer and gets interpret.As a result of cohesion an observer gets his/her interpretation. “ Irakli Bugianishvili was born 1980 in Tbilisi. He studied: at the Academy of Fine Arts of Tbilisi during 1998-2001; Karlsruhe State Academy of Fine Arts, Germany and Rouen Academy of Fine Arts, France during 2001-2006. 2007-2010 MFA in history of arts, University of Dusseldorf, Germany. Now Irakli Bugianishvili lives and works in Düsseldorf. www.bugiani.com

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PORTFOLIO

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Tamara Kvesitadze Man and Woman

GALLERY

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GALLERY

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GALLERY

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GALLERY

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Gourme Gourme’t

Sea Food from

Ingredients 250 gr - mussels 220 gr - white wine 2 bites of garlic 25 gr – olive oil 1 piece – onion 200 gr - cream sauce Salt and pepper by your taste Directions Spread the smashed garlic in a deep pan and after heating put mussels in it, add some blended onions, pour the white wine and cap the pan; it needs to boil for about 10 minutes for opening all mussels, all mussels must open, otherwise it is bad; take mussels from the pan, pour out the rest mix of white wine and mussels broth in a saucer. Afterwards, pour olive oil on the pan, then broth, add 250 gr of cream, boil it and pour all these on ready mussels. Bon appétit!

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Risotto with sea foods Ingredients 1 piece – onion 2 pieces – bell peppers 2-3 bites of garlic 200 gr – risotto rice 150 gr – shrimps 150 gr – calamari (squids) 150 gr – mussels 100 gr – octopus 50 gr – butter 50 gr – white wine Salt and pepper by your taste Directions Firstly, blend onion and bell peppers separately; then take a deep pan, pour olive oil in it, add some blended onion, bell peppers, smashed garlic and rice, after some tossing, pour white wine and cap the pan; leave the pan on low fire for about 20 minutes; during this time you can wash and prepare sea foods, put them in the pan as well, add some butter, salt and pepper, toss it again and leave it for about 15 minutes on fire. Bon appétit!

To Georgia

Dinning Room / 38, Paliashvili Street, Tbilisi, Georgia

Mussels in white wine cream Sauce

Gourme Gourmet’t

Keti Bakradze 10 A / Abanotubani , Tbilisi, Georgia

Sea Foods on grill Ingredients 150 gr – shrimps 150 gr – calamari (squids) 150 gr – mussels 100 gr – octopus 100 gr - olive oil 2 pieces – lemon Salt and pepper by your taste Directions Firstly, squeeze one lemon, put one bite of garlic and sea foods in it, toss well and leave it for 30 minutes; afterwards, take a pan, heat it and put sea foods in it, during roasting, keep non-stop tossing and squeezing of the second lemon for about 5-7 minutes. Bon appétit!

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Special Project

The Knight in the Panther’s Skin Introduction Shota Rustaveli is regarded by Georgians as their greatest poet. His “Vepkhistkaosani” (The Knight in the Panther’s Skin), written in XII century, depicting the medieval humanistic ideals: chivalry, feelings of love, friendship, courtly love, courage and fortitude is often seen as Georgia’s national epic. In his preface to the first English translation of the poem performed by Ms. Marjory Wardrop (1912), Sir Oliver Wardrop wrote: “THIS is a book which is the mirror of the soul of a cultured people with a great past; The history of the poem makes it worthy of perusal, for it has been in a unique manner the book of a nation for seven hundred years; down to our own days the young people learned it by heart; every woman was expected to know every word of it, and on her marriage to carry a copy of it to her new home. Such veneration shown for so long a period proves that the story of the Panther-clad Knight presents an image of the Georgian outlook on life, and justifies the presumption that merits tested by the experience of a quarter of a million days, most of them troublous, may be apparent to other races, that such a book may be of value to mankind, and chiefly to those peoples which, like the Georgian, came under the influence of Greek and Christian ideals. Here we are dealing with no alien psychology, but with a soul which, though readily responsive to the great cultural movements of nearer Asia, showed in a thousand years of struggle that its natural gravitation was towards Western Europe, whither with pathetic constancy it kept its gaze fixed. Iberia of the East and Iberia of the West, the high-water marks of Arab conquest, were both fertilized by the Semitic flood, and, whether or not they have some ancient ethnic affinity, this has given them not a few common characteristics; Spain had Christendom at her back, Georgia carried on her glorious crusade in isolation till the struggle was hopeless, and a century ago she was forced into an alliance with the Russian Empire. From her situation, geographical and political, Georgia was the country most likely to show that approximation of Eastern and Western thought typical of the epoch of the Crusades, and in these latter days it is largely due to the infusion of Iberian blood that Turkey and Persia have still sufficient vitality to attempt reforms.” Through the history of the Georgian Masterpiece, many artists were inspired, creating notable artworks and illustrations of the Book. Most famous among them were: Lado Gudiashvili, Tamar Abakelia, Sergo Kobuladze, Irakli Toidze, Ucha Japaridze, Natela Iankoshvili, Inga Divnogortseva-Grigolia etc. Recently, at the European House Georgia, new edition of the masterpiece was presented by illustrations of modern Georgian artist David Machavariani. Here, Modi presents some of new illustrations with extracts from Marjory Wardrop’s translation.

