PARTNERS PROGRAMME 6th JUNE Tbilisi – Mtskheta-Tbilisi 11:00 Departure from hotel. Guided tour to the Jvari Monastery and Mtskheta 11:30 Arrival to the Jvari Monastery The masterpiece of Early Christian Orthodox architecture Jvari Monastery is dated 585-604 cc AD. Located on the hill top near the town Mtskheta, it is listed in UNESCO World Heritage Site list since 1994. The name is translated as the Monastery of the Cross. According to traditional accounts, in the early 4th century Saint Nino (who brought christianity to Georgia) stayed here to pray and erected a wooden cross on Mtskheta’s highest hill. The church was built on the crest of a cliff at a confluence of the rivers Mtkvari and Aragvi. It is a representative of the tetra conch architectural type that was popular not only in Georgia but also in Byzantine world. Jvari served as a model for many other churches in the country. Unusual and varied relief sculptures decorate its façades. The importance of Jvari complex has increased over time and attracted many pilgrims. According to the legend pilgrims visiting the site shed tears while praying and the nearby natural lake was named the Lake of tears. The harmonious relationship between the landscape, architectural forms and divisions, the well-thought-out disposition of decorative elements and splendid relieves carved on big slabs of a stone give the south and east walls special expressiveness. Among the reliefs of the east wall are found the portraits of the kings who built the church. Included in UNESCO world heritage sights, the monument is still used for major celebrations. 12:00 Departure to the old Capital of Georgia Mtskheta Mtskheta was the ancient capital of the Eastern Georgian Kingdom from the Third Century BCE to Fifth Century CE. It was also the location where Christianity was proclaimed as the kingdom’s official religion and continues to function as the headquarters of the Georgian Orthodox Church. 51st CIECA CONGRESS TBILISI, GEORGIA I 5-8 JUNE PARTNERS PROGRAMME 12:15 Visit The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral This grand (and for its time, enormous) building dates from the 11th century, early in the golden age of Georgian church architecture. It has an elongated cross plan and is adorned with beautiful stone carving outside and in. Christ’s robe is believed to lie beneath the central nave, under a square pillar decorated with colourful if faded frescoes of the conversion of Kartli. The story goes that a Mtskheta Jew, Elioz, was in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ Crucifixion and returned with the robe to Mtskheta. His sister Sidonia took it from him and immediately died in a passion of faith. The robe was buried with her and as years passed, people forgot the exact site. When King Mirian built the first church at Mtskheta in the 4th century, the wooden column designed to stand in its centre could not be raised from the ground. But after an all-night prayer vigil by St Nino, the column miraculously moved of its own accord to the robe’s burial site. The column subsequently worked many miracles and Svetitskhoveli means ‘Life-Giving Column’. In the 5th century Vakhtang Gorgasali replaced Mirian’s church with a stone one, and the present building was constructed between 1010 and 1029 under Patriarch Melqisedek. It’s still one of the most beautiful churches in the country. Several Georgian monarchs are buried here. The tomb of Erekle II, king of Kartli and Kakheti from 1762 to 1798, lies before the icon screen (marked with his birth and death dates, 1720 and 1798). Vakhtang Gorgasali’s tomb is behind this, with his sword-holding image carved on a raised flagstone. 