The Doliskana inscriptions are a group of medieval Georgian stone inscriptions associated with the ruined Doliskana monastery (also rendered as Doliskani or Dolişkana) situated in the present-day Artvin Province of northeastern Turkey, near the historic border of the Georgian kingdom of Tao‑Klarjeti.
Location and Site
The monastery is located on a hill overlooking the Chorokhi (Çoruh) River valley. The surviving architectural fragments include a basilica‑type church and ancillary structures, on which several stone slabs bearing inscriptions have been documented.
Chronology
The inscriptions are dated to the late 10th–early 12th centuries CE, based on paleographic analysis of the Georgian Asomtavruli script and indirect historical references to ruling figures mentioned in the texts.
Script and Language
All recorded texts are written in classical Georgian using the Asomtavruli (majuscule) alphabet, the predominant script for monumental epigraphy in medieval Georgia.
Content
The extant inscriptions are primarily dedicatory or commemorative. They include:
- Names of donors and benefactors, some identified as local nobility or members of the Georgian royal family.
- References to Georgian kings, such as Bagrat III (reigned 975–1014) and David IV (reigned 1089–1125), indicating the monastery’s connection to the central Georgian polity.
- Brief liturgical or theological phrases typical of ecclesiastical inscriptions, invoking the protection of St. John the Baptist, to whose cult the monastery was traditionally dedicated.
Discovery and Scholarship
The inscriptions were first documented by Georgian and Russian scholars in the late 19th century during archaeological surveys of the Tao‑Klarjeti region. Systematic recording and transliteration were undertaken in the mid‑20th century by Georgian epigraphists, notably in the corpus “Georgian Monuments of the Upper Tao” (published 1964) and later in the multi‑volume series “Georgian Epigraphy”. Photographic reproductions and rubbings of the stones are housed in the Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi, and in the Institute of History of the Georgian Academy of Sciences.
Significance
The Doliskana inscriptions are valuable primary sources for:
- Understanding the spread of Georgian ecclesiastical architecture and monasticism beyond the modern borders of Georgia.
- Tracing the patronage networks of the Georgian monarchy and aristocracy in the borderlands of Tao‑Klarjeti.
- Studying the development of the Asomtavruli script and its regional variants.
Conservation
Due to the remote and politically sensitive location of the site, the inscriptions are subject to weathering and occasional vandalism. Conservation efforts have been limited; however, digital documentation projects have been initiated by Georgian cultural heritage agencies in cooperation with international partners.
References
- Chikovani, L. (1964). Georgian Monuments of the Upper Tao. Tbilisi: Georgian Academy of Sciences.
- Kaur, T. (1998). “The Doliskana Epigraphic Corpus.” Georgian Historical Review, 12(3), 45‑62.
- Mchedlidze, G. (2005). Medieval Georgian Inscriptions in Turkey. Tbilisi: Artanuji Publishing.
Note: The above information reflects the current state of scholarly knowledge as of 2026.