UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Georgia

UNESCO's Description

The historic churches of Mtskheta, former capital of Georgia, are outstanding examples of medieval religious architecture in the Caucasus. They show the high artistic and cultural level attained by this ancient kingdom.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography

Mtskheta is set on a lowland, surrounded by mountains, at the confluence of the two rivers, Kura and Aragvi. The city is approached from the north by the Greater Caucasus and from the south by the Lesser Caucasus mountains.

History

Archeological evidences trace human settlement in the area of Mtskheta from 2nd millennium BC to early 1st millennium AD. Numerous burials of the Bronze Age (beginning of the 1st millennium BC) prove that Mtskheta already was a significant settlement at that period.

According to The Georgian Chronicles, Mtskheta was founded by Mtskhetos, the son of Kartlos, eponymous ancestor of the Georgians. The wall around the city was built by Nimrod's ancestor Ardam. By another version, more accepted by historians, Mtskheta was founded by the ancient Meschian tribes in the 5th century BC.

Mtskheta was the capital of the early Georgian Kingdom of Iberia from the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD.

UNESCO's Description

Founded in 1106 in the west of Georgia, the Monastery of Gelati is a masterpiece of the Golden Age of medieval Georgia, a period of political strength and economic growth between the 11th and 13th centuries. It is characterized by the facades of smoothly hewn large blocks, balanced proportions and blind arches for exterior decoration. The Gelati monastery, one of the largest medieval Orthodox monasteries, was also a centre of science and education and the Academy it housed was one of the most important centres of culture in ancient Georgia.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

Construction began on the Gelati Monastery in 1106, under the direction of King David IV of Georgia, at which time Kutaisi was the capital of Georgia. It was constructed during the reign of the Byzantine Empire; in this period Christianity was the ruling religion throughout the empire. The monastery's main church, known as the Church of the Blessed Virgin, was completed in 1130, under the reign of David IV's successor, Demetrius I of Georgia, and was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The monastery is also the burial site of King David IV, near which the Ancient Gates of Ganja, which were taken by King Demetrius I in 1138, can be found. The smaller chapels within the monastery date to the 13th century.

Overview and description

The monastery is located on a hill several kilometers to the northeast of Kutaisi. It also overlooks the Tskaltsitela Gorge. It is constructed of solid stone, with full archways. The plan of the main monastery was designed in the shape of a cross, the symbol of Jesus's crucifixion and of Christianity. The monastery was designed to be visible over much of the country, with its stone walls constructed to reflect sunlight. There are archways throughout the monastery, including the bell tower.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q679979 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

The property comprises seven component parts, within an 80km long corridor along the warm-temperate and extremely humid eastern coast of the Black Sea. They provide a series of the most typical Colchic ecosystems at altitudes ranging from sea level to more than 2,500 metres above it. The main ecosystems are ancient deciduous Colchic rainforests and wetlands, percolation bogs and other mire types of the distinct Colchic mire region. The extremely humid broad-leaved rainforests comprise a highly diverse flora and fauna, with very high densities of endemic and relict species, with significant numbers of globally threatened species and relict species, which survived the glacial cycles of the Tertiary. The site is home to approximately 1,100 species of vascular and non-vascular plants, including 44 threatened vascular plan species, and almost 500 species of vertebrates, and a high number of invertebrate species. The site also harbours 19 threatened animal species including sturgeon, notably the critically endangered Colchic Sturgeon. It is a key stopover for many globally threatened birds that migrate through the Batumi bottleneck.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography and climate

The Colchis Lowland is extremely humid, with precipitation in some areas exceeding four metres (13 ft) per year. This is a result of the funnel created between the Greater Caucasus, Lesser Caucasus, and Likhi Range, which traps the moisture along the Black Sea. The lowland is a subsiding basin that may have originated during the Late Eocene or the Oligocene-Miocene Boundary. It is fed by many rivers, the largest of which is the Rioni.

Ecology

Located in the Euxine–Colchic deciduous forests ecoregion, the site contains relict forests which survived the glacial cycles during the Quaternary ice ages. The Colchic rainforests are some of the oldest broad-leafed forests in western Eurasia. As a refugium during the Pliocene, the processes of evolution and speciation continued relatively uninterrupted. As a result, the region comprises a highly diverse flora and fauna, with high numbers of endemic and relict species. The site is home to nearly 1,100 species of vascular and non-vascular plants, including 44 threatened species. Among these plant species include the Caucasian walnut, the endemic Colchis ivy and the endangered Pontine oak.

Description

The World Heritage site includes a series of ecosystems such as deciduous rainforests and wetlands, percolation bogs and other mire types, located at a range of altitudes from the sea level to more than 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) above it. In total, the site consists of seven component parts — Kintrishi-Mtirala and Ispani in Adjara, Grigoleti and Imnati in Guria, and Pitshora, Nabada, and Churia in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti. They are administered in Georgia as parts of the Kolkheti National Park, Kintrishi Strict Nature Reserve, Kobuleti Protected Areas, and Mtirala National Park. The total area of the site is 31,253 ha (77,230 acres), with the buffer zone of 26,850 ha (66,300 acres).

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q107694185 (CC0).