Sighnaghi Museum

Sighnaghi Museum was established in 2007. Signagi Museum exhibits Archeology, Ethnography and Medieval expositions. Intensive archeological activities started in Kakheti in the 60-ies of the 20th c. Majority of the unearthed items such as household and cultic articles ranging in time from the Stone Age to the 1st c. BC, are now displayed at the Signagi Museum. Sighnaghi Museum features diverse ethnographic material: musical instruments, weapons, vestments and items reflecting the lifestyle of this town.


Working hours: Everyday except Monday, 11.00 – 16.00

Address: 1, Tamar Mepe St.
Tel: (+995 255)232448
Email: info@museum.ge
Web: www.museum.ge

Al.Chavchavadze House-Museum

Must-see place for the guests of Kakheti is the Tsinandali Museum and Gardens, formerly owned by Aleksandre Chavchavadze, a poet and a remarkable Georgian public figure of his age. Aleksandre Chavchavadze dedicated his life to enriching Georgian culture and is considered the first romanticist poet in Georgia. He was also an excellent translator, acquainting Georgian readers with various European and Russian authors such as Aesop, Voltaire, Pushkin, etc.

During his life, the Tsinandali palace was a cultural center frequently hosting Georgian and Russian poets and other public figures. The palace is a wonderful fusion of European and Georgian architecture throwing light on the life of Georgian aristocracy of the epoch. Among other remarkable items brought by Chavchavadze from Europe, is a piano that is the first recorded piano in Georgia. Visitors can enjoy a tour in his wine cellar that is still functioning. Here you can see the Saperavi of the 1839 harvest and 16,500 bottles of various wines.

Visitors will enjoy a tour around the gorgeous palace gardens. Their owner was first in Georgia to invite experts of decorative gardening from Europe to develop the estate park. Occupying around 18 hectares, the park stands out for its planning – a harmonious synthesis of wilderness and decorative landscapes.



Working hours: Monday-Thursday 10.00- 18.00, Friday-Sunday 10.00-19.00



Address: Telavi, Village Tsinandali
Tel: (+995 350) 2 3 37 17
Mob: (+995 5 99) 71 41 22
Email: maia_kokocha@yahoo.com
Web: www.tsinandali.com

Chachuna Managed Nature Reserve

Chachuna Managed Nature Reserve is located in the Kakhetian land of Kiziki, in about 175 km from the capital and occupies about 5,200 hectares. The reserve stands out with a diversity of soils, including a wetland of about 24 hectares, which makes it an attractive habitat for a wide range of species of flora and fauna.

The riverbanks and the wetland are rich in reed and cane. Chachuna is home to endangered, rare and endemic plants, such as Georgian iris and Eichler tulips.

The fauna in Chachuna is one of the most diverse in Georgia, boasting species of Mediterranean turtles. Chachuna is a birdwatcher’s Mecca, with 82 bird species, among which 10 species are on the Georgian list of endangered species. Here you can see wild pigeons, turtle-doves, falcons, sparrow-hawks, magpies, partridges and Eastern Imperial eagles. The multiple caves in the limestone cliffs give shelter to gypses and Egyptian vultures, while juniper trees are popular among griffons. Chachuna has a large population of the beautiful black francolin.

Out of mammals some visitors may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of several species of rodents, jackals, foxes, rabbits, jungle cats, lynxes, badgers and wild boars. Zoologists hope that the striped hyena that is one of the most rare animals and the only species of hyenas in Georgia still inhabits the Natural Reserve.

Apart from being important from biological point of view, Chachuna is also appealing to the lovers of traditional architecture. Khornabuji fortress and Ozaani Ascension Church (see above) are located within its boundaries. Other areas of interest include Kiziki – a town built by King Erekle II on the crossroads of several trade routes in the 18th century. The town has reached our age almost intact – walled and furnished with 23 towers and 5 gates.

The Natural Reserve offers botanical, photo and environmental tours, as well as bird and animal watching. Chachuna is equipped with a hostel fully furnished and reservable through travel agencies.



