Georgian Alphabet - UNESCO World Cultural Heritage

One of the iconic landmarks in Batumi, Ajara, is the "Alphabet Tower," dedicated to the unique Georgian alphabet. This striking 130-meter-tall structure is designed as a DNA double helix, symbolizing the Georgian alphabet as the genetic code of the Georgian people. Given that the Georgian script is one of the oldest in the world, the representation is apt.

The Georgian alphabet is one of the most ancient and complete alphabetic systems in the world. The earliest written artifacts that have survived hail from the 5th century. However, there is credible speculation that Georgians had a form of writing much earlier than this. References to Georgians (Colchis) having a written language in pre-Christian times can be found in ancient Greco-Roman sources, as mentioned by historians such as Pergamon (2nd century) and Rhodesian (4th century).

The Georgian alphabet evolved through three stages: 1. Asomtavruli, meaning the rounded forms of the letters; 2. Nuskhuri; 3. Mkhedruli. Each stage features its distinctive graphical style, with each sound having its corresponding letter sign, a characteristic that is one of the alphabet's prime virtues.

These unique aspects led UNESCO to recognize the "living culture of 3 types of Georgian alphabets" as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on November 30, 2016. The Intergovernmental Committee endorsed the nomination submitted by Georgia, deeming it fully compliant with all the convention's criteria for Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Given this rich heritage, it is not surprising that Batumi, a prominent city in Georgia and the Adjara region, features an Alphabet Tower. This structure offers exceptional panoramic views of the city, mountains, and sea. The tower hosts a restaurant rotating 360 degrees every hour or 40 minutes, a panoramic bar, and a business meeting space.

The Georgian alphabet contains 33 letters, and here's an exciting part: when you visit Ajara, you can explore this extraordinary region following the alphabetical order, starting with the letter "A" and ending with the letter "H". The Department of Tourism and Resorts of Ajara has designed a project to help you discover the region's tourist attractions alphabetically. The campaign, named #გაიცანიაჭარაანბანით (Get to know Ajara with the help of the alphabet), aims to present the diverse and appealing tourist offerings of Ajara. All major sea, mining, eco-tourism, and adventure tourism activities are compiled in the Ajara Tourism Alphabet.

Discover Ajara through the alphabet