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The Tbilisi State University archaeological team is participating in the Georgian archaeological mission exploring the Shihan Monastery, a significant Georgian cultural monument in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. TSU Rector, Academician Jaba Samushia, visited the ongoing work on site and learned about the research conducted by the TSU archaeologists.
The TSU archaeological mission to the monastery is led by TSU Professor Vakhtang Licheli. The research team includes TSU scientists and students (B. Gelashvili - deputy head, S. Kokhreidze, Z. Giorgadze, S. Bugianishvili, A. Nadirashvili, I. Zukakishvili, N. Sharashenidze, L. Gogaladze, D. Gogishvili, V. Chitaia).
Archaeological research at the monastery began in 2024 at the initiative of the Ministry of Culture of Georgia and with the support of the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia. During the first season, the Georgian archaeological mission discovered a Georgian inscription that read “May God have mercy on you, Amen.” This finally confirmed the information preserved in historical manuscripts about a previously unknown Georgian Christian monastery in Transjordan.
To this day, the Shihan Monastery and its manuscripts have not been extensively studied by Georgian scholars. The monastery was first brought to attention in the last century by Georgian researchers, including Elene Metreveli. Her research revealed that by 1061, Gabriel Tbileli, a Georgian monk of the Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem, was already called the “Father of Shihan”. This suggests that the monastery was founded around this time and that a Georgian brotherhood was active there. Over time, the monastery developed into an important scriptorium and writing center. Giorgi-Prokhore, the founder of the Monastery of the Cross, supposedly moved to the Shihan Desert in 1066 and died there. After the 13th century, the monastery is no longer mentioned in sources.
The ongoing discoveries of TSU archaeologists confirm the university's role in developing Georgian science and deepening academic cooperation between the countries.
