The Story of the Birdman

Nanuli Tskhvediani

Mountaineer and Speleologist Aleksandre (Ate) Nemsitsveridze

This is not a fantasy tale, but a memory of an extraordinary man. Aleksandre (Alyosha) Nemsitsveridze, known as “The Birdman,” or simply Ate (as his closest friend called him), was a remarkable figure in Georgian mountaineering and speleology. He was also a close companion of Levan Gotua, a prominent figure in Georgian literature, a colorful representative of Georgian alpinism, and a man who endured much in life.

But why was he called “The Birdman”?

Let’s listen to Levan Gotua:
“I climbed peaks and explored caves, ancient monuments, and karst caves many times with Ate Nemsitsveridze. He screamed like an eagle in the air and spun like a whirligig on the snow—a bold and inspiring hero of these rocks. The remaining curls on his head stood like bristles. Ate Nemsitsveridze bent the long ladder so flexibly that I likened his agile body to a fish leaping through the air from the bottom of a river.”

For more about him, see Levan Gotua’s works, “Khvamli Fortress-Cave” and “Thoughts on a Rope Ladder.” Or explore the thick folders containing materials, photographs, and documents dedicated to Aleksandre Nemsitsveridze and Georgian alpinism. These include Nemsitsveridze’s personal notes, road maps, correspondence with prominent figures, and other invaluable records. Fortunately, all of this has been preserved by the Nemsitsveridze family, offering researchers of Georgian mountaineering, speleology, and cultural monuments a rich and untouched “treasure trove.”

A farewell letter, published in Kutaisi on March 13, 1973, stated:
“Aleksandre Nemsitsveridze’s contribution to the development of mountaineering in Georgia is immense. His mountaineering career began in 1945 alongside the legendary mountaineer Aleksandre Japaridze and the renowned writer and climber Levan Gotua while exploring Mount Khvamli.

Nemsitsveridze was the first to lay the foundation for high-altitude mountaineering in Georgia. He also initiated sports mountaineering in our city, training generations of exceptional climbers. His contributions to the study of inaccessible and ancient caves are significant, laying the groundwork for Georgian speleology.”

Of course, a short newspaper obituary could not encompass the extraordinary life of this Master of Sports of the Soviet Union and Honored Coach of Georgia. However, “The group of comrades” (as the obituary was signed) clearly recognized his contributions and achievements.

Archival materials reveal much more about his life—how skillfully, courageously, and faithfully Alyosha Nemsitsveridze led expeditions; how he upheld the unwritten laws of the mountains; how he enriched the community of veteran climbers with his personal virtues; how he unveiled the secrets of caves and crevices; and how deeply he loved all things Georgian and ancestral.

Mountaineer

Compared to today’s mountaineers, the achievements of the older generation may seem modest. However, given the conditions of their time, they laid the foundation for a new era in mountaineering. It was the generation of Alyosha Nemsitsveridze that sparked the flourishing of professional mountaineering in Georgia. The dedication of a few brave enthusiasts transformed it into a celebrated sport.

Alyosha Nemsitsveridze was one of the most remarkable mountaineers of his time, and he had exceptional professional skills. Let’s recall some key moments from his mountaineering career:

August 1952: Alyosha Nemsitsveridze led a traverse of the most challenging section of the Caucasus Range. Together with Grigol Gulbani, Ramin Kvitsiani, Sozar Gugava, and Levan Akhvlediani, they successfully traversed Tsurungali, Namkvami, Rustaveli Peak, Jangha, Katini, Tetnuldi, and several unnamed peaks. They also climbed the previously unpassable Ailama Ridge to Shkhara. For its time, this achievement was extraordinary. The 15-day expedition was awarded gold medals by the Soviet Union. The Communist newspaper remarked, “The history of world mountaineering has not yet known a traverse of such a long distance.”

1954: Georgian mountaineering celebrated the great Pamir expedition. On August 23, seven climbers, including Alyosha Nemsitsveridze, ascended Marx Peak. Following this, a group of four—Alyosha Nemsitsveridze, Maxim Gvarliani, K. Kuzmin, and Grigol Gulbani—conquered Engels Peak, scaling a 1,000-meter rocky ice wall. In total, the climbers reached five peaks higher than 6,000 meters that season, four of which were first ascents. A. Afridonidze, head of the Department of Physical Education Theory and Methodology at the Kutaisi Pedagogical Institute, wrote in the Kutaisi newspaper on October 19, 1973: “These climbs proved that Georgian climbers are among the strongest in the Soviet Union. They can conquer high and technically challenging peaks.” The team earned second place in the USSR and silver medals for their efforts.

1963: Under Alyosha Nemsitsveridze’s leadership, Kutaisi climbers completed the Basing Traverse in the Caucasus. This achievement won them first place in the traverse class and five gold medals at the first Soviet Union Summit.

Alyosha Nemsitsveridze personally completed over 100 ascents, about 20 of which were of the highest difficulty level. He dedicated much of his life to educating the younger generation. As chairman of the city mountaineering federation, a board member of the tourist club Okros Chardakhi, and a mountaineering and tourism instructor at the Kutaisi Pedagogical Institute, he made a significant and selfless contribution to the victories of young climbers.

Researcher

Aleksandre (Alyosha) Nemsitsveridze was a pioneer of Georgian speleology, devoting himself to uncovering the secrets of caves and grottoes. His work left behind unique and invaluable research.