STORY OF ROSTEVAN, KING OF THE ARABIANS

THERE was in Arabia Rostevan, a king by the grace of God, happy, exalted, generous, modest, lord of many hosts and knights, just and gracious, powerful, far-seeing, himself a peerless warrior, moreover, fluent in speech.

Tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;HINATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;HIN, radiant in countenance, was led in by her sire. He seated her, and with his own hands set the crown on her head; he gave her the sceptre, and clad her in the royal robes. The maiden looks on with understanding, all-seeing, like the sun.

HOW THE KING OF THE ARABIANS SAW THE KNIGHT CLAD IN THE TIGERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SKIN

THEY saw a certain stranger knight; he sat weeping on the bank of the stream, he held his black horse by the rein, he looked like a lion and a hero; his bridle, armour and saddle were thickly bedight with pearls; the rose of his cheek was frozen in tears that welled up from his woe-stricken heart.

THE slaves stretched forth their hands to seize that knight; he fell upon them - alas! even their enemies would have pitied them; he beat one against another, he slew them without raising his hand, some with his whip he smote, cleaving them down to the breast.

TARIEL’S DEPARTURE FOR KHATAET’HI AND GREAT BATTLES

I TOOK with me three hundred of the soldiers, good brave knights, I went forth and left all the army; I said: ‘Wherever I shall go, march over the same fields, Follow me closely, help me, I shall call you if I need help.

IT is of no use for the three of us to go in, there is risk that they would perceive it; I shall go alone as a merchant, and well shall I win in unnoticed; secretly shall I don mine armour, I shall appear, I shall deceive them. God grant that I may make channels of blood to flow generously in there!

THE COUNSEL OF TARIEL

BETTER than that counsel is this - let us do as I say: Let us divide the men by hundreds; when night turns to dawn let the three of us start out from three places, swiftly let us urge on our horses; they will send out to encounter us, we shall seem insignificant to them, we shall lend a powerful palm to the sword. ALL the castle guard lay like sick men, every one wounded from head to foot, their armour rent in pieces, the castle gates open, the fragments of the gates flung aside. They recognized Tariel’s handiwork, they said: “This is his doing.”

GUIDE

EMBASSY

Fax: (+995 32) 44 73 64

CHINESE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC EMBASSY,

Tbilisi, 37d T. Tabidze St. Tel: (+995 32) 291 49 70, 291 49 71, 291 49 72 Fax: (+995 32) 295 49 78, 291 49 80

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

CZECH REPUBLIC - EMBASSY

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

ESTONIA - EMBASSY

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

EU MONITORING MISSION

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

FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY - EMBASSY

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

GREECE REPUBLIC - EMBASSY

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

ESTONIA - EMBASSY

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

FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY - EMBASSY

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

GREECE REPUBLIC - EMBASSY

IRAN ISLAMIC REPUBLIC EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 80 Chavchavadze Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 291 36 56, 291 36 57, 291 36 58 Fax: (+995 32) 291 36 28

