On August 14, at the George Chubinashvili National Research Centre for Georgian Art History and Heritage Preservation, the scientific team of the Georgian Center for the Study of Culture and Tourism Resources presented to the public the reports of the research expeditions carried out in 2024.
In 2024, five research expeditions were conducted in historical Javakheti (Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda). The scientific group documented more than 218 villages and abandoned settlements, as well as up to 800 cultural monuments and artifacts in these municipalities. These included churches, monasteries, fortresses and towers, grain storages, caves, and individual artifacts (cross-stones, ornamented stones, reliefs, etc.). The expedition succeeded in locating and identifying dozens of abandoned settlements.
For each village, abandoned settlement, and cultural monument, descriptive texts were produced, precise coordinates were recorded, architectural measurements of certain monuments were prepared, and an extensive photo archive was created. The results of the expedition were brought together in a book on the 2024 research expeditions of Meskheti’s cultural monuments, which was presented to the public during the event.
The project is being carried out with the financial support of the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation, and aims to complete the full inventory of Meskheti’s cultural monuments and publish it as a catalog by 2026.
Research expedition reports
On August 14, at the George Chubinashvili National Research Centre for Georgian Art History and Heritage Preservation, the scientific team of the Georgian Center for the Study of Culture and Tourism Resources presented to the public the reports of the research expeditions carried out in 2024.
In 2024, five research expeditions were conducted in historical Javakheti (Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda). The scientific group documented more than 218 villages and abandoned settlements, as well as up to 800 cultural monuments and artifacts in these municipalities. These included churches, monasteries, fortresses and towers, grain storages, caves, and individual artifacts (cross-stones, ornamented stones, reliefs, etc.). The expedition succeeded in locating and identifying dozens of abandoned settlements.
For each village, abandoned settlement, and cultural monument, descriptive texts were produced, precise coordinates were recorded, architectural measurements of certain monuments were prepared, and an extensive photo archive was created. The results of the expedition were brought together in a book on the 2024 research expeditions of Meskheti’s cultural monuments, which was presented to the public during the event.
The project is being carried out with the financial support of the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation, and aims to complete the full inventory of Meskheti’s cultural monuments and publish it as a catalog by 2026.