The Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia: A Mix of Treasures

While in Tbilisi, we visited the Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia (formerly known as the State Museum of History of Georgia) on Rustaveli Avenue. The museum houses over 1.2 million items covering Georgia's natural and human history, from prehistoric times to the 20th century.

The museum has a long history, dating back to 1852, when it began as part of the Russian Imperial Geographic Society. After several transformations, it's now part of the Georgian National Museum network, established in 2004.

The collection is quite eclectic - there are prehistoric human remains from Dmanisi (1.8 million years old and the oldest human remains found outside Africa), impressive gold and silver artifacts from various archaeological sites across Georgia, ancient coins, medieval religious icons, traditional costumes from the Caucasus region, animal exhibits, and more. While the collections are impressive, the museum lacks a historical narrative, with different sections feeling disconnected.

One of the most interesting parts for us was the exhibition on the Soviet occupation of Georgia. This powerful display documents the repression and horrors experienced under Soviet rule, with detailed accounts of arrests, deportations, and executions. What made this particularly striking was our earlier visit to the Stalin Museum in Gori, which largely ignores these same atrocities. It's strange to see such contrasting presentations of Soviet history within the same country - one critically examining the painful past and the other glorifying Stalin despite his regime's brutality.

While not perfectly organized, the museum houses remarkable artifacts spanning millions of years of history, making it worth visiting for anyone interested in Georgia's past.