On August 14, the academic team from the Research Centre for Georgian Culture and Tourism Resources presented the reports of their 2024 research expeditions to the public at the George Chubinashvili National Research Centre for Georgian Art History and Heritage Preservation.
In 2024, five research expeditions were conducted in historical Javakheti (Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda municipalities). The academic team surveyed and documented more than 218 villages and deserted settlements, as well as approximately 800 cultural monuments and artifacts across these municipalities. These included churches, monasteries, fortress-towers, subterranean refuges (darnebi), caves, and individual artifacts such as stone crosses, ornamented stones, and reliefs, among others. Notably, the expedition successfully localized and identified dozens of previously undocumented deserted settlements.
For each village, deserted settlement, and cultural monument, the team compiled descriptive texts, established precise geographical coordinates, conducted structural measurements of selected monuments, and amassed an extensive photographic archive. The findings of these expeditions were compiled into a book dedicated to the 2024 research on the cultural monuments of Meskheti, which the project team presented to the public during the event.
The project is being implemented with the financial support of the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia. Its overarching objective is the comprehensive inventorying of the cultural monuments of Meskheti, culminating in the publication of a definitive catalog by 2026.
Research Expedition Reports
On August 14, the academic team from the Research Centre for Georgian Culture and Tourism Resources presented the reports of their 2024 research expeditions to the public at the George Chubinashvili National Research Centre for Georgian Art History and Heritage Preservation.
In 2024, five research expeditions were conducted in historical Javakheti (Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda municipalities). The academic team surveyed and documented more than 218 villages and deserted settlements, as well as approximately 800 cultural monuments and artifacts across these municipalities. These included churches, monasteries, fortress-towers, subterranean refuges (darnebi), caves, and individual artifacts such as stone crosses, ornamented stones, and reliefs, among others. Notably, the expedition successfully localized and identified dozens of previously undocumented deserted settlements.
For each village, deserted settlement, and cultural monument, the team compiled descriptive texts, established precise geographical coordinates, conducted structural measurements of selected monuments, and amassed an extensive photographic archive. The findings of these expeditions were compiled into a book dedicated to the 2024 research on the cultural monuments of Meskheti, which the project team presented to the public during the event.
The project is being implemented with the financial support of the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia. Its overarching objective is the comprehensive inventorying of the cultural monuments of Meskheti, culminating in the publication of a definitive catalog by 2026.