ITALIAN REPUBLIC EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 3a Chitadze St. Tel: (+995 32) 299 64 18 Fax: (+995 32) 299 64 15

JAPAN - EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 7d Krtsanisi St. Tel: (+995 32) 275 21 11 Fax: (+995 32) 275 21 12

KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS - EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 20 Telavi St. Tel: (+995 32) 227 62 00 Fax: (+995 32) 227 62 32

KINGDOM OF SWEDEN EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 12 T. Tabidze St Tel: (+995 32) 255 03 20 Fax: (+995 32) 225 12 26

KINGDOM OF DENMARK HONORARY CONSULATE

Tbilisi,7 N.Nikoladze St. Tel: (+995 32) 299 81 15, (+995 77) 74 40 01 Fax: (+995 32) 292 35 33

KINGDOM OF BELGIUM HONORARY CONSULATE

Tbilisi, 24 Kazbegi Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 426 52 00 Fax: (+995 32) 246 52 00

To Georgia

Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 291 26 45 Fax: (+995 32) 291 27 38

REPUBLIC OF FRANCE EMBASSY

SPAIN HONORARY CONSULATE

Tbilisi, 4 Odessa St. Tel: (+995 32) 224 48 58 Fax: (+995 32) 238 14 06

Tbilisi, 15 Gogebashvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 299 99 76, 93 42 10 Fax: (+995 32) 295 33 75

Tbilisi, 29 I. Abashidze St. Tel: (+995 32) 235 58 35

LITHUANIA REPUBLIC EMBASSY

REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY EMBASSY

154 Agmashenebeli ave. Tbilisi 0112 Tel: (+995 32) 2 556 500

LATVIA REPUBLIC - MBASSY

Tbilisi, 25 Abuladze St. Tel: (+995 32) 291 29 33, 25 81 00 Fax: (+995 32) 222 17 93

NORWAY HONORARY CONSULATE

Tbilisi, 20 Abasheli St. Tel: (+995 32) 229 09 79 Fax: (+995 32) 229 35 53

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA - EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 52 Barnov St. Tel: (+995 32) 225 26 70

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA EMBASSY

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

REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN EMBASSY

Tbilisi, Kipshidze St., q. 2, b. q Tel: (+995 32) 225 35 26, 225 35 27, 225 26 39 Fax: (+995 32) 225 00 13

REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 61 Agmashenebeli Ave.

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

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Tel: (+995 32) 291 01 94, 91 01 95 Fax: (+995 32) 291 02 70

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

REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN EMBASSY

Tbilisi,23 Shatberashvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 299 76 84 Fax: (+995 32) 229 24 24

REPUBLIC OF POLAND EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 19 Zubalashvili Brothers St. Tel: (+995 32)2 92 03 98 Fax: (+995 32) 292 03 97

REPUBLIC OF TURKEY EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 35 Chavchavadze Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 225 20 72 Fax: (+995 32) 222 06 66

ROMANIA - EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 7 Lvov St. Tel: (+995 32) 238 53 10 Fax: (+995 32) 238 52 10

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

EMBASSY OF ISRAEL TO GEORGIA

SWISS CONFEDERATION EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 11 Krtsanisi St. Tel: (+995 32) 275 30 01, 75 30 02 Fax: (+995 32) 275 30 06

UKRAINE - EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 75 Oniashvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 231 11 61 Fax: (+995 32) 231 11 81

UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND - EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 4 Freedom Sq. Tel: (+995 32) 227 47 47 Fax: (+995 32)2 27 47 92

USA - EMBASSY

Tbilisi, 11 Balanchini St. Tel: (+995 32) 227 70 00 Fax: (+995 32) 227 77 01

VATICAN (THE HOLY SEE)

Tbilisi, Nutsubidze plateau 2m/d,40 Zhgenti St. Tel: (+995 32) 253 76 01, 253 76 04 Fax: (+995 32) 253 67 04

