a MiNi-MOdEl OF GEOrGia

this Open-air Georgia" covers appro-ximately 50 hectares and is divided into 11 zones. Eastern Georgia is re-presented by five zones and another five are dedicated to Western regions. The ele-venth zone is home to such historical and archaeological monuments as the Sioni Ba-silica and the crypt of the 5th-6th centuries, an Abkhazian dolmen or megalithic tomb dating from the 2nd millennium B.C.

Different regions of Georgia are re-presented by homesteads that are usually composed of a house, a yard and outbuildings necessary for life in rural areas. A total of seventy construc-tions, including outbuildings, were brought to Tbilisi from the regions of Samtskhe-Javakheti, Guria, Samegrelo, Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi, Abkhazia, Ajaria, Svaneti, Kartli and Kakheti, all of which contain approximately 8,000 exhibit items (furniture, tools, etc.) from all over the country.

cooking house from guria region

With international support, several projects have been carried out at the Ethnographic Museum in recent years: a new storage facility, digitized exhibit items, and restored dwellings, such as the Megrelian house brought from the village of Ontopo in 1976. It was recently restored with support from the Norwe-gian Open-Air Museum, and a reviving history exhibition was held there.

Visitors who come to see this old Me-grelian dwelling are greeted by the head of the household, the mistress and the children dressed in traditional garments. The hosts, in addition to telling the guests the story of the house and describing lo-cal beliefs, offer them ghomi (Italian mil-let (Setaria italica)) cooked in the hearth. Ancient species of Italian millet, corn and beans are planted on the farmstead, on a small plot outside the dwelling house.

Visitors learn about Georgian traditio-nal everyday life by participating in in-

teresting, entertaining activities. While ghomi is cooking in the hearth, the head of the household engages them in tradi-tional craftsmanship, teaching them to weave cylindrical baskets.

Based on this experience, another exhi-bition, "Kakhetian abundance at a Gior-gitsminda House" opened on November 9, 2013. As in the Megrelian dwelling, visitors to the Kakhetian house are greeted by a family dressed in traditional clothes. Ho-wever, instead of ghomi, they are offered shoti (Georgian bread) baked in a tone, an earthenware oven in the yard. The family will tell the guests about the typical ma-nagement of a traditional Kakhetian hou-sehold, and about the sacred meaning of bread and the vine. Visitors take part in the process of baking and tasting the bread.

The Kakhetian hall house was moved to the Ethnographic Museum from the village of Giorgitsminda in 1974. This joint project between the Georgian Na-

ProJect > Natia Likokeli, Mariam SamadashviliImmersed in greenery on the hillsides along the road leading up to the Turtle Lake, the Ethnographic Museum in Tbilisi a miniature model of Georgia was founded in 1966 by ethnographer Giorgi Chitaia.

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living history exhibition at the sajalabo house the Barn. samegrelo region

tional Museum, the Norwegian Directo-rate for Cultural Heritage and ICOMOS (Georgian National Committee of Inter-national Council on Monuments and Si-tes) was carried out between 2008 and 2010, using traditional tools and techni-ques. This included the restoration of the house after its displacement. When work

was completed, the doors of "Giorgits-minda" opened to the public again. An exhibition was organized with support from the National Intellectual Property Center Sakpatenti.

A project implemented in partnership with UNESCO and Norways Maihaugen Museum included a summer school

composed of thematic weeks, when Ge-orgian craftsmen potters, smiths and loom weavers taught crafts to school and university students from spring till late Autumn.

Currently, a project implemented in partnership with the Skansen Open-Air Museum (Sweden) aims to "animate" a second house brought from the village of Ontopo, Samegrelo this time benefi-ting from the experience of the Skansen Museum in Stockholm the world's ol-dest open-air museum.

The "animated everyday life" and tra-ditional crafts programs are some of the best ways to promote our country's culture and disseminate knowledge about Georgian traditional ways of life, customs, rituals and household mana-gement. Engaging visitors in diverse ac-tivities not only helps Georgian youth and adults learn about their own history through interactive and entertaining activities, but also sparks interest and a greater understanding by foreign visitors of the countrys traditions and diverse cultures.

living history exhibition at the giorgitsminda house

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