The National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს კულტურული მემკვიდრეობის დაცვის ეროვნული სააგენტო, ''sak'art'velos kulturuli memkvidreobis datsvis saagento'') is a
government agency
A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an administrati ...
in
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
responsible for preservation, protection, research and promotion of
cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soci ...
of the country. The agency was established in 2008, bringing several major heritage monument complexes of national and global significance in Georgia under its umbrella.
[The National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia](_blank)
heritagesites.ge. Retrieved 2012-01-25. The agency is headed by Director General, a position occupied by the art historian
Nikoloz Vacheishvili Nikoloz (Nika) Vacheishvili ( ka, ნიკოლოზ ვაჩეიშვილი) (born 26 May 1968 in Tbilisi) is a Georgian art scholar, politician and the former Minister of Culture, Heritage Preservation and Sport in the Cabinet of Georgi ...
since November 2008.
Components
The monument complexes united under the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia are:
*Greater Mtskheta Archaeological Museum-Reserve — a series of monuments and archaeological sites in and around the town of
Mtskheta, which are inscribed as a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.
*Vardzia Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve — the cave town and monasteries in
Vardzia
Vardzia ( ka, ვარძია ) is a cave monastery site in southern Georgia, excavated from the slopes of the Erusheti Mountain on the left bank of the Kura River, thirty kilometres from Aspindza. The main period of construction was the sec ...
.
*Uplistsikhe Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve — the cave town in
Uplistsikhe
Uplistsikhe ( ka, უფლისციხე ; literally, "the lord's fortress") is an ancient rock-hewn town in eastern Georgia, some 10 kilometers east of the town of Gori, Shida Kartli.
Built on a high rocky left bank of the Mtkvari River, it ...
.
*Ksani Valley Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve — the historical monuments in the
Ksani River
The Ksani (, , ''Ĉysandon'') is a river in central Georgia, which rises on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range in South Ossetia and flows into the Kura (''Mtkvari''). It is long, and has a drainage basin of . valley.
*Petra-Tsikhisdziri Archaeological-Architectural Museum-Reserve — ruins of the fortified Roman town of Petra at
Tsikhisdziri
Tsikhisdziri ( ka, ციხისძირი) is a village in the Kobuleti Municipality, Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Georgia, on the Black Sea coast, 8 km south of the town of Kobuleti. Tsikhisdziri is home to an archaeological site and ...
.
*Gonio-Apsaros Archaeological-Architectural Museum-Reserve — archaeological complex of
Gonio
Gonio fortress ( ka, გონიოს ციხე, previously called Apsarus or Apsaros ( grc, Ἄψαρος) and Apsyrtus or Apsyrtos (Ἄψυρτος)) is a Roman fortification in Adjara, Georgia, on the Black Sea, 15 km south of Batumi, ...
, including the ancient fortress of Apsaros.
*Kldekari Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve — ancient and medieval fortification systems of
Kldekari.
*Nokalakevi Architectural-Archaeological Museum-Reserve — ruins of ancient and medieval town of
Nokalakevi
Nokalakevi ( ka, ნოქალაქევი) also known as Archaeopolis ( grc, Ἀρχαιόπολις, "Old City") and Tsikhegoji (in Georgian "Fortress of Kuji") and according to some sources "Djikha Kvinji" in Mingrelian, is a village and ...
.
*Archaeological Museum-Reserve of Guria — archaeological museum and ruined monastic complexes in the region of
Guria
Guria ( ka, გურია) is a region (''mkhare'') in Georgia, in the western part of the country, bordered by the eastern end of the Black Sea. The region has a population of 113,000 (2016), with Ozurgeti as the regional capital.
Geography
...
.
*Didi Liakhvi Valley State Museum-Reserve — monuments of the
Greater Liakhvi River
The Great Liakhvi ( ''Didi Liakhvi'', , ''Styr Lewakhi'') is a river in central Georgia, which rises on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range in the de facto independent region of South Ossetia and flows into the Kura (Mtk ...
valley.
*Kutaisi Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve — monuments in and around
Kutaisi
Kutaisi (, ka, ქუთაისი ) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the third-most populous city in Georgia, traditionally, second in importance, after the capital city of Tbilisi. Situated west of Tbilis ...
, including the UNESCO World Heritage sites,
Gelati monastery
Gelati ( ka, გელათის მონასტერი) is a medieval monastic complex near Kutaisi in the Imereti region of western Georgia. One of the first monasteries in Georgia, it was founded in 1106 by King David IV of Georgia as a ...
and
Bagrati cathedral
The Cathedral of the Dormition, or the Kutaisi Cathedral, more commonly known as Bagrati Cathedral ( ka, ბაგრატი; , or ''Bagratis tadzari''), is an 11th-century cathedral in the city of Kutaisi, in the Imereti region of Georgia. A ...
.
*Stepantsminda History Museum — a history museum in
Stepantsminda.
*Borjomi Local History Museum — a history museum in
Borjomi
Borjomi ( ka, ბორჯომი) is a resort town in south-central Georgia, 160 km from Tbilisi, with a population of 11,122 (2021). It is one of the municipalities of the Samtskhe–Javakheti region and is situated in the northwestern ...
.
*Niko Pirosmanishvili State Museum — a museum centered on the works of the Georgian painter
Niko Pirosmanishvili
Niko Pirosmani ( ka, ნიკო ფიროსმანი ''Nik’o Pirosmani''), simply referred to as Nikala (ნიკალა ''Nik’ala''; 1862–1918), was a Georgian painter who posthumously rose to prominence. Relatively poor for ...
(1862–1918) in Mirzaani.
The wider tasks of the agency include preservation, protection and promotion of museums, reserves, moveable and immoveable monuments and sites of the Georgian cultural heritage throughout Georgia and beyond the country, archaeological expeditions, as well as development and implementation of cultural, education and tourist programs to popularize the Georgian cultural heritage.
The agency has also been involved in negotiations with foreign government over the protection of Georgian cultural heritage in respective countries, such as
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
and
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
.
[კვიპროსში ღალიას სამონასტრო კომპლექსის სარეაბილიტაციო სამუშაოები დასრულდა]
("Rehabilitation of the Gialia monastic complex in Cyprus completed"). heritagesites.ge. 2011-12-02. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
See also
*
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia
References
{{authority control
Government agencies of Georgia (country)
Heritage organizations
History organisations based in Georgia (country)
Historic sites in Georgia (country)
Government agencies established in 2008
2008 establishments in Georgia (country)