National Science Library (Georgia)

The Siege of Tbilisi was the successful siege of the city of Tbilisi, capital of the Kingdom of Georgia, by the Turco-Mongol conqueror Tamerlane, which ended on 22 November 1386. The official history of his reign, Zafarnama, represents this campaign in Georgia as a jihad.

The Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG; Georgian: საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკა sakartvelos demokratiuli respublika) was the first modern establishment of a republic of Georgia, which existed from May 1918 through February 1921. Recognized by all major European powers of the time, DRG was created in the wake of the Russian Revolution of 1917, which led to the collapse of the Russian Empire and allowed territories formerly under Saint Petersburg's rule to assert independence. In contrast to Bolshevik Russia, DRG was governed by a moderate, multi-party political system led by the Georgian Social Democratic Party (Menshevik). Initially, DRG was a protectorate of the German Empire. However, after the German defeat in World War I, the country was partially occupied by British troops, who were sent there to counter a proposed Bolshevik invasion. The British had to leave in 1920 because of the Treaty of Moscow, in which Russia recognized Georgia's independence in exchange for DRG not hosting forces hostile to Russia's interests. Now that Western European powers were no longer present in Georgia, in February 1921 the Bolshevik Red Army proceeded to invade the country, leading to DRG's defeat and collapse by March of that year, with Georgia becoming a Soviet republic. The Georgian Government, led by Prime Minister Noe Jordania, moved to France where it continued to work in exile. The government-in-exile was recognized by France, Britain, Belgium, and Poland as the only legitimate government of Georgia until the 1930s, when growing Soviet power and political processes in Europe made it impractical to do so indefinitely.Although short-lived, DRG continues to be an inspiration for modern day Georgia due its legacy of democracy and pluralism. DRG was one of the first countries in Europe to grant women the right to vote as enshrined in the Georgian constitution, which was “unusual in most European constitutions at the time”. Several women of varying backgrounds were elected to the Georgian parliament, as were representatives of nine ethnicities, including Germans, Russians, Armenians, Azerbaijani, and Jews. DRG also saw the founding of Georgia's first fully fledged university, thereby realized a longstanding dream cherished by generations of Georgian intellectuals whose efforts were, up to that point, consistently frustrated by the Imperial Russian authorities.

The Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic (TDFR; 22 April – 28 May 1918) was a short-lived state in the Caucasus that included most of the territory of the present-day Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as parts of Russia and Turkey. The state lasted only for a month before Georgia declared independence, followed shortly after by Armenia and Azerbaijan. The region that formed the TDFR had been part of the Russian Empire. As the empire dissolved during the 1917 February Revolution and a provisional government took over, a similar body, called the Special Transcaucasian Committee (Ozakom), did the same in the Caucasus. After the October Revolution and rise of the Bolsheviks in Russia, the Transcaucasian Commissariat replaced the Ozakom. In March 1918, as the First World War continued, the Commissariat initiated peace talks with the Ottoman Empire, which had invaded the region, but that broke down quickly as the Ottomans refused to accept the authority of the Commissariat. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which ended Russia's involvement in the war, conceded parts of the Transcaucasus to the Ottoman Empire, which pursued its invasion to take control of the territory. Faced with this imminent threat, on 22 April 1918 the Commissariat dissolved itself and established the TDFR as an independent state. A legislature, the Seim, was formed to direct negotiations with the Ottoman Empire, which had immediately recognized the state. Diverging goals of the three major groups (Armenians, Azerbaijanis, and Georgians) quickly jeopardized the TDFR's existence. Peace talks again broke down and, facing a renewed Ottoman offensive in May 1918, Georgian delegates in the Seim announced that the TDFR was unable to continue, and declared the Democratic Republic of Georgia independent on 26 May. With the Georgians no longer part of the TDFR, the Republic of Armenia and Azerbaijan Democratic Republic each declared themselves independent on 28 May, ending the federation. Owing to its short existence, the TDFR has been largely ignored in the national historiographies of the region and has been given consideration only as of the first stage towards independent states.

The country of Georgia became part of the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Throughout the early modern period, the Muslim Ottoman and Persian empires had fought over various fragmented Georgian kingdoms and principalities; by the 18th century, Russia emerged as the new imperial power in the region. Since Russia was an Orthodox Christian state like Georgia, the Georgians increasingly sought Russian help. In 1783, Heraclius II of the eastern Georgian kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti forged an alliance with the Russian Empire, whereby the kingdom became a Russian protectorate and abjured any dependence on its suzerain Persia. The Russo-Georgian alliance, however, backfired as Russia was unwilling to fulfill the terms of the treaty, proceeding to annex the troubled kingdom in 1801, and reducing it to the status of a Russian region (Georgia Governorate). In 1810, the western Georgian kingdom of Imereti was annexed as well. Russian rule over Georgia was eventually acknowledged in various peace treaties with Persia and the Ottomans, and the remaining Georgian territories were absorbed by the Russian Empire in a piecemeal fashion in the course of the 19th century. Until 1918, Georgia would be part of the Russian Empire. Russian rule offered the Georgians security from external threats, but it was also often heavy-handed and insensitive to locals. By the late 19th century, discontent with the Russian authorities led to a growing national movement. The Russian Imperial period, however, brought unprecedented social and economic change to Georgia, with new social classes emerging: the emancipation of the serfs freed many peasants but did little to alleviate their poverty; the growth of capitalism created an urban working class in Georgia. Both peasants and workers found expression for their discontent through revolts and strikes, culminating in the Revolution of 1905. Their cause was championed by the socialist Mensheviks, who became the dominant political force in Georgia in the final years of Russian rule. Georgia finally won its independence in 1918, less as a result of the nationalists' and socialists' efforts, than from the collapse of the Russian Empire in World War I.

