Projects
Multimedia
All Mysteries are Buried in This Language
Among the many projects that Center for Research of Kartvelian Civilization plans to pursue is a series of documentaries. The series, launched in April 2006 is entitled All Mysteries are Buried in this Language, and tells the stories of scholars or outstanding individuals who have contributed to the unlocking of the many mysteries encoded in Kartvelian culture.
The first documentary in the series is dedicated to Dr Ramaz Pataridze (1927-), the greatest living authority on the Kartuli Asomtavruli alphabet. Dr Pataridze is the author of numerous works, including Kartuli Asomtavruli, (Tbilisi, 1980), an epoch-making book not only in Kartvelian paleography, but in the study of the alphabet the world over. The book opens up wide vistas of research for scholars working in various fields of prehistoric studies. In the documentary the viewer is given a unique opportunity to hear about the scholar’s first struggles at mastering the alphabet and his continuous struggle to push through and defend his scholarly works under the Soviet regime.
Merab Mikeladze (1926-1992). This documentary is about the life of an uncompromising, courageous and outspoken scholar whose great contribution to the development of Applied Mechanics harmoniously accommodates the study of the ancient civilizations of the Caucasus and the Mediterranean, a subject which became his true passion especially in the last years of his life. A blazing fire burned in his heart and soul for his homeland until he drew his very last breath.
“Ask the Pope to pray for Georgia”, he pleaded to an Italian missionary, Claudio Gugerotti (now the Vatican Ambassador to Georgia) in 1992, when the latter visited the ailing scholar just two months before his death.
Following the Genes 
Following the Genes is another multimedia project the Center for Research of Kartvelian Civilization is engaged in. This series of documentaries focuses on people of Kartvelian origin who have made an outstanding contribution to the development of the country.
Ahmet Özkan-Melashvili (1922-1980). The film depicts the life story of a seemingly ordinary Turk whose Kartvelian ancestry inspired him to become an indefatigable explorer and protector of his native language and culture in Turkey. Born and raised in Turkey, he longed to introduce Kartvelian culture to his compatriots. Ahmet’s Kartvelian origin and Turkish nationality – two entities harmoniously merged in a single personality – were the foundation of his dream: to see Georgia and Turkey become places of freedom and opportunity. Unfortunately, a bullet fired 26 years ago stopped the life and dreams of a person who was a true live bridge between two countries he had loved so dearly.
Mehmet Güleryüz (1938-). This documentary on Mehmet Güleryüz is the unusual story of one of Turkey’s top artists. Their Kartvelian origins have been a source of pride for the Güleryüz family from generation to generation for about half a century. Mehmet, a Turk by nationality, has raised Turkish as well as world painting to new heights. He is proud of his Gürgcü roots and loves his homeland wholeheartedly.
