Sculptures in Batumi history. Sculpture "Ali and Nino": an inspiring and tragic love story

On the territory of a seaside hotel in Batumi, Georgia, an original moving statue of love, referred to as "Ali and Nino", was installed. The sculptural work dedicated to love has no analogues in the world.

The seven-meter sculptural work consists of two sculptures of a man and a woman. That is how “Man and Woman” was originally called this sculpture, designed by the Georgian artist and sculptor Tamara Kvesitadze.

Tamara worked on the fundamental sculptural work for almost two years, and in 2007 the sculpture was completely ready and presented to the general public at the Italian Biennale in Venice. Then the statue was shown in London. The sculptural work was liked by everyone who saw it in motion. Yes, yes, in motion. After all, two statues slowly move towards each other for 10 minutes, and they seem to “merge” into one whole, and then they slowly disperse and move away from each other. Before the eyes of the audience, an incredible ten-minute love story of two people - a man and a woman - takes place. First, we see their meeting, then an irresistible attraction to each other, a passionate kiss in a fit of flared love, and then their inevitable separation and estrangement from each other.

Tamara Kvesitadze received inspiration for the creation of this sculptural work after reading the novel "Ali and Nino", written in 1937, by unknown author referred to as Kurban Said. The novel describes the difficult love story of the Azerbaijani Muslim youth Ali and the Georgian Christian girl Nino, who began their love story in the difficult years of the First World War, revolution, civil war and the formation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The novel describes the love of two hearts, their endless search for truth and reconciliation of conflicting beliefs - Islam and Christianity.

After the installation of the sculptures in Batumi, it was decided to change the original author's name of the sculptural work "Man and Woman" to "Ali and Nino". So since 2011, Ali and Nino tirelessly demonstrate to everyone their romantic love worthy of Shakespeare's pen.

The sculptures look especially incredibly touching and charming at night thanks to multi-colored illumination. As the two sculptures approach each other, the backlight changes and becomes brighter, and as a result, a single scarlet-blue color of love flashes. Then, as the statues move away from each other, the color palette of shades changes again and, as a result, the cold blue and red color of separation remains.

Here is such an incredibly touching story of one love between Ali and Nino, presented in the form of two ever-moving sculptures, either towards each other, or vice versa, moving away from each other.

The most incredible thing in this story is the origin of the novel itself. After all, until now, no one knows for sure who is the author of this now bestseller, published in 33 languages ​​of the world more than 100 times.

It is believed that the author is a certain Kurban Said, whom no one has ever seen. In a publishing house in Vienna, in 1935, a manuscript was found left on the table by an unidentified person. On the title page The manuscript had the name "Ali and Nino" and below the signature Kurban Said. In 1937, the manuscript was published in Vienna, and was sold out in a matter of days. Then it was translated into many languages ​​of the world: Polish, Dutch, Czech, Swedish, Italian. With the outbreak of World War II, the book was forgotten for some time, and the original manuscript disappeared without a trace. Since the 70s, the publication of this bestseller has resumed, which is now on different languages traveled all over Earth. On the basis of this imperishable novel, a script was written and a performance was staged, which was played by the troupe of the Baku Municipal Theater, which later had a resounding success at the festivals of 2012 " Golden Mask"(Russia), "Melpomene Tavria" (Kherson, Ukraine).

The romantic statue of Nino and Ali in the pearl of Georgia, a resort town, has been attracting the attention of tourists for many years. Everyone who walks along the embankment will undoubtedly fall under her spell.

And if earlier the sculpture stood at the very edge, on a concrete platform, then after the severe bad weather of 2015, it was moved closer to other facilities and entertainment of the Miracle Park, almost right next to.

Now the moving statue of lovers is available for public viewing at any time of the day. Undoubtedly especially beautiful and it looks unique after sunset, when the multi-colored backlight turns on and the figures are either approaching or moving away from each other to the sound of the waves and the twinkling of stars.

Statue of love in Batumi

At the Batumi statue of love, as well as at the novel, thanks to which the sculpture arose, has its own history. Although less short, it did not have time to become tragic.