The Tiflis Governorate (pre-reform Russian: Тифлисская губернія; Georgian: ტფილისის გუბერნია) was one of the guberniyas of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire with its centre in Tiflis (present-day Tbilisi, capital of Georgia). In 1897 it constituted 44,607 sq. kilometres in area and had a population of 1,051,032 inhabitants. The Tiflis Governorate bordered the Elisabethpol Governorate to the southeast, the Erivan Governorate to the south, the Kars Oblast to the southwest, the Batum Oblast to the west, the Kutais Governorate to the northwest, the Terek Oblast to the north, the Dagestan Oblast to the northeast, and the Zakatal Okrug to the east. The governorate covered areas of contemporary southeastern Georgia, most of the Lori Province of Armenia, small sections of northwestern Azerbaijan, and a minuscule southern part of the Republic of Ingushetia within the Russian Federation.

The Georgian National Centre of Manuscripts (Georgian: საქართველოს ხელნაწერთა ეროვნული ცენტრი; formerly the Institute of Manuscripts), located in Tbilisi, Georgia, is a repository of ancient manuscripts, of historical documents and of the private archives of eminent public figures. The centre was established on 30 June 1958 on the basis of the collection in the Department of Manuscripts at the Georgian National Museum. The founder and the first director of the Institute was Professor Ilia Abuladze, a Corresponding Member of the Georgian Academy of Sciences. The collection of the National Centre of Manuscripts comprises manuscripts, historical documents, early printed books, rare publications and heirlooms. The Centre carries out various projects related to scientific research, exhibitions and restoration. Specialists working at and with the Centre engage in the description, systematization, study and publication of the material housed at the Centre, as well as in the production of data bases dealing with this material. The Centre also has rich academic library and includes rooms dedicated in memory of Korneli Kekelidze, Ivane Javakhishvili, Ilia Abuladze, Niko Berdzenishvili, Elene Metreveli and Shalva Amiranashvili.

Heroes Square (Georgian: გმირთა მოედანი, romanized: gmirta moedani), in Tbilisi, Georgia, is a monument built to honor the memory of lost heroes of Georgia in the war against the Soviet Army and in operations in Abkhazia. Each day, two soldiers arrive in the morning at the sides of the Square, where a memorial stone is located, and, after paying tribute, stand at attention as a sign of respect.The monument is located near the Tbilisi Zoo. It is 51 m high, with 16 marble faces, and is written in Georgian. The names of more than 4,000 Georgian victims were carved into the memorial in August 2008; they include the names of Georgian military students who died in the fight against the Red Army in 1921, those of the leaders of the anti-Soviet counterinsurgency in 1924, and those of the dead in the 5-day Abkhaz war in 1992 and 1993.

Georgian Technical University (GTU, formerly V.I. Lenin Georgian Polytechnical Institute) is the main and largest technical university of Georgia. It is located in the capital city of Tbilisi.

Tbilisi Sport Palace (Georgian: თბილისის სპორტის სასახლე) is an indoor sports arena situated in Tbilisi, Georgia. The arena usually hosts basketball, handball, judo, tennis, boxing and other games and tournaments with high attendance.

Pikris Gora (Georgian: ფიქრის გორა) is small, triangular shaped neighborhood in the Vera District of central portion of the Georgian city of Tbilisi. The neighborhood is bordered on the north by Merab Kostava Street, on the south by Petre Melikishvili Street, and on the west by Varaziskhevi Street. Pikris Gora literally translates to "hill of thoughts".

The Tbilisi Zoological Park (Georgian: თბილისის ზოოლოგიური პარკი, t'bilisis zoologiuri parki) is the oldest and largest zoo in Georgia, in the country's capital of Tbilisi. Founded in 1927, it is located in the Vere River valley in central Tbilisi. The zoo was heavily affected by a flood on 14 June 2015, leaving many of its inhabitants dead or on the loose. Prior to that, the zoo occupied the area of approximately 120 hectares and was populated by around 300 species, native to the Caucasus as well as other regions of the world.

The Musthaid Garden (Georgian: მუშთაიდის ბაღი) was established between the 1830s and 1840s, by Mir-Fatah-Agha, a high-ranked Shia Muslim religious leader of the Persian Shiites - a Mujtahid (hence the name Mushtaid), who fled from Iran to Tiflis (Tbilisi) during the Persian Qajar Dynasty. According to the legend, Mir-Fatah-Agha chose Tbilisi as his residence place due to his love to his Georgian wife who died earlier. In 1853, the authorities obtained the control of the garden to set up an example agricultural farm there. In 1858, it was turned into a public recreation centre. In 1935 one of the world's first children's railways has been established here. One of the remarkable features of the garden is the alley of local relict trees, Zelkova. Apart from usual facilities - the restaurant, snack bar, open-air theatre, etc., in 1887 the Caucasian silkworm rearing station was founded in the territory of the Mushthaid Garden under the supervision of Nikolai Nikolaevich Shavrov (1858 -1915). The main building of the station was constructed in 1892 (architect Alexandre Shimkevich, with N. Shavrov taking part in planning) and it is preserved till today, with its present address being: 6, G. Tsabadze St., Tbilisi, now sheltering the State Silk Museum of Georgia, one of the world's oldest silk museums, a two-storey building that belongs to the eclectic style. The garden occupies an area of approximately 110,000 square metres. During the second half of the 19th century, receptions of high-ranking guests were held in the garden. Today, the Mushthaid Garden is a popular spot in Tbilisi where the locals walk and rest at leisure. It is known for the attraction of curved mirrors, etc.