Tel: *8888;
Mob.: +995 577 90 72 72; +995 577 10 18 11;
e-mail: info@apa.gov.ge; nodartetelloshvili@apa.gov.ge;
www.facebook.com/protectedareas.ge

Babaneuri Reserve

The Babaneuri State Reserve is sited below the Caucasus Main Range, at the left bank of the Alazani River, at altitude 439-1.000m above sea level. It was founded in 1935, with total area 747 hectares. Climate is humid temperate.

The reserve involves third period relict a unique massif of Caucasian Zelkova (Dzelkva). Zelkova grows in separate grooves, as well as together with hornbeam. Besides, it is mingled with oak, maple and other tress. Height of Zelkova in the reserve is 20-30 meters, diameter up to 90 centimeters. Subforest is formed by a hawthorn, cornel-elder, medlar and sweetbrier.

There are a number of mammal and bird species living in the reserve.

Only educational and scientific tourism is available. Movement is possible on foot and by horse (special pre-defined routes).

MUSEUM UNDER OPEN AIR

The period of social, economic, cultural and political renaissance in Georgia in X-XIII centuries resulted in creation of a united, powerful Georgian feudal state. Svaneti maintained its independent governance, still taking active part in the country's development and defense processes. The progress of the country also reached the Svanetian highlands. There are still existing about 70 Christian churches and many worship sites - some of them bearing signs of paganism - rich with donations. The Latali community solely has 24 churches, the village of Adishi - 7 churches and etc. The vast majority of the religious monuments is built in X-XV centuries and is decorated with the wall painting - characteristic to the Georgian feudal state. The churches of villages Ipari, Lagurki (St. Kvirike) and Nakipari are decorated by a Royal artist Tevdore at the edge of XI-XII centuries. The Matskhvarishi church in Latali is painted by Michael Maghlakeli in XIII century and so on. This points out to tight links and cooperation with the central government. A certain number of churches were built and decorated by local masters. For example, the Ughvali Church of Saint George was built by two brothers Anton and Michael Umpriani in XIV century, the Church of Our Savior in the village Laghami was built by Shalva Kirkishiani in XV century, the Lenjeri Church of Archangel in the village of Mukheri was built by Iveldiani in XV-XVI cc. etc.

According to the ancient traditions believers in Georgian highland used to donate valuable gifts to churches. This tradition made Svanetian churches rich of gold and silver vessels and jewelry, hunting and fighting tools and arms, crosses and icons, horns and antlers of wild animals, coins, manuscripts and other valuable old things. The majority of those gifts are produced locally, others are imported from abroad. A deep respect of the local people towards the community and religion kept these treasures untouched until XX century. The government protects today the treasure, which is kept in churches. The major part of the sacred things you can see in the Svaneti historical-ethnographic museum of the town of Mestia.

Svaneti is rich with architectural monuments of the mid feudal epoch, namely with residential compounds, towers, farming buildings, originally curved and cut wood furniture and other household commodities.

Georgia was always an arena for the clash of cross-political interests of neighbouring countries; manifested in endless wars for seizing Georgian territories and influencing the country's policy. The waves of the wars were reaching Svaneti and that is why the houses of Svans look like citadels.

One of the main components of a Svan's house is a tower. It is a square stone pyramid with dimensions of the base 5 to 5 metres, which usually has four or five floors and is 25 meters high. For security reasons the last floor has small windows - wider from inside than outside. The tower's angle is directed towards the slope. Its massive hemi-spheric basement and spatial orientation ensure the sustainability of the building and resistance to the natural disasters (avalanches, landslides, etc)

One can still find a whole system of watchtowers in the mountains. In case of forthcoming threat, the guards would burn straw on a top of the first tower, after seeing a smoke; the guards of every next tower would do the same - thus giving an alarm signal to the population of the canyon. In case of a poor vision in the foggy weather, the guards signaled by shooting their guns.

Besides the watchtowers there were several fortification posts that kept control over the Caucasus ranges. There still exist ruins of such constructions, like for example, two gates in the gorge of the river Tviberi.

