ICOMOS Georgia is a non-governmental, non-profitable professional organization established in 1993 as the Georgian National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). ICOMOS Georgia is dedicated to promote high professional standards of conservation based on ICOMOS charters, declarations and recommendations through knowledge dissemination, awareness, and pilot programmes at national, regional and international levels. ICOMOS Georgia unites 22 individual and 1 institutional member of ICOMOS and collaborates with wide multi-disciplinary professional conservation, academic communities, organisations and civil society.
“ICOMOS, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, is a global non-governmental organization associated with UNESCO. Its mission is to promote the conservation, protection, use and enhancement of monuments, building complexes and sites. It participates in the development of doctrine and the evolution and distribution of ideas, and conducts advocacy. ICOMOS is an Advisory Body of the World Heritage Committee for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention of UNESCO.” ICOMOS currently has 110 National Comittees and 28 International Scientific Committees.
21st of December, 2020 –
General Assembly of ICOMOS Georgia
Workshop on “Preparation, use and maintenance of the Traditional Mortar of Tbilisi Historic House”
Organised by the ICOMOS Georgia and Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage (Riksantikvaren), under the auspicious of National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation Georgia, Practical Seminar – “Preparation, use and maintenance of the Traditional Mortar of Tbilisi Historic House” has been conducted on 5-6th of September, 2020 within the ICOMOS Georgia pilot programme – “Sustainable Development of Heritage Site”. Practical Seminar was designated for students already obtaining Bachelor degree and for emerging professionals. The two-day workshop included Theoretical knowledge sharing (Historic Context of the Traditional Construction materials; Mortar Conservation Principles, etc.) as well as practical works (Preparation of different types of Mortar; Construction of the small sized wall, etc.).
After the two very informative and extensive Workshop days, Participants were awarded with certificates. Workshop ended with an interesting discussion and hope for the future cooperation between ICOMOS Georgia and Seminar Participants.
Workshop on Traditional Building Materials and Technics – Mortar for Tbilisi Historic Buildings
Toshiyuki Kono, President of ICOMOS and Mikel Landa, President of the ICOMOS Advisory Committee to ICOMOS Members, heritage professionals and Wider Society!
ICOMOS and COVID-19: Heritage as a cornerstone of human, social and economic recovery
18 April – International Day for Monuments and Sites!
ICOMOS Georgia Social Media Campaign to celebrate 18th of April 2020 theme – Shared Culture, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility!
Author: Manana Suramelashvili
“People are born only with pure nature, and only then fathers make them Jews, Christians or fire worshipers” – Saadi.
Oni Synagogue, Akhaltsikhe Rabati Mosque and Madrasa
History of humanity is full of stories about peoples’ settlement examples on the foreign lands. These kind of experiences are well-known to us as well and that is how we became sharers and responsible for the foreign heritage.
Built in 1895, Synagogue in Oni is distinguished with its size and artistic value in the Caucasus. It has similarities to the big Synagogue of Warsaw exploded by fascists in 1943. In 1930ies, during communist repressions, Synagogue in Oni was also under the threat, but it has been preserved with the joint efforts and sacrifice of Jewish and Georgians. Nowadays, even 10 Jewish cannot gather in Oni in order to hold a religious service in the Synagogue… In older times, there were thousands of Jewish people living in the area making the relationships colourful.
Similar sad situation can be encountered in Akhaltsikhe as well, where there are two Synagogues in Rabati District and only three Jewish Families.
Here, in Rabati Castle, which was passed into the hands of the Ottomans in XVIII, there are remarkable late Ottoman architectural landmarks – Madrasa and Mosque (1747-1752) built under the order of Beglarbeg Haji-Ahmed Pasha. This building is mentioned by Frédéric Dubois de Montpéreux as an “architectural masterpiece”.
18 April – Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility
First Channel media report regarding restoration works on Mepe Solomon Brdzeni str. N33.
Participants of the conference organized by the Institute of Geophysics visited rehabilitation works on Mepe Solomon Brdzeni str. N33 within the ICOMOS Georgia program – “Sustainable Rehabilitation of a Heritage Site”.
Studio L with the Friedrick-Ebert-Stiftung South Caucasus Regional Office organized the Dialogue Platform – “Quality of Life – Preservation of Tbilisi’s Urban Heritage”. Within the project, participants visited ICOMOS Georgia Office and attended Seminar – Preserving Urban Heritage.
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway – Helene Sand Andresen’s visit rehabilitation works on Mepe Solomon Brdzeni str. N33 within the ICOMOS Georgia program – “Sustainable Rehabilitation of a Heritage Site”.