13:20-14:30 Lunch at the Restaurant Wine Chamber in Mtskheta 14:30 Departure to Tbilisi 15:10 Arrival to the “Rike Park”, Getting Up to the Narikala Fortress by cable car Also called the Mother Fortress of Tbilisi, Narikala is an ancient symbol of Tbilisi’s defence. The fortress was established in the 4th century, around the period when the city itself was founded. It was then known as Shuris-tsikhe (Invidious Fort). The name Narikala is said to derive from a Persian word for citadel, but another theory says was the name that Mongols used, meaning “little fortress”. It was expanded considerably by the Arabs during the 7th and 8th centuries. The Arabs built the Emir’s palace within its walls. King David further extended as the Builder the fortress in the 11th century. Most of the existing fortifications date from the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1827 it was damaged by an earthquake and was not resorted. St. Nikolos church, inside the fortress walls, dates from the 12th century. It was renovated in 1996. From the Narikala Fortress you can see one of the the best panoramas of the city. 2 51st CIECA CONGRESS TBILISI, GEORGIA I 5-8 JUNE PARTNERS PROGRAMME 13:20 -14:30 Walk down to the district of Sulphur bath houses passing by the only mosque in Tbilisi. Stroll through the Sharden area full of narrow streets with cozy cafés, wine tasting bars, souvenir shops, and breathe in the living past. Visit Sioni Cathedral, Anchiskhati Basilica, and the clock tower of famous Rezo Gabriadze Theatre. 17:30 Departure to Hotel 7th JUNE 10:00 Departure from Hotel 10:20 Arrival to the Georgian Open Air Museum of Ethnography (Venue: 25, M. berdzenishvili Stw. (Turtle Lake Road, Tbilisi) The Open Air Museum was founded in 1966 by the famous Georgian ethnograher Giorgi Chitaia. It is located in Tbilisi’s Vake district, to the west of “Turtle Lake”. It occupies 52 hectares of land and houses more than eight thousand artifacts brought from all over Georgia. The Open Air Museum encompasses 14 ethnographic zones: Kartli, Samegrelo, Adjara, Abkhazia, Svaneti, Khevsureti, Kakheti, Meskheti, Javakheti, Guria, Imereti, Racha, Lechkhumi and Ossetia. Each exhibit presents a certain historic-ethnographic area of Georgia. Together with architectural monuments, the museum presents ethnographic materials - different kinds of tools, textiles, and ceramics. The museum also includes the 5th-6th century basilica of Sioni, as well as a rich collection of grave stones in relief. Visitors can explore on their own, or enjoy guided tours around the museum. The museum provides a tranquil environment for visitors to experience Georgian folk exhibitions and festivals throughout the year, and has a quaint Georgian restaurant where you can enjoy the breathtaking view of Tbilisi. 3 51st CIECA CONGRESS TBILISI, GEORGIA I 5-8 JUNE PARTNERS PROGRAMME 12:00 Lunch at the Culinarium Khasheria (Venue: 23, Abano St., Tbilisi) Restaurant specializes in healthy, “Georgian, anti - hangover cuisine.” Walking into this warmly lit and simply furnished establishment will make you feel instantly at ease, and the kitchen in plain site lends a degree of familiarity and friendly comfort to the atmosphere. Exquisitely prepared dishes influenced by European and Georgian cuisine. 13:30 Departure to Dimitri Shevardnadze National Gallery (Venue: 11, Rustaveli Ave.,Tbilisi) The unique collection of artworks from the Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine arts is located in four major exhibition halls, on the second floor of the Dimitri Shevardnadze National Gallery. The exhibition showcases works by the distinguished Georgian artists of a 20th century – Niko Pirosmanashvili, David Kakabadze, Lado Gudiashvili and sculptor Iakob Nikoladze. 14:30-15:00 Walk threw Rustaveli Avenue An absolute must is a beautiful walk on the Shota Rustaveli Avenue which runs through the heart of Tbilisi west side starts at the Freedom square. Wide and leafy street epitomizes the City’s European style with its grand architecture, museums, formal parliament building, opera house and major shopping points 15:30-17:30 Georgian Cuisine masterclass at Culinarium Cooking School (Venue: 1 Petriashvili St., Tbilisi) Culinarium Cooking School Invites you to the Georgian traditional Masteclass “All about Khinkali”. You will learn how to prepare 3 types of Khinkali: Classic Khinkali with meat, Cheese Khinkali, Mushroom Khinkali (Vegan). 17:30 Departure to Hotel 4.