Tbilisi photo exhibition unites Black Sea port cities

An exhibition of modern and historic photographs depicting six Black Sea and Aegean Sea port cities is opening in Georgia’s capital tomorrow to raise awareness of the similarities and differences between the nations while also encouraging regional cultural tourism development.

Tomorrow’s exhibition From the Aegean to the Black Sea will feature photographs of six contrasting port cities captured by travellers and archaeologists over the past 100 years.

The cities in focus are Georgia’s Adjara region capital Batumi, Varna in Bulgaria, Odessa in Ukraine, Constanta in Romania, Istanbul in Turkey and Kavala in Greece.

Other participant port towns from Georgia are Tsikhisdziri and Gonio, also located in the western Adjara region.

Organised within the European Union-funded Limen Project that seeks to assist collaboration and development between countries of the Aegean and Black Sea region, those invited to the exhibition include Georgian officials, foreign diplomats and representatives from various non-governmental organisations.

The Limen Project’s main ports involve six cities of the Aegean and Black Sea region. Photo from Limen Project.

The photos show each port city from a different perspective and encourage cross-cultural tourism across the region. The project also aimed to promote cultural heritage and create a collaborative network of harbour towns.

The project was a continuation of a 2013 initiative to support friendly relations in the Black Sea region between six regional countries, where similar exhibitions were staged in Greece, Turkey, Romania, Cyprus and Ukraine.

The one-day exhibitionFrom the Aegean to the Black Sea will be presented at the exhibition hall of the National Research Centre for Georgian Art History and Heritage Preservation on Atoneli St in Tbilisi.

Detailed information about the Limen Project and its initiatives can be found on the official website here.