US allocates money to restore ancient Georgian manuscripts

Ancient Georgian manuscripts will be diagnosed and restored thanks to financial support of the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP).

A presentation of the project, named "Diagnosis of ancient Georgian plated monuments” was held today at the National Centre of Manuscripts.

The project to restore the historic documents has been funded by the US for the past six months.

At the ceremony US Ambassador Richard Norland said the ancient manuscripts were treasures Georgia gifted to the world.

"Georgia is a gold mine in terms of cultural heritage. Often we talk about the fact that the United States has given a present or assistance to Georgia in a different field, but in this case, Georgia offered a gift not only to the United States but to the whole world," Norland said.

In Georgia the AFCP has funded 14 preservation projects worth nearly $1 million USD, including last year's $600,000 USD grant to preserve the Gelati Monastery - a UNESCO World Heritage site.