The Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, Mikheil Chkhenkeli, together with the Advisor to the Prime Minister, Sozar Subari and local authorities visited the Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography, as well as Tsvirmi and Iphari temples.

Mikheil Chkhenkeli: “Today, we visited the Museum of Svaneti History and Ethnography, which is an extremely important cultural and educational center. This museum exhibits unique samples of our cultural heritage and highly interesting exhibits.

I would like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to visit Svaneti, to rediscover this place with its beautiful nature, rich culture and hospitable people. "

Svaneti History and Ethnography Museum has a long history. It was founded in 1936 and preserves unique archeological, ethnographic material and a rich collection of old Georgian manuscripts, including the Adishi Four (897) and other manuscripts of the Gospel, as well as many important monuments of Georgian engraving and painting.

Renovation works of the museum were completed in 2013 with the support of the Government of Georgia and various international foundations. As a result, the museum was opened with a new, modern building, conference and exhibition halls, which are in compliance with the international standards. In 2015, an educational center and a media library were added to the museum. Visitors are greeted by a state-of-the-art public space, a souvenir shop and a café. The museum also has a temporary exhibition space dedicated to various exhibitions.

The renovated museum has six permanent exhibition halls. The journey into history begins with the archeological material found in Svaneti, as well as a numismatic cabinet. The museum also preserves Christian treasures, created in the IX-XVIII centuries, such as: the icon of forty martyrs, the Byzantine embroidered icon, the Venetian cross, a picture donated by Queen Tamar, a rich collection of manuscripts and more.

The Svaneti Museum has various educational programs aimed at introducing and popularizing Georgian cultural monuments, art and science to the population and visitors of the region. The programs include excursions to the museum, cognitive games, lecture-talks, meetings with scientists and public figures, film screenings, theatrical performances, etc.

The Minister also visited the temples of the Savior of Tsvirmi and St. George of Iphari, where the rich medieval Christian treasures are preserved.