Tbilisi

Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million people.

The legend says that in the mid-5th century AD, King Vakhtang I Gorgasali was hunting in the heavily wooded region with a falcon. The King's falcon allegedly caught or injured a pheasant during the hunt, after which both birds fell into a nearby hot spring and died from burns. King Vakhtang became so impressed with the hot springs (existing even today) that he decided to cut down the forest and build a city. The name Tbilisi derives from the Georgian word "tbili", meaning warm. Archaeological studies of the region indicate human settlement in the area early as the 4th millennium BC.

Because of its location on the crossroads between Europe and Asia, and its proximity to the lucrative Silk Road, throughout history Tbilisi was a point of contention between various global powers. The city's location to this day ensures its position as an important transit route for various energy and trade projects. Architecture of the city reflects its location and represent mixture of oriental and European styles.

Historically, Tbilisi has been home to people of multiple cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.

Venue

School and workshop will be held at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU), which is the first-ever national university in the Caucasus was opened in 1918 laying the foundation for a European-type higher school in Georgia, based on Georgian educational traditions.

Nowadays TSU is one of the largest higher educational institutions by its scales, offering a wide variety of degree programs at undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. About 22 thousand students are undergoing studies at seven faculties of TSU.

Tbilisi State University is one of the first scientific-research institutions of Georgia. It implements about 200 local and international scientific grant programs annually.