Monument to Ietim Gurji

The Monument to the famous folk singer and poet Ietim Gurji is located in the historic center of Tbilisi, on the embankment of the right bank of the Mtkvari River. The sculpture depicts a full-length bronze figure dressed in an austere, cloak-like garment stylized after a traditional chokha. The monument stands out with an unusual avant-garde frame: a tall metal arch that symbolically outlines the poet's figure, setting it apart against the urban landscape while referencing the architecture of Old Tbilisi.

Unlike traditional monuments to ashiks, Ietim Gurji is depicted without musical instruments. The sculptor gave him the appearance of an ascetic martyr: his face expresses deep grief, his collarbones are bare, and his thin chest emphasizes the poverty and difficult fate of a man whose pen name meant "orphan" (Gurji translates as "Georgian," and Ietim as "orphan"). The poet's hands, sculpted disproportionately large and weathered by toil, are spread wide and turned toward the people, symbolizing his openness, labor, and vulnerability before fate.

The sculpture is rendered in a modernist, succinct style emphasizing the modesty and folk character of the poet, who composed verses with equal virtuosity in Georgian, Armenian, and Azerbaijani. Today the plaza around the monument, surrounded by picturesque vintage houses, is a popular stop along the Old Town tourist trail. The monument to Ietim Gurji serves as a reminder of an era when poetry formed part of everyday street life, and a sincere word was valued above any accolade.