The National Centre of Manuscripts has several museum-cabinets, including: Cabinet of Tamar and Akaki Papava, Elene Metreveli, Ivane Javakhishvili, Ilia Abuladze, Korneli Kekelidze, Nino and Kalistrate Salia, Niko Berdzenishvili, Simon Chikovani, Shalva Amiranashvili and Cartographical cabinet. Apart from rare and unique books (antiquarians and books, published abroad), the cabinets store memorial objects of civil servants.
Cabinet of Ilia Abuladze
Ilia Abuladze (1901-1968) – Georgian Philologist, researcher of ancient Georgian language and writing system, Armenologist, Paleograph, Lexicograph, Doctor of Philological science, Professor, member of Scientific Academy of Georgia, first Director of National Institute of Manuscripts (1958-1968).
Private library and objects of Ilia Abuladze were passed to National Centre of Manuscripts in 1968. The cabinets store numerous books and periodical publication in Georgian, Armenian, Russian and European languages, including rare bibliographical and historical publications. The cabinet also preserved personal objects of Ilia Abuladze as they are given the status of museum exhibit.
Cabinet of Shalva Amiranashvili
Shalva Amiranashvili (1899-1975) was a Georgian scientist, Art historian, one of the founders of Georgian art criticism and an academic at Science Academy of Georgia. He studied arts of architecture, fresco, miniature and blacksmith.
Private library and objects of Shalva Amiranashvili were passed to National Centre of Manuscripts in 2001. The cabinet holds numerous humanitarian books and periodical publications in Georgian and other foreign languages. The book fund is especially rich with art criticism books, rare albums, catalogues, etc. Objects, preserved in the cabinet have status of a museum exhibit.
Cabinet of Niko Berdzenishvili
Nikoloz (Niko) Berdzenishvili (1894-1965) was a Georgian historian, Doctor of historical science and an Academic at Science Academy of Georgia. He researched social-economical, political, cultural and ecclesiastical topics, also historical geography, source criticism, problems of Historiography and Diplomatics.
Private library and objects of Nikoloz (Niko) Berdzenishvili were passed to National Centre of Manuscripts in 1965. The books preserved in the cabinet are considered as bibliographical rare publications in both, Georgian and Russian languages. The cabinet also holds personal objects of Nikoloz Berdzenishvili that have status of a museum exhibit.
Cabinet of Korneli Kekelidze
Korneli Kekelidze (1879-1962) was a Georgian philologist, specialist in textual studies and literature and an academic at Science Academy of Georgia. He researched ecclesiastical and secular literature of ancient Georgian, relationship of Georgian-Byzantine and Georgian-Persian literature, Old Georgian writing matters etc.
Private library and objects of Korneli Kekelidze were passed to National Centre of Manuscripts in 1962. The cabinet stores numerous rare publications and private objects of Korneli Kekelidze, that hold a status of a museum exhibit.
Cabinet of Elene Metreveli
Elene Metreveli (1917-2003) was a Georgian philologist, Orientalist, a member of Science Academy of Georgia; in 1958-1968 she worked at the Korneli Kekelidze National Institute of Manuscripts as a head of archaeography department. Through 1968-1988, was the director of the mentioned institute. In 1994 she was chosen as the head of Theology faculty at Tuebingen University, where she worked around the topics of liturgy and hymnography.
Many years, Elene Metreveli would research Georgian library cradle abroad, which was followed by many scientific articles and fundamental pieces of work: “Material on history for Jerusalem’s colony of Georgia”, “Study on Cultural and educational cradle of Athos”, “A book of offerings to the dead for monastery of Iveron”. These pieces of work have been internationally recognized as one of the most important studies in the scientific world.
Personal library alongside with objects of Elene Metreveli were passed on to National Centre of Manuscripts in 2007. The book fund, which consists of several hundred books and periodical publications, was placed in E. Metreveli’s cabinet.
Objects preserved at the cabinet have a status of a museum exhibit.
Cabinet of Nino and Kalistrate Salia
Nino (1898-1992) and Kalistrate (1901-1986) Salia were Georgian Emigrant civil servants who founded a Kartvelological magazine – “Bedi Kartlisa” (Fate of Kartli) in France.
Private library and personal belongings of Nino and Kalistrate Salia were passed on to Korneli Kekelidze National Centre of Manuscripts in 1980.
The book fund is rich with Kartvelological and Oriental literature, dictionaries, encyclopedias and other unique publications. Personal belongings preserved at the cabinet have a status of museum exhibits.
Cabinet of Tamar and Akaki Papava
In 2009, 15th of April, a cabinet after Georgian Emigrants – Tamar and Akaki Papava was opened in Korneli Kekelidze National Centre of Manuscripts. The cabinet received rich archives moved from Argentina by Turpa and Mzia Papava-Tcheishvili and Paata Natsvlishvili in 1997. Previously, the archive was preserved in the editorial office of newspaper “Samshoblo” (Motherland).
Cabinet of Ivane Javakhishvili
Ivane Javakhishvili (1876-1940) was a Georgian historian and a civil servant, Rector (1919-1926) and one of the founders of Tbilisi State University.
Ivane Javakhishvili researched cardinal matters of Georgian history, Georgian source criticism, Paleography, Epigraphy, Numismatics, Diplomatics and etc.
Private library and personal belongings of Ivane Javakhishvili were passed on to Korneli Kekelidze National Centre of Manuscripts in 1958. The cabinet preserved many humanitarian books and periodical publications in Georgian and Russian languages. The book fund is especially rich with historical and source criticism literature.
The cabinet stores one of the first incunabula so-called “Bible of Bakar” (1743), also Anastasia’s (wife of Ivane – Anastasia Dzhambakur-Orbeliani) violin.
Belongings stored in the cabinet have a status of museum exhibits.
Cabinet of Simon Chikovani
Simon Chikovani (1902-1966) was a famous poet and a civil servant. With then-current thematic, his work was rich with historical past, critical articles, and translations etc.
Poetry of Simon Chikovani is widely translated in foreign languages. He has received state prize, order for merit and medals.
The cabinet stores memorial belongings that hold status of museum exhibits.