Tbilisi, 51 Chavchavadze

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

GUIDE

HOTELS

RCHEULI VILLA

Batumi, N. Zhordania str. 31 tel: (+995 32) 272 90 09, (+995 99) 31 69 28, (+995 222) 7 07 07

RCHEULI MARANI

MARRIOTT TBILISI

Telavi, I. Chavchavadze str.154 tel: (+995 32) 272 90 09, (+995 99) 31 69 28, (+995 250) 27 30 30

COURTYARD MARRIOTT –

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

Tbilisi, Rustaveli ave 13 tel: (+995 32) 277 92 00 Tbilsi, Freedom square 4 Tel: (+995 32) 277 91 00 Fax: (+995 32) 277 91 10

SHERATON METECHI PALASE

Tbilisi, Telavi str. 20 tel: (+995 32) 277 20 20

SHERATON BATUMI

Batumi, Vazha-Pshavela str.2

RADISSON BLU IVERIA

PIROSMANI

TETNULDI

Svaneti-Mestia, Margiani str.9

BAGRATI

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

SPORT HOTEL GUDAURI

Gudauri

CARPE DIEM

BREAD HOUSE- GEORGIAN

3 Metekhi slope, Tbilisi

BUFFET - ITALIAN CUISINE

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

31 I. Abashidze St. Tbilisi

CARAVAN - LITERARY ARTCAFÉ

10 Purtseladze St. Tbilisi

CHARDIN 12 RESTAURANT

SAKURA

Tbilisi, 25 Kostava St. Tel: (+995 32) 2920950

TSISKVILI

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

Dzveli Sakhli –Georgian Restaurant - 3 Sanapiro St. Tbilisi

IN THE SHADOW OF METEKHI

Georgian Restaurant-29 K. Tsamebuli Ave. Tbilisi tel: (+995 32) 277 93 83

KALA – CAFÉ

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

KGB - CAFE WITH SOVIET INTERIOR

Bakuriani, Didveli (Close to Tatra-puma lift)

14 Chardin St. Tbilisi

HOLIDEY INN

RESTAURANTS, BARS,CAFES

Restaurants Network - 7 Bambis Rigi St. Tbilisi tel: (+995 32) 230 30 30

INTOURIST BATUMI PALACE

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

ANTRE

Batonebi - American café 64 Paliashvili st. Tbilisi

BELLE DE JOUR - FRENCH

Restaurant- 29 I. Abashidze St. Tbilisi

BAMBA ROOMS

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

CHINA TOWN - CHINESE RESTAURANT

CITADINES

Tbilsi, 26 May square1 Tbilisi, Makashvili str.32/34 Tel: 293 14 04

PUR PUR

1 A. Tbileli st. Tbilisi

TWO SIDE PARTY-CLUB

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

10’ A

Tbilsi, Rousen square Tel: (+995 32) 240 22 00 Tbilisi, Freedom square 4 Tel: (+995 32) 254 70 30

PHAETON –

CLUBS

on Chardin Street- 12 Chardin St. Tbilisi

Gudauri

POLSPORT

OLD METEKHI

restaurant-7 Gorgasali St. Tbilisi

8/10 King Erekle St. Tbilisi

L’EXPRESS - FRENCH CAFE MASPINDZELO - SAKHINKLE

MATRYOSHKA – SLAVIC

cuisine- Hero’s Square, Tbilisi

MISSONI – LOUNGE,

Cocktail Bar - 11 Erekle II St. Tbilisi

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

Salve – French cuisine Japanese Restaurant - 29 I. Abashidze St. Tbilisi Georgian Restaurant The Right Bank of the R. Mtkvari. Tbilisi tel: (+995 32) 253 07 97

TWO SIDE

Club-Restaurant - 7 Bambis Rigi St. Tbilisi

VERA STEAK HOUSE

BEATLES CLUB

CITY CLUB

NIGHT CLUBS CLUB 33A

Tbilisi, 76 Chavchavadze Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 225133

