GeorgiaOfficial tourism
Georgian National Museum (Simon Janashia Museum)

Where Georgia's ancient soul speaks

Georgian National Museum (Simon Janashia Museum)

Why go

The Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia anchors the Georgian National Museum complex on Rustaveli Avenue, housed in a stern Soviet-era building that conceals extraordinary treasures. Its collection spans 1.7 million years: the 1.8-million-year-old hominin skulls from Dmanisi that rewrote human origins, exquisite Colchidian gold from Vani, and the staggering hoard of 2,700-year-old Bichvin gold work. Beyond archaeology, its ethnographic floors preserve the material culture of Georgia's regions—costumes, weapons, manuscripts—before Soviet modernization erased them. This is not a museum of dusty cases but of national genesis: the scientific proof that Georgia stands at the cradle of European civilization, told through objects of devastating beauty.

On the ground See

  • The Dmanisi hominin skulls and stone tools, among the oldest human remains outside Africa, displayed with clear English explanation of their revolutionary significance
  • The Vani gold collection: delicate torques, horse armor, and temple offerings from the 5th-3rd centuries BC, revealing the wealth of ancient Colchis
  • The Soviet Occupation exhibition on the top floor, documenting the 1921 invasion and resistance through photographs, secret police files, and personal testimonies

Practical Know before you go

Open Tuesday–Sunday 10am–6pm; closed Mondays; entry approximately 15 GEL; English audio guides available at the desk.

Last reviewed 25 August 2026 · reviewed quarterly