Oxford Celebrates Rustaveli’s Legacy in Multiple Languages & Cultures

6 November, 2025

Oxford’s multilingual community of academics and students gathered in All Souls College to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the recovery of Shota Rustaveli’s only known visual depiction in the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, and to honour his literary heritage. The full programme of presentations and background information is available here.

The conference participants presented the literary, cultural, and religious history of the translation of Vefkhistqaosani (lit. Dressed in a Tiger’s Fur) into Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, English, French, Georgian, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Persian, Russian and Spanish languages. They also discussed linguistic aspects of the text, and the adaptation of illustrations to reflect local cultural images.

The exhibition of special editions, in Georgian and foreign languages, showcased the significance of Rustaveli’s legacy beyond Georgia, across the many diverse cultures in which translations of the text are now available.

Oxford Interfaith Forum expresses a deep gratitude to the Warden and Fellows of All Souls College for their generous hospitality and permission to film the event.

The Conference Venue

Opening Address by Richard Ovenden OBE, Hon FBA, FSA, FRSA, FRHistS, FRSE,
Bodley’s Librarian and the Helen Hamlyn Director of the University Libraries,
Head of Gardens, Libraries and Museums at the University of Oxford

Special Guest of Honour, Ambassador Zurab Abashidze,
Editor-in-Chief of the Irakli Abashidze Scientific Board at the Georgian Encyclopedia,
Professor in Interdisciplinary Studies at Tbilisi State University, Georgia,
presents International Significance of the Recovery of Shota Rustaveli’s Fresco
and the Spanish translation of Avtandil’s Prayer