The Georgian Kingdom and Georgian Art

A survey of the architecture and history of the Tao-Klarjeti region.This book, comprising the proceedings of a 2014 symposium at Koç University's Vehbi Koç Ankara Studies Research Center, fills an important gap in the research surrounding the historical principality of Tao-Klarjeti. This political entity founded by the Georgian Bagrationis dynasty in the early ninth century covers the modern-day provinces of Artvin, Erzurum (partially), Ardahan in Turkey, and the provinces of Samtskhe-Javakheti and Ajara in Georgia. This volume explores the religious and secular buildings, decor programs, facade articulations, stone reliefs of monastic and Cathedral churches, mason builders, and donors of Tao-Klarjeti's architecture. A particular focus is placed on recent archaeological discoveries in Şavşat Castle and the heritage of manuscripts produced in scriptoriums and literary centers of the region.