Skip to main content

Caucasus Biodiversity: natural history museum exhibition in Georgia



Everything old is new again. One hundred and fifty years after the first exhibition of the Natural History Museum, the Georgian National Museum presents the exhibition "Caucasus Biodiversity" in renewed exhibition halls. The exhibition is dedicated to the 100 year anniversary of the first Democratic Republic of Georgia, and will be displayed from 12 June 2018 to 31 August 2023. 

The Georgian National Museum preserves unique geological, botanical and zoological collections of the Caucasus. Among them are rare, endangered and already extinct species. 

The first exhibition cabinets of the Museum of Natural Sciences, founded by naturist Friedrich Bayern, endured from 1856-1868. Now, 150 years later, the Georgian National Museum presents the exhibition "Caucasus Biodiversity" in a modern updated way. It is noteworthy that part of the exhibits showcased today was presented at the Paris International Exhibition in 1867-1869 and many of them received gold, silver or bronze medals.

In the mid-19th century, German scientist and naturalist Gustav Radde made significant contributions to the development of museology in Georgia. An assortment of stuffed animals in his taxidermy collection predicated the region’s first zoological exhibition (1928-1972). 

Today, at the new exhibition, created using modern museum technologies, visitors will see the biodiversity of the Caucasus region - geological, botanical and zoological. The exhibition showcases minerals, rocks, invertebrate animal fossils, herbariums, mollusks, insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals that reflect the evolutionary development of flora and fauna of Georgia and the Caucasus region. 

Special attention is paid to the decades-old dioramas, restored by the National Museum specialists adopting modern approaches: the Turan tiger and wild boar displayed in the Kura floodplain forest; the fauna of Georgia's lakes and wetlands; and a variety of mammals on the Vere River panorama.

"Caucasus Biodiversity" represents a synthesis of traditional museology, perennial scientific research, and modern technological capabilities. The event is implemented within the "European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018" in partnership with the National Geographic Georgia and with the support of the David Bezhuashvili Education Foundation.































MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh  (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...
1 comment
Read more

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...
1 comment
Read more

Shindi: the Georgian Cornelian cherry

The Cornelian cherry – shindi in Georgian – is a fruit with medicinal and decorative properties. It was grown from ancient times, according to the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). It is also commonly called the European cornel. It is native to southern Europe from France to Ukraine as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. The Cornelian cherry tree ( Cornus mas ) can be grown in orchards, but it is often seen in the forests of Georgia where it grows up to 1,350 metres above sea level. It is a medium to large deciduous tree, growing from 5-12 metres tall. The flowers are small with four yellow petals in clusters, which flower in February and March. The Cornus mas has three botanical varieties: (1) var. typica Sanadze with cylindrical red fruits, (2) var. pyriformis Sanadze with pear-shaped red fruits, and (3) var. flava vest with yellow fruits. The fruits are oblong red drupes about 2 centimetres ...
Post a Comment
Read more