WHY NOT

American/Georgian Restaurant -37a Kostava St. Tbilisi

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

VONG

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

Asian Restaurant - 29 I. Abashidze St. Tbilisi

DINNING ROOM 38, Paliashvili Street Tbilisi, Georgia tel: (+995 32) 225 09 00

10 A

Abanotubani, Tbilisi, Georgia tel: (+995 32) 272 00 21

GURU

KALAKURI

Tbilisi, 13 Shavteli St. Tel: (+995 32) 299 66 83 Fax: (+995 32) 292 24 96

MAGTI CLUB

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

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

July-August

147

GUIDE NIGHT FLIGHT

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

SAFE

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

THEATERS A. GRIBOEDOV RUSSIAN STATE DRAMA THEATRE

Tbilisi, 2 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 293 58 11, 93 18 40 Fax: (+995 32) 293 31 15

FINGERS THEATRE

CINEMA

Tbilisi, 8 Merjanishvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 295 35 82

AMIRANI

G. MICKELADZE STATE TOY THEATRE

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

CACHE - CINEMA CLUB

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

CACHE - CINEMA CLUB

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

CINEMA HOUSE

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

MOVIE TIME

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

RUSTAVELI

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

SAKARTVELO

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

Tbilisi,103Agmashenebeli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 295 69 03 Fax: (+995 32) 295 17 13

G. SHAVGULIDZE THEATRE SAKHIOBA

Tbilisi, 64 Guramishvili Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 261 84 26, 261 84 13

INDEPENDENT THEATRE

Tbilisi, 2 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 298 58 21 Fax: (+995 32) 293 31 15

K. MARJANISHVILI STATE ACADEMIC THEATRE

Tbilisi, 8 Marjanishvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 295 35 82 Fax: (+995 32) 295 40 01

KAKHA BAKURADZE MOVEMENT THEATRE

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

Cocktail Bar - 11 Erekle II St. Tbilisi

148

To Georgia

KONSTANTINE GAMSAKHURDIA SOKHUMI STATE DRAMA THEATRE

Tbilisi, 11a Leonidze St. Tel: (+995 32) 299 74 27, (+995 99) 57 95 92

M. TUMANISHVILI CINEMA ACTORS THEATRE

Tbilisi,164 Agmashenebeli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 235 31 52, 234 28 99, 235 70 13 Fax: (+995 32) 235 01 94

MEORE SAKHLI (THE SECOND HOME)

Tbilisi, 60 Agmashenebeli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 295 78 22

MUSIC AND DRAMATIC STATE THEATRE

Tbilisi,182 Agmashenebeli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 234 80 90, 34 79 59 Fax: (+995 32) 234 80 90

NABADI - GEORGIAN FOLKLORE THEATRE

Tbilisi, 19 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 298 99 91

NODAR DUMBADZE STATE CHILDREN`S THEATRE

Tbilisi, 99/1Agmashenebeli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 295 50 67, 95 78 74 Fax: (+995 32) 296 32 89

ROYAL QUARTER THEATRE

Tbilisi, 10 Abesadze St. Tel: (+995 32) 292 38 70 Fax: (+995 32) 299 61 71

S. AKHMETELI STATE DRAMATIC THEATRE

Tbilisi, 8 I. Vekua St. Tel: (+995 32) 262 61 97, 262 59 73

SH. RUSTAVELI STATE THEATRE

Tbilisi, 17 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 293 65 83, 293 18 94 Fax: (+995 32) 299 63 73

SOKHUMI CHILDREN’S THEATRE

Tbilisi, 8 Tetelashvili St. Tel: (+995 32) 296 17 40

TBILISI STATE MARIONETTE THEATRE

Tbilisi, 26 Shavteli St. Tel: (+995 32) 298 65 89, 298 65 93 Fax: (+995 32) 298 65 89

Z. PALIASHVILI TBILISI STATE THEATRE OF OPERA AND BALLET

Tbilisi, 25 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 298 32 48, 98 32 49 Fax: (+995 32) 298 32 48

