The workshop museum of Tushetian handicraft combines a working studio with a collection: felt, knitted socks with their distinctive ornament, textiles, tools and pattern samples. The craft is shown at work, so a visit is closer to meeting the makers than to walking past display cases. The pieces can be examined closely and bought.
The workshop is in Kvemo Alvani, a village in the Akhmeta municipality on the Alazani plain. This is where Tushetian families come down from the mountains for the winter, so Tushetian culture lives here all year rather than only in the summer season. Akhmeta and Telavi are both less than half an hour away.
The workshop is open daily from nine in the morning until nine in the evening. Allow half an hour to an hour if you want to watch the work. A phone number is listed and a workshop session is better arranged in advance.
Tips
- Call ahead if you want a hands on session
- Ask about the ornaments, every pattern carries a meaning
- Bring cash if you plan to buy
How to get there
- From Akhmeta along the local road, about ten minutes by car
- Roughly half an hour from Telavi via Akhmeta and Alvani
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