Open Air Museum of Ethnography
Open Air Museum of Ethnography 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 of Ethnography encompasses 14 ethnographic zones: Kartli, Samegrelo, Adjara, Abkhazia, Svaneti, Khevsureti, Kakheti, Meskheti, Javakheti, Guria, Imereti, Racha, Lechkhumi and Ossetia.
The open air museum is impressive in its beauty and diversity. You can walk for hours, studying the Georgian everyday life of all the eras and regions. One of the most famous museum “pieces” is a reconstruction of an ancient Georgian dwelling – “darbazi”, which looks like a dugout. These dugouts were the place for the Georgians to hide during the Turkish attack in the Middle Ages
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.
You can reach the area by car or walking from Vake Park or use a cable car from Chavchavadze Avenue to the Turtle lake and walk downhill to the Ethnographic museum.
Entrance Fees:
- Adults – 5 Gel
- Students – 0.5 Gel
- School pupils – 0.5 Gel