While his contributions are vast, I’ll highlight one event that caused a sensation in the pages of Lelo and Kutaisi in 1957. Alyosha Nemsitsveridze, like Petre Chabukiani, was intrigued by a folk legend: that in the 8th century, during the time of Murvan the Deaf, David and Konstantine Mkheidze sought refuge in a secret cave in Kutaisi, along the banks of the Rioni River. To investigate, Nemsitsveridze, along with Givi Kalabegishvili and photojournalist Bondo Maghlaperidze, embarked on a reconnaissance expedition.

Their exploration of the Kutaisi karst tunnel revealed a natural underground complex near the city center, close to the Red Bridge on the right bank of the Rioni River. This tunnel is a remarkable system of karst phenomena, featuring underground halls, waterfalls, lakes, and a unique karst chimney. Alyosha Nemsitsveridze and Givi Kalabegishvili detailed these discoveries, giving readers a glimpse into the wonders beneath Kutaisi. The significance of this expedition, one of the first in Georgian speleology, will likely be fully appreciated over time.

Another outstanding achievement of Nemsitsveridze was his research on “The Stone Cross of Leonti Mroveli.” Numerous scholars have recognized this work. Linguist Mikheil Alavidze wrote in the Kutaisi newspaper on March 14, 1973: “The Georgian nation will never forget the person who discovered the period of activity of Leonti Mroveli, chronicler of The Georgian Chronicles.”

In 1957, Aleksandre Nemsitsveridze was the first to explore one of the inaccessible caves of Kartli, near the village of Trekhvi in the Kareli region. There, he discovered an inscribed stone cross, providing evidence that Leonti Mroveli lived in the second half of the 11th century, specifically in 1066. This discovery validated the hypotheses of scholars Ivane Javakhishvili and Korneli Kekelidze. Nemsitsveridze’s research, spanning 31 printed pages and accompanied by photographs, is preserved in his archive.

The materials on the Khvamli expedition are equally fascinating. In his study Khvamli (published in Kutaisi, 1969, No. 39), Nemsitsveridze, using factual evidence, demonstrated that the Khvamli cave had served as a state treasury since the era of David the Builder. His connection to Khvamli was deeply personal, as he was born in the village of Tvishi, near the mountain’s base.

In his personal archive, there is a copy of an address written to the republic’s leaders, where officials from Kutaisi, Tsageri, and Tskaltubo praised the achievements of Nemsitsveridze’s expedition. The team, which included prominent experts such as cable car engineer G. Pantsulaia, geologist O. Ukleba, architect A. Pkhakadze, and mountaineer-speleologists M. Chichinadze and N. Nemsitsveridze, concluded that the 12-kilometer usable area of Mount Khvamli, covered in dense forest, could be developed into a year-round recreation center. The terrain was ideal for tourism and various mountain sports.

Their proposal included plans for a cable car from the village of Mekvena to Khvamli and was enriched with technical and economic justifications, architectural designs, and studies on climatology, biology, and hydro-geology. Submitted to authorities in 1969, the plan, unfortunately, did not materialize.

Perhaps the day will come when this visionary idea and its authors are remembered.

The Person

Alyosha, Alex, Ate, or Alexander—no matter what name he was called, it always conveyed boundless affection for him. To many, he was a romantic, honest, and intelligent man and a popular figure who always preferred to remain in the shadows. There was a reason for this modesty: private and official letters preserved in the archive reveal his hardships during his youth.

Since 1937, due to false accusations and slander stemming from someone’s personal interests, this humble, hardworking, and kind-hearted man suffered in various distant labor camps. In a statement dated June 2, 1956, addressed to V. Mzhavanadze, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Georgia, and M. Topuridze, Prosecutor of the Republic, he recounts his bitter ordeal and appeals for rehabilitation.

In another statement, addressed to Emen Takidze, Secretary of the Kutaisi City Committee of the Communist Party of Georgia, he writes modestly:
“Today, it saddens me that I must trouble you with a personal matter while also acknowledging my contributions. But I am reaching out because I lack normal working and living conditions. Since September of last year, I have been without a job or a means of livelihood. I have lived in a small room in a student dormitory for seven years. As a result, I, a 45-year-old man, have not been able to start a family of my own…”

It is easy to imagine the immense pain, suffering, and frustration of a man unjustly punished and whose life was derailed. Despite his hardships, Alyosha always prioritized his family’s welfare and found solace in his best friend, Zina Zhvania.

A touching letter from Levan Gotua, preserved in the archive, reads:
“Brother, Ate! Today, 15/1, I received your joyous card and rejoiced again. Tsitso and I sincerely congratulate you and your wife on the birth of your first child. If you like, call the child Nato (Natia). It is an old Georgian name… The church will probably record her as Natela. Once again, congratulations on the birth of Natia Nemsitsveridze!”

Later, Gotua congratulated his friend on the birth of Baaduri. The archive also contains pictures of Georgian cultural monuments sent by the writer to the young Nemsitsveridzes with inscriptions such as “From the godfather” and “From Levan.”

The friendship between Levan Gotua and Alyosha Nemsitsveridze is a story in itself, deserving a separate chapter. Among the archived materials is a collection of letters written by Alyosha to Gotua titled Black Faces, offering fascinating insights and revealing the breadth of his education and intellect.

Alexander (Ate) Nemsitsveridze passed away on March 9, 1973, on his 66th birthday.

Let us call this visit to the archive of Alexander Nemsitsveridze a “Reconnaissance Expedition.” Perhaps others will undertake more in-depth studies.

The story of the Birdman is neither simple nor easy to tell.