Georgian silk crafts recognised as intangible cultural heritage
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The long-standing tradition of silk production and crafts in Georgia has been officially recognised as part of the country’s intangible cultural heritage.
A decision by the National Agency of Cultural Heritage Preservation has placed Georgian silk among other intangible monuments, such as Georgian polyphonic singing and wine production using the ancient qvevri vessel.
Signed by the agency’s general director Nikoloz Antidze, the nomination for silk has become the 40th entry in the formal registry of intangible heritage.
A dyed silk thread collection dated back to the 1890s. Photo: State Silk Museum.
The move marks more than a dozen centuries of documented history of production and artisanal use of silk in Georgia.
It is noted in historical sources, from famed 13th century Italian traveller Marco Polo — who praised the quality and artistry of silk textile in Georgia — to later Medieval chroniclers.
An 1848 study showed 210,000 families across the country were involved in silk thread production and weaving.
The Tbilisi museum is one of the earliest throughout the world. Photo: State Silk Museum.
In 1887 the capital Tbilisi became home to one of the earliest museums not only in the Caucasus but worldwide, when a venue for developing silk production in the region was established.
Now functioning as the State Silk Museum, it houses collections and exhibits gathered from throughout the Caucasus by its founder, Russian naturalist Nikolay Shavrov.
The museum’s vaults store Caucasian silk textiles from the 19th century as well as fibres, paints, and silk moths from over a dozen countries.
An ancient Georgian art form is being returned to popular culture through efforts of the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts.
The traditional Megrelian and Abkhazian technology of Georgian spicy sauce, ajika, have received the status of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia.
The tradition of making khachapuri, one of Georgian cuisine’s iconic dishes, has received the status of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia.
The significance of crafts heritage and ways of preserving and transferring skills to the next generation will be some of the subjects bringing together professionals of the World Crafts Council Europe in Tbilisi next week, as the continental body celebrates its 40th anniversary.
A Georgian research project for exploring and preserving history of textile in South Caucasus has been declared as one of the winners of this year’s European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage.
New Georgian knitwear brand ‘Shalis Georgia’ has started producing knitwear clothes, the presentation of which will be held today at Garden Hall, in Tbilisi at 7 PM.
Two United States-based Georgian artists are returning home to host a joint exhibition that explores the boundaries between natural and man-made creations.
The State Silk Museum of Georgia, one of the oldest museums in the country, will undergo a major three-year renovation of its infrastructure and an update of its programmes in a multi-institutional project starting this year.
The State Silk Museum, a Tbilisi venue housing exhibits detailing the country's position on the historical Silk Road and its rich cultural legacy in textile and fabrics, has closed for the much-awaited rehabilitation that will reinforce, update and renovate the building and its yard by the end of the next year.
Georgia will join the sixteenth edition of the European Artistic Crafts Day (EACD), the largest crafts event in Europe, for the first time next week, with venues in the country set to host tours and exhibitions to mark the occasion.