The movement of the sculpture does not stop day or night. But in the evening, the backlight turns on, which adds romance to it.

Her amazing work, the result of two years of work, was shown in 2007, first on the famous Venetian exhibition world art, and then in London, causing a sensation among those present.

Later, they decided to install the statue in Batumi, next to the seaport on the embankment. From 2011 to August 2015, she successfully withstood all the cataclysms of the elements. And only at the end of August 2015, the statue was moved to a safer place.

However, there were no "victims". Transporting the sculpture one of the figures was damaged(according to another version, it was broken during a hurricane and rain). Fortunately, everything was quickly corrected, and the composition, as before, continues to give joy to connoisseurs of beauty.

Sculpture of Ali and Nino made under the impression of reading novel of the same name, presumably Kurban Said. For certain, authorship has not been established, despite the world fame of the book, released 80 years ago (in 1937). The novel tells about uneasy love Muslim guy and Christian girl, about finding compromises between two cultures and future fate lovers.

Initially, the composition was planned to be called "Man and Woman", but after editing in Batumi, it was decided to change it to "Ali and Nino".

In about 10 minutes, two figures manage to show the whole love story: from meeting to separation. They gradually approach each other, pass through each other and part. The thing is that the images of a man and a woman are made of a metal lattice, essentially similar to blinds.

The height of the sculpture is only slightly taller than a human, but due to the rather high platform on which they are mounted, the impression of the scale of the composition is created.

Around the platform there are benches where passers-by like to sit in the evenings, admiring the yachts, ships and the setting sun. Dates are arranged nearby, tourists walk and take pictures against the background of the statue, passers-by ride bicycles and roller skates. And the unusual symbol of love, the sculpture of Nino and Ali, continues its graceful movement for eternity…

Sculpture of Nino and Ali in Batumi on the map

The Miracle Park, in which the statue of love of Nino and Ali in Batumi is just installed, is a popular vacation spot for tourists and residents of the city. It is not difficult to find it, and yet, for convenience, we attach a map with the exact location of the sculpture and other attractions located nearby.

All icons are signed and briefly characterize this place (if you click on them). If necessary, the map is enlarged: by clicking on the rectangle in the upper right corner.

How to get to the Ali and Nino monument in Batumi?

by the most in a simple way to see the moving monument of Ali and Nino on the Batumi embankment is a walking tour to it. The convenient location of the sculpture allows you to drive to the park both by car and by bus. In the first case, you can get close enough to the monument and leave the car in any suitable place (for example, near). From the buses, the numbers are suitable: 1, 1a, 2, 4, 10, 13. In order to avoid funny cases, we advise you to ask the driver or passengers of the minibus whether you will get to the right place.

Many tourist cities have highlights, captured in the form of monuments of history, architecture, and painting. Places like The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen or Manneken Pis in Brussels become a magnet that attracts crowds of tourists and a meeting place for couples in love. The sculpture of Ali and Nino in Batumi (Batumi, Georgia), which has no analogues in the world, gathers a full house on the embankment of the seaside resort town every evening. Men and women confess their love to each other, take pictures against the backdrop of a bewitching picture, shoot on video.

Hero love story

When creating the sculpture of Ali and Nino, the famous Georgian sculptor Tamara Kvesitadze drew inspiration from an old romantic legend. Love story Georgian princess Nino Kipiani and the Muslim Azerbaijani Ali Khan Shirvanshir took place at the beginning of the 20th century, against the backdrop of the tragic events of the First World War, the Bolshevik revolution, and civil strife. The novel "Nino and Ali" was first published in 1937 in Germany. It was written mysterious author hiding under the pseudonym Kurban Said. The manuscript was left anonymously with a book publisher, and upon publication became a bestseller. The work has been translated into 30 languages, films are made on it, performances are staged. The main events unfold in Baku, on the territory of modern Armenia.

Young people get to know each other while studying at Baku gymnasiums located not far from each other. The place of romantic meetings becomes the Governor's Garden, where the first kiss and declaration of love takes place. The proposal of the hand and heart of an ardent young man does not meet with approval from the family of a girl who confesses christian religion. They are afraid of Muslim traditions and the attitude towards women in Islam, so the wedding is postponed under various pretexts.

