The