What do British model and Georgia’s iconic poet Shota Rustaveli have in common?

For the past week a photo of British model Richard Biedul has been actively shared online by Georgian users for his resemblance with Georgia’s well known, 12th Century poet Shota Rustaveli. 

The photo posted by Biedul went viral and has become a hot topic of discussion, especially among Georgian youth. 

Richard Biedul. Photo from Richard Biedul's Facebook page. 

Many social network users highlighted the resemblance between the British model and the poet, and praised the model’s attractive appearance. 

The comments made it back to Biedul, who responded on his Facebook page. 

Shota Rustaveli. Photo by Georgian Art Palace. 

Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli and I were clearly separated at birth (which makes me around 800 years old),” he wrote. 

Richard Biedul. Photo from Richard Biedul's Facebook page. 

Shota Rustaveli’s the Knight in the Panther’s Skin can be described as a visit card of Georgia; the poem excites its local and foreign readers with its depth and unique plot.

The poem has been translated into many languages. Last year a perfect English translation of the poem was published.