New museum to house ancient Sakdrisi artifacts

A modern archaeological muhouse will be built in Bolnisi to house the ancient artifacts discovered in Sakdrisi Gold Mine, while RMG Gold will be given a new license to continue its mining activities in Sakdrisi.

Today the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection presented the concept of the Bolnisi museum. The presentation was attended by the industry officials, guests and the head of the National Museum.

Minister of Culture Mikheil Giorgadze emphasized the new museum would also house other important collections.

"It should be a multifunctional building not just a Museum. It will be cultural-educational centre in which contains a museum and research-educational components as well," Giorgadze said.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced  details regarding construction of the new museum at aGovernment meeting in December 2014.

He said "an abandoned archaeological site neglected for years" will be transported to a new space.

We were promised by RMG Gold that a modern archaeological museum will be built in Bolnisi to preserve all artifacts discovered in Sakdrisi. This museum will serve as a cultural and tourism destination. We also plan to renovate the Old German Quarters,” he said.

Sakdrisi Gold Mine has been one of the country’s main topics of discussion after the Government approved private gold mining company RMG Gold to resume mining at the controversial site in December 2014.

Mining resumed on December 12 – one day after the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection and the National Agency of Cultural Heritage Protection approved RMG Gold’s request to resume mining at the site.

Some experts believed Sakdrisi Gold Mine was one of the oldest gold mines in the world, dating back almost 5,000 years.

News of re-establishing mining at Sakdrisi Gold Mine was harshly protested by one part of society who said RMG Gold did not have the right to continue working at the site as Tbilisi City Court was still discussing the Ministry’s notion to revoke the mine’s status as a cultural heritage site.

The Sakdrisi Gold Mine was discovered in the early 2000s and excavations began in 2006. It was initially given the status of cultural heritage site but this was revoked by the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection in 2013.