National Archives exhibition highlights Greek communities' legacy in Georgia

Historical ties between Georgian and Greek communities and relations between the two countries are the central subject of a National Archives of Georgia exhibition that opened its doors in Tbilisi on Wednesday.

In the exposition hall of the archival venue, historical documents and photographs dating back from the 19th century and the 1918-1921 First Democratic Republic of Georgia have been put on display to "illustrate the close and friendly relations" between the two nations, the state archives said.

Hymns, maps and building plans created by Greek communities in Georgia throughout eras can be found by visitors alongside information by Greek schools, craftspeople and monasteries.

Project for a two-storey stone house designed for a plot of land in Tbilisi's Dabakhani Khrami section in 1854, bearing the Greek signature of Archimandrite Ioannice. Photo via National Archives of Georgia.

Examples include a plan for a building for a Greek monastery of Kiko, Cyprus, designed for a plot of land set out for the purpose in Tbilisi in the 1850s.

Other exhibits are "treasured" manuscripts that ended up in the country with migration of Greek communities and preserved at the national archival vaults since the 1920s.

Launched at the Tbilisi archives to coincide with Greek Independence Day on March 25, the display is set to run through April at the venue located at 40, Pekini Avenue.