BATUMI THEATRE

Batumi, Rustaveli str. 1

KUTAISI THETRE

Kutaisi, Agmashenebeli square 1

GALLERY ART AND ANTIQUE SALON

Tbilisi, 30 Leselidze St. Tel: (+995 32) 292 05 76

ART GALLERY LINE

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

TEATRALURI SARDAPI – RUSTAVELI

“PRIMECLASS” CIP LOUNGES

THEATRE – VERIKO

Tbilisi, 10 Chardin St. Tel: (+995 32) 275 45 10, (+995 99) 50 53 02

Tbilisi, 42 Rustaveli Ave. Tel: (+995 32) 299 95 00 Tbilisi, 16 Anjaparidze St. Tel: (+995 32) 222 13 38, 299 98 96 Fax: (+995 32) 222 13 38

Tel: (+995 32) 250 85 80 Fax: (+995 32) 250 85 80

BAIA GALLERY

CAMEO

THEATRE OF PANTOMIME

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

THEATRE ON ATONELI

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

Tbilisi, 37 Rustaveli Av. Tel: (+995 32) 299 63 14, (+995 77) 41 41 50 Tbilisi, 31 Atoneli St. Tel: (+995 32) 293 32 38

CHARDIN

EVENT GALLERY

Tbilisi, 8/10 Erekle II St. Tel: (+995 32) 293 89 14

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

GUIDE GALA

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

GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM - PICTURE GALLERY

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

GIA GALLERY

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

GTM FRAME

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

HOBBY

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

KARVASLA’S EXHIBITION HALL

ORNAMENT - ENAMEL GALLERY

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

PHOKANI - GALLERY OF PHOKA ST. NINO NUNNERY

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

RUSTAVELI 34

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

RUSUDAN PETVIASHVILI`S GALLERY

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

TEVDORE

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

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

KOPALA

VERNISAGE

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

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

LA MAISON BLEUE - TEXTILE ART STUDIO

MUSEUMS

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

M GALLERY

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

MARCO

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

MODERN ART GALLERY

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

N GALLERY AND SANDRO ANTADZE

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

NEWKAZ - TOURISM DEVELOPMENT CENTRE

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

150

To Georgia

ANIMATION TOY`S MUSEUM

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

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

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

CINEMA HISTORICAL MUSEUM

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

D. BAAZOV GEORGIAN JEWISH HISTORICAL ETHNOGRAPHICAL MUSEUM

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

DENDROLOGIC MUSEUM (BOTANIC GARDEN

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

E. AKHVLEDIANI HOUSEMUSEUM

MONEY MUSEUM

Z.PALIASHVILI HOUSEMUSEUM

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

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

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

FOLK AND APPLIED ARTS MUSEUM

NIKO PIROSMANASHVILI STATE MUSEUM

THE NATIONAL CENTER OF MANUSCRIPTS,

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

GEORGE CHITAIA THE OPEN AIR ETHNOGRAPHICAL MUSEUM

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

GEORGIAN FOLK SONGS AND INSTRUMENTS’ MUSEU

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

GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

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

GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM-PICTURE GALLERY

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

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

SH.AMIRANASHVILI STATE MUSEUM OF ARTS

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

SH.RUSTAVELI ACADEMIC THEATRE’S MUSEUM

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

SIMON JANASHIA GEORGIAN MUSEUM

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

SOVIET OCCUPATION MUSEUM

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

STATE MUSEUM OF THEATRE, MUSEUM AND CINEMA

GEORGIAN OLYMPIC MUSEUM

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

I.CHAVCHAVADZE HOUSEMUSEUM

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

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

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

K.MARJANISHVILI STATE ACADEMIC THEATRE’S MUSEUM

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

STATE SILK MUSEUM TBILISI

TBILISI Z.PALIASHVILI OPERA AND BALLET STATE THEATRE’S

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

TOY’S MUSEUM

MINERALS MUSEUM

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

MIRZA FATALI AKHUNDOV AZERBAIJANIAN CULTURE MUSEUM

VAKHTANG CHABUKIANI MUSEUM

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

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

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

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

NEXT ISSUE MAIN STORY

Leuville-sur-Orge MAIKING GEORGIA

Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani - Wisdom of Fancy INTERVIEW

Mamuka Kudava - Representing Georgia GALLERY

Henry Matchavariani

Georgia in France

PORTFOLIO

Irakli Nasidze