DRFM GEORGIA: report 3a (October 10)

UNOSAT Damage Analysis
(satellite based)

Please note, this is an initial damage assessment and has not yet been independently validated on the ground

UNOSAT (part of UNITAR, the UN Institute for Training and Research) has published several maps of the Georgian war, e.g. on Gori, Poti harbour and Borjomi Nature Reserve (threatened by fire). Overview: http://unosat.web.cern.ch/unosat/asp/prod_free.asp?id=101

On August 29, UNOSAT published an initial damage assessment - based on satellite imagery acquired on August 19 - of Didi Liakhkvi valley in South Ossetia. It comprehends the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali and the ethnic Georgian villages from Tamarasheni to Kekhvi. It consists of

a very detailed damage map series from the valley (7 sheets - .pdf - 8.5 MB) http://www.unosat.org/freeproducts/Georgia/Russia_ConflictAug08/Damage_Atlas_TSK/UNOSAT_GEO_Damage_Atlas_Tskhinvali_Overview_lowres.pdf
and a damage summary http://www.unosat.org/freeproducts/Georgia/Russia_ConflictAug08/UNOSAT_GEO_Village_Damage_Summary_Tskhinvali_19aug08_Lowres.pdf

	Tskhinvali	8 villages
buildings	4211	2211
no visible damage	3981	1391
affected buildings	230 (= 5.4 %)	820 (= 37 %)
likely severely damaged	55	201
likely destroyed	175	619

UNOSAT comments:
“An important preliminary finding of this satellite damage analysis is the observed heavy concentration of damages within clearly defined residential areas. Please note, this is an initial damage assessment and has not yet been independently validated on the ground.“

UNOSAT added two very valuable special maps:

a day by day analysis of the fires in the 8 villages, that enables to distinguish between damages (due to the fighting between the armies) during the first days of the war (August 8 - 11) and the setting fire in subsequent days. http://www.unosat.org/freeproducts/Georgia/Russia_ConflictAug08/UNOSAT_Tskhinvali_MOD_Fire_24Aug08_Lowres_v3.pdf UNOSAT counts 23 fires:

10. August: 1 fire
11. August: no fire
12. August: 7 fires
13. August: 4 fires
19. August: 6 fires
22. August: 5 fires

a special map on affected cultural heritage. This was an initiative of UNESCO Georgia, supported by ICOM Georgia and ICOMOS Georgia
http://unosat.web.cern.ch/unosat/freeproducts/Georgia/Russia_ConflictAug08/UNOSAT_GEO_Cultural_Monuments_Damage_Assessment_A2_Lowres_v1.pdf"Damage Summary Findings:
- 3 sites have buildings which are either severely damaged or destroyed;
- 1 site has possible damage to the roof;
- 11 sites have no visible damages, however 6 are located within 100 meters of buildings which were damaged in the conflict and thus may have less-severe damages."

This is a level of quality in damage assessment we never had before: Less than a month after the hostile activities, everybody has access to a first aerial assessment of heritage damage on an UN website.

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Russian Experts

Please, keep in mind that - due to the circumstances - some information are only reported and not proven.

The Russian President’s special envoy on international cultural cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoi (former Culture Minister and the chief of the Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography) informed in an interview with the Voice of Russia that damage to the South Ossetian people’s heritage has been preliminary assessed by Russian experts.

"Mikhail Shvydkoi says that in response to a request by Russia’s Culture Protection agency and Fund for humanitarian cooperation in the Commonwealth of Independent States, experts in protecting monuments spent several days in South Ossetia to monitor the situation in the area and draw a firsthand picture. It must be said that 11 out of 29 monuments they studied were completely destroyed. The experts saw a tragic picture in the architectural reserve of Old City in the capital of the republic Tskhinvali. The Old City has more than one thousand-year history. Churches and monasteries were destroyed and shells fell on a synagogue."

"They start the second stage of monitoring on Saturday. The first report on lost cultural heritage of South Ossetia will be drawn up for the UNESCO, the Council of Europe and all others who are interested in this area. "

Source: Voice of Russia, August 28

As soon as these reports will be available, we will present them on this webpage.

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ICOM and ICOMOS

Please, keep in mind that - due to the circumstances - some information are only reported and not proven.

ICOM and ICOMOS are co-operating closely in the Caucasian conflict. This applies to the international level as well as to their national committees.

ICOM Georgia has finished its damage assessement - as far as there was access to the museums. And we all are glad about the outcome: In mainland Georgia there are only minor damages done to museums. No foreign assistance is needed.

ICOMOS Georgia is preparing its report. They deplore a serious amount of war damages.

Unhappily, ICOM and ICOMOS have no members in South Ossetia, therefore it is quite difficult to get information from there.

Based on ICOM Georgia and ICOMOS Georgia reports as well as on UNOSAT damage analysis, the Georgian Culture Ministry has released a "highly provisional" list of damaged Georgian heritage in South Ossetia:

Archangel church in Kheiti (19th century): damaged following shelling on August 12
Ikorta church (12th century): damaged by shelling on August 9 and 10
Bishop’s Palace in Nikozi (10th/11th centuries): The Archbishop’s residence and the monastery adjacent to palace were bombed on August 9. The resulting fire engulfed the recently restored medieval palace - one of the most important examples of palace architecture from the late medieval period.
The Monastery Complex of village Nikozi (6th,10th centuries): One of the most important examples of sacred medieval architecture to be found in the Caucasus. It has been severely damaged by shelling. UNOSAT confirms 3 buildings destroyed, main church appears intact, but possible damages.
Wooden Church of St. George in Sveri (19th century): A rare example of wooden architecture. The church was completely burnt. UNOSAT lists the building as “confirmed severe damages/destroyed”.
Kemerti St. George Church (9th-10th centuries): This church was bombed on August 10. Local inhabitants report that the grounds of the church have been mined.
Ivane Machabeli museum in Tamarasheni: See separate web page
Ksani Gorge Museum Reserve in Akhlalgori (Eristavi Palace): See separate web page
Didi Liakhi Gorge Museum Reserve: See separate web page

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Council of Europe

Please, keep in mind that - due to the circumstances - some information are only reported and not proven.

The Council of Europe has sent about 400 observers to Georgia and the disputed regions.

It has included two representatives of the “Directorate of Culture and Cultural and Natural Heritage” to its mission in

Georgia

.

The “Cultural Heritage Sites Group” of the European observers is visiting not only the former buffer zones but also parts of South Ossetia.

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Georgia
(Regions under full authority
of the Georgian government)

confirmed information

Ivane Machabeli House Museum, in the village Tamarasheni The museum has been bombed at the beginning of the war; the village was bombed as well and burned down later; state of the collections are unknown; staff had been evacuated; museums director lives now in Tbilisi.


Didi Liakhvi Gorge Museum-Reserve, a large area with more than 300 monuments and sites and two offices in the villages Kekhvi and Kurta The offices have been bombed at the beginning of the war; the villages were bombed as well and burned down later on; collections and museums equipment were saved by director, but lost later on due to looting or fire; monuments and sites seem to be unaffected; staff had been evacuated; museums director lives now in Tbilisi.	Kekhvi
	Kurta