Eurasianet

Vakhtang (Buba) Kikabidze, a Georgian singer and actor universally loved across the former Soviet Union, has died at the age of 84, drawing the curtain on an era.

The unique Islamic structures stand on the fringes of Georgian culture.

The legendary semi-sweet Khvanchkara is an international brand – and used to be an easy target for counterfeiters. Now the police are stepping in.

Georgian cinema has been enjoying a renaissance, becoming a darling of the international independent film world. But it’s also running into political problems at home.

The Ministry of Culture issued a new statement responding to international criticism of an earlier announcement that it intended to “remove” Armenian “forgeries” from churches on its territory.

The minister of culture said that a working group will be set up to identify what he called “Armenian forgery” from churches, putting into practice a pseudoscientific theory that denies the churches’ Armenian origin.

The unfinished structure was the result of a brief period of direct Roman control over Armenia in the second century CE.

Geneticists say the popular vegetable was first domesticated in the region.

To renovate or destroy? The Culture Ministry is dragging a dispute about Georgia’s heritage into the country’s muddy politics.

When Koma Wetan was formed, singing in Kurdish was illegal in Turkey. Now, the group is a legendary influence among Turkish Kurdish rockers..

Azerbaijanis, the largest ethnic minority in Georgia, say that Tbilisi neglects their culture while Baku tries to co-opt it. Now they are claiming it for themselves.

Fears are growing in particular for Armenian monuments being handed over.

The conspiracy involved many players from around the former Soviet Union who have previous records of match fixing.

This year, Azerbaijan embraces both the Orient and bisexuality, while Georgia complains about the West.

Former Soviet states are coming together to mourn the death of Gia Kancheli, who personified a positive memory from their shared past.