At that time close friend family, secretly in love with Nino, kidnaps her in order to marry her and take her to Sweden. Ali finds the offender, kills in a brutal fight and frees his beloved. They marry and begin to live together, but the revolution and the events that followed it force them to leave their homeland and find temporary refuge in Persia. After the proclamation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Ali and Nino return to Baku and their daughter Tamara is born. The novel ends tragically, war comes again, Ali dies in a battle with Russian troops on the Ganja bridge, and Nino leaves with her daughter for her homeland in Georgia.

The history of the creation of the monument

A native of Georgia and now a US citizen, Tamara Kvesitadze worked on the creation of the sculpture of Ali and Nino for two years, trying to convey her emotions from reading the novel in the most original way. Her creation was shown for the first time at the Venice Festival in 2007 and entered the list of leaders in the audience's sympathy, receiving high marks from the public and professional critics. The demonstration in London also made an indelible impression on connoisseurs of contemporary art. The audience was simply fascinated by the realized idea of ​​figures moving towards them, gradually merging into one whole.

The monument, made of metal plates, in photographs and videos impresses with its size, towering against the backdrop of the city landscape. In fact, the height of the statue of love in Batumi does not exceed 10 meters. Every day after 7 pm, the lovers will have to move towards each other for 10 minutes in order to merge together. The moving figures are designed in such a way that in the process of approaching they merge into one silhouette. An unusual futuristic design captivates the eye when the figures of a girl and a guy converge at one point, as if merging in a loving embrace.

Beloved by many, it was installed in 2010 and since then has been pleasing citizens and tourists every day. original name"Man and Woman" did not accurately characterize the composition, so it was replaced with "Ali and Nino" (Ali and Nino) in 2011. daylight hours day it is impossible to fully enjoy the sight of the monument, because most of the day it is static. But when the sun sets behind the horizon, the colorful illumination of the sculptural ensemble turns on, giving the figures a mysterious and enchanting hue.

How to get there

The sculpture delights residents of the city and tourists on the embankment running along Rustaveli Avenue. It is located in Wonderland Park, next to the Kempinski Hotel. Nearby is the Ferris Wheel, Batumi Lighthouse, Georgian Alphabet Tower, Chachi Tower. You can visit the attraction on your own, reaching the embankment by public transport or as part of an excursion group. It is better to plan a visit in the evening, since you can fully enjoy the view of the figures moving against the background of the night sky after sunset.

In 2011, in the famous Georgian resort town Batumi, a sculpture "Love" was installed, dedicated to Ali and Nino, the heroes of widely famous novel Kurban Said.

The action taking place in the novel can overshadow even Shakespeare's legendary classic Romeo and Juliet. The Azerbaijani youth Ali fell in love with the beautiful Nino, originally from Georgia, their love was a forbidden fruit, but the young people did everything to stay together, despite the war, despite the time. This sad, romantic story inspired a Georgian sculptor with an American passport named Tamar Kvesitadze so much that she designed one of the most original love monuments in the world.

Initially, his statue was called "Man and Woman", but after it was finally decided to install it in sunny Georgian Batumi, the monument became known as "Love", well, unofficially - "Ali and Nino".

Interesting Facts

• The sculpture is mobile, it represents two seven-meter silhouettes of a man and a woman, which either move away from each other, then reconnect, and at the same time making up a single whole due to an unusual structure.
• At night, metal translucent silhouettes are illuminated different colors which makes the sculpture even more beautiful and fantastic.
• Tamar Kvesitadze has been working on her romantic project for more than two years. Initially, the drawings were presented in Venice, then in London, already in 2007, "Love" received a lot of flattering reviews. Even themselves locals for a long time they could not believe that such a famous project would be implemented in Batumi.
• Although the sculpture looks very spectacular and large-scale, Georgia spent only $5,000 on the monument.
• On the this moment the statue is considered one of the main attractions of the city, which every year becomes more modern, comfortable and, due to this, a popular tourist destination.

How to get there

The giant statue is located at the entrance to Batumi, so you will see its outlines anyway, once you get to this seaside carefree town.

