Beautiful Georgian dance: Old linkages to Iran
The following video shows the harmonious performance by the "Georgian National Ballet" or Sukhishvili, founded in Georgia by Iliko Sukhishvili in 1945, and today's one of the world's most popular folk dance groups. The group has performed to over 50 million people in 87 countries.
Georgia, throughout its history, has several times been a part of the Persian Empire, specifically under the Achaemenid, Parthian, Sassanid, and Safavid dynasties. Georgian settlements appeared in Iran in the 1610s when Shah Abbas I (Safavid) attacked Georgia and relocated 200,000 people from their historical homeland to Iran's Mazandaran area and later Isfahan and specially city of Fereidoonshahr. Many Georgians did not survive the harsh condition of forced immigration but survivors became politically and culturally intertwined with Iran. Allahverdi Khan Undiladze, whom the famous landmark of 33 pol in Isfahan is named after, was among the Georgian elite that were involved in the Safavid government. Amin al-Sultan, Prime Minister of Iran, was also a Georgian. In recent years, famous poet Nima Yooshij and King Reza Pahlavi, father of last Iranian king, were of Georgian ancestry. One of Iran's most notable professional photographers, Antoin Sevruguin (1840 - 1933) was of mixed Armenian-Georgian family (see link here).
Russia conquered the Caucasus in the 1800s and separated Georgia from the Iranian Qajar dynasty. There are some 2000-3000 Persian words used in Georgia language today, and the number of Iranians of Georgian ancestry is estimated between 50,000 - 100,000
Georgia's recent history, after separation from Soviet Union in 1991 has been in turmoil, but despite fierce political proxy wars between Russia and the United States, the nonviolent "Rose" revolution of Western-minded reformists against the old Russian guards, and a brief war between Russia and Georgia, the country is moving towards a democratic and civil society, and seeking membership in NATO. OECD reports that Georgia has in recent years undertaken a substantial number of effective anti-corruption measures. For example, recently two Israeli businessmen were arrested and charged in Georgia for trying to bribe a high level Georgian official.
Georgia's national motto is "Strength is in Unity" and perhaps the harmonious and beautiful dance of the 70-member Sukhishvili group shows this better than anything:
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