Ushguli Ethnographic Museum

What Will You See at Ushguli Ethnographic Museum?

A Machubi was a center of the house where people and livestock stayed together during the cold winter months. The living spaces for people and animals were separated by a wooden board, called a “Gvali”. These homes were two-story, domed structures made of stone and wood, with a tamped dirt floor and decorations, both artistic and religious at the same time. This style is preserved in the museum.

On the second floor, you will see a pair of ancient wooden beds, as well as a domed living area for goats and sheep, an old hearth, a “Bojari” (oven) in a kitchen with its utensils, an ancient cellar made of slate, a Svan cradle, and a 1,700-year-old Svan weaving loom - the only one to survive to the present day.

Within the museum, you will be given an opportunity to learn more about the Svan lifestyle and the rules for living in a Machubi, alongside a variety of ethnographic materials including weapons, agricultural tools, objects for religious services, ancient wooden furniture, and everyday objects made of iron and clay.

Materials found during various archaeological digs in Svaneti are kept in the museum, including unique items of Georgian metalwork, iconography, and writing.