If you want to combine business with pleasure, you can take a ferry from Sochi. The journey will take about 4 hours, a ticket for one person can cost from 1,500 to 3,500 rubles.

In the seaside city of Batumi, there is a huge statue that testifies to true love. Every resident of Georgia and all guests of the city know the history of the sculpture "Ali and Nino". For the sake of the spectacle of the personified history, thousands of tourists come to Batumi to at least once look at the incredible and amazing sculpture.

Love story

In 1937, a novel was published that won the hearts of millions. A tragic story can cause admiration or joy, tears and disappointment. This is a novel about hearts in love who have gone through to be together. In him main characters Ali and Nino. For religious reasons, the couple could not be together, because the guy was a Muslim, and the girl was a Christian. The life of young people is described in colors: they had to go through both the revolution and civil war, become witnesses of the formation of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The novel describes in detail the beauty, nature and life of Dagestan, Azerbaijan, Persia and Tiflis. Although most of events took place in Baku, famous sculpture"Ali and Nino" was erected in Batumi (Georgia).

Statue Features

This is very unusual sculpture because it is in constant motion. For this reason, many call such a miracle an installation. The creator and author of the symbol of the southern republic is Tamara Kvesitadze. The main task of the architect is to recreate all the experiences and difficulties experienced by young people in the famous history.

The sculpture of love "Ali and Nino" reaches eight meters in height, consists of two separate figures. You will immediately understand what each statue represents. If you look closely, you can see how the integrity of the figures is broken and there are gaps. But this is no accident, because this innovative solution is the essence of the installation.

If you manage to visit Batumi, be sure to visit the famous sculpture "Ali and Nino". Please note that for a beautiful spectacle, the city authorities set the installation in motion at 19:00 every evening. Passing by, stop and just remember the tragic story of a man and a woman who fought to the last for their happiness.

Why is this installation so amazing?

The sculpture "Ali and Nino" in Batumi is a continuous movement of huge buildings. To get to know the whole essence of the installation, you need to spend 10 minutes of your life and enjoy a wonderful sight. You will see how the two statues slowly approach each other, gradually connecting into a single whole, and then diverge into different sides.

Tamara Kvesitadze was able to convey all the tragedy, because Ali and Nino always met furtively for the sake of love, but eternal difficulties scattered them in different directions. Surprisingly, the difficult but inspiring story ended well, and the young people were able to get married.

View from the outside

In the video, the installation seems so large that it almost reaches the roof of a multi-storey building. In fact, the height of the sculpture "Ali and Nino" does not exceed ten meters (together with the stand). According to the reviews of tourists, we can say that even the small size of the installation causes delight and surprise. The moral here is simple: lovers need to make a long journey to stealthily fall into the arms of a half. It is about the halves that we are talking about, because the two figures pass through each other, literally merging into a single whole.

The opinion of tourists:

• This installation is so magnificent that it makes you want to get to know the famous novel better.
• The figures move very slowly and pass through each other for 10-15 minutes, while they make a circle.
• The sculpture is mesmerizing, it is impossible to take your eyes off it. All the time that you spend near the pedestal, you begin to remember your love story. At such moments, you can catch a shiver in the body.
• It is recommended to watch the creation of a person in the evening or at night, as a beautiful backlight turns on.

Look at the photo and see for yourself: Tamara Kvesitadze has recreated a wonderful installation that will amaze for years to come.

How to get there

You need to get to the embankment of the square along Rustaveli Avenue and turn onto Gogebashvili Street. After the roundabout, you will see a huge square from which you can see the Batumi lighthouse, the majestic KEMPINSKI hotel and the Ferris wheel. When you get to the embankment, then use our landmarks. You will find the famous installation just 100 meters from the Ferris wheel.

Tip: until 2010, the famous statue was called "Lovers", and on the map it is indicated as metal sculpture"LOVE". However, more recently it has been dubbed as the famous sculpture "Ali and Nino". The description above will help you easily find your way to an unforgettable installation.

We are sure that the work of art will inspire you. But do not be disappointed if the figures seem small to you. Just wait until dark and enjoy the pleasant spectacle in seaside Batumi.