President Steinmeier’s visit Betlemi Quarter
Betlemi District Festival 2019
18th April, 2019
On International Day of Monuments & Sites a presentation of the research on Fortified Rural Settlements of Northern Highland of Georgia by Tsitsino Chachkhunashvil
Fire at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris
18 April, the International Day for Monuments and Sites
Workshop on compatible mortar for Tbilisi Historic Buildings
29.03.2019 – 31.03.2019
The workshop was organised by ICOMOS Georgia, Riksantikvaren within the Programme, “ Sustainable Rehabilitation of Heritage Site”. The aim of the workshop is to investigate the original earth mortar and choose the compatible mortar composition for the site under the restoration, through in situ testing and modeling. 10 alternative mortar compositions are applied and tested during the workshop. Results will be monitored, recorded and later laboratory tested. Apart from the project team invited craftsmen and young professionals have participated.
An Annual General Meeting of ICOMOS Georgia
An Annual General Meeting of ICOMOS Georgia was held on 27 February 2019. A new Board Members of the National Committee have been elected:
President: Mrs. Nato Tsintsabadze
Secretary: Mrs. Manana Tevzadze
Further members of the Board: Mr. Merab Bochoidze, Mrs. Lia Bokuchava,
Mrs. Tsitsino Chachkhunashvili, Mr. Irakli Kordzakhia, Mrs. Manana Suramelashvili
A new Statute of ICOMOS Georgia and Rules and Procedures to Become a Member of ICOMOS have been adopted at the AGM.
ICOMOS Georgia welcomes new members accepted: Mr. Shota Gujabidze, Mrs. Nino Ercomaishvili, & Mrs. Keteva Kordzakhia
Open Doors Day 22.12.2018
Open door day was held, at the 33, Mepe Solomon Brdzeni, for the Students from Self-Administration Graduate Program of Georgian Institute of Public Affairs. Project experts have presented studies elaborated and future plans for the site restoration.
17.12.2018. Charge d’ Affaires a.i. Mr. Olav-Nils Thue and Honorary Consular of Norwagian Kingdom Mrs. Liana Sigua-Haerum have visited Pilot Site, 33, Mepe Solomon Brzeni, Isani and Betlemi Quarter in Old Tbilisi. They have got acquainted with the progress of the Pilot Site restoration plan under elaboration. In Betlemi Quarter, Honorary guests meat local community members who have recently managed restoration of their own historic properties as a follow up of Betlemi Quarter Revitalisation Programme funded by MoFa of Norway in 2003-2011.
Tbilisi, 16-17 October 2018
Sustainable Rehabilitation of Heritage Site, Tbilisi Georgia
Workshop – “The Analysis and Structural Restoration of Tbilisi Heritage Buildings”
Visit of the Donor
On 28 September, 2018, Delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Mrs. Kerstin Wahlberg and Vegard G. Stensrud have visited the listed Site on #33, Mephe Solomon Brdzeni Street in Tbilisi where study and planning of the Site restoration is ongoing. The Project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway.
Worksop on Building Archaeology
On 5.08.2018, the workshop on building archaeology was held at the 33, Mepe Solomon Brdzeni Street in Tbilisi, within the Programme – Sustainable Rehabilitation of Heritage Site. Students from the Tbilisi Acadamy of Arts, Ilia State University, representatives of Cultural Heritage Protection of Ajara AR and ctaftsman of Ltd. Impost, took part in the workshop together with the Project experts team.
On 13.07.2018 a Presentation of the Pilot Programme – Sustainable Rehabilitation of Heritage Site – took place at the 33, Mepe Solomon Brdzeni in Old Tbilisi for representatives of: professional Institutions, national authorities of and neighborhood.
Sustainable Rehabilitation of Heritage Site (Tbilisi, Georgia)
The Programme is funded by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway and Directorate of Cultural Heritage of Norway (Riksantikvaren)
Overall Objective of the project:
To support sustainable development process through heritage rehabilitation.
Specific Objectives:
- To perform a full cycle of showcase restoration project in which high standard restoration principles shall be applied, traditional crafts and materials shall be used;
- To achieve a “Learning by Doing” experience for a team of young local specialists working on restoration projects including among others: craftsmen, engineers, restoration architects, artisans, students, local community members, etc.
- To disseminate knowledge through elaboration of a book of guidelines – manual on the restoration of Tbilisian dwellings that will be made available to all interested parties;
- To establish a non-profit public foundation for the purpose of accumulating revolving funds for the restoration of historical sites of old Tbilisi.
- Wider public awareness on social and economic values and benefits of authentic heritage rehabilitation.