A residential house of a Svan (Machubi) is a big two-storeyed building. The ground floor was used for living and keeping livestock, the first floor was used for storing hey. The house was heated by a hearth in the centre of a big room, where they also cooked their food. As a rule, the house was attached to a tower. Sometimes Svan's families consisted of up to thirty or even a hundred members. We can still find such huge residential compounds in Mulakhi community. For example, a three metres tall fence surrounds the residential area of the Kaldani clan. There are two towers (one still in a good condition), a small church with unique crosses, icons and sanctuaries inside the fence. Judging by the ruins we can assume that there have been three houses; one with three floors and the other two with two floors. There also was a threshing-floor, and a dungeon and secret tunnels connecting the residential area with the outside world. A very similar living infrastructure can be found in the town of Mestia and in the village of Latali.

The history and culture of Svaneti is penetrated with folk music. Commensurate to the severe nature and hard life-style the Svans' singing is somewhat rigorous and powerful. The songs are mainly dedicated to the national heroes, the fights against the conquerors, the religious holidays, the famous kings (e.g. Queen Tamar), the goddess of Hunting Dali etc. Many songs have been created even before the Christian times and therefore include heathen elements (e.g. the song "Lile" - dedicated to the goddess of the Sun "Kaltidi" and etc.).

When you listen to these songs in Svaneti surrounded by snowy mountains and "captured" by tall towers, you certainly feel a wonderful metamorphosis and start to travel through the world of mid ages losing the sense of real time.

Saint Mary's Church. Ushguli
(A.Jobava's photo)

The Kaldani family church. Mulakhi
(V.Naveriani;s photo)

Saint Kvirike's Church. Kala

Christmas. Wall painting by Tevdore,
Iprari Church 1096

Saint George. Chiseled icon.
Master Asani. Nakipari XI cent.

Hand painted icon. Forty martyrs.
Svaneti historical
ethnographic museum. Mestia
(V.Naveriani's photo)

Cross. Mestia, Svaneti historical
ethnographic museum
(V.Naveriani's photo)

Mestia

Mulakhi

Adishi. In 1890 Vittorio Sella
recorded in Adishi 14 towers.
Presently there are only about five

Ushguli.
(G.Tikanadze's photo)

Watermill. Kala

Tower

Tower. Mestia

A Tower built on erratic stone. Kala

Svanetian home, (Machubi) Sajalabo room.
(Svaneti historical ethnographic museum. Mestia)

Towers and Machubis in Chvibiani.
On the hill, a watch-signal tower.

Old style and modern houses
in the village of Zhibiani.

Batsara Reserve

The Batsara State Reserve is situated in northeast part of Georgia, in Akhmeta region, on southern slope of the Greater Caucasus, at altitude 900-2.000m above sea level. The area is over 3.000 hectares. Climate is humid temperate.

An inviolable groove of Utkhovari, is observed in the reserve. The terrain takes in beech and mixed woods. There are thousand-year exemplars of Utkhovari. Such a massive groove of it is not discernible in any other place throughout Georgia. The forest is well-guarded, while people consider Utkhovari as a tree of angels. Also, the groove is comprised of hornbeam, elm, lime-tree, maple, ash-tree and others.

From mammals, the reserve is inhabited by roe, marten, otter, bear, chamois, lynx, wolf, jackal and others.

There are also birds: eagle, blackbird, black-grouse and etc.

Only educational and scientific tourism is available. Movement is allowed on foot and by horse (special pre-defined routes).

Link: http://www.kakheti.travel

Batonistsikhe Citadel

Telavi District

Batonistsikhe citadel is located in Telavi. Entering the gates you can tour several small 18th century churches as well as the Ketevan Iashvili Art Gallery that features works from local and European artists. From the eastern side, theCitadel is bordered by the statue of King Erekle II on horseback. Climb to the statue’s base for a breathtaking view of the Caucasus Mountains.

Link: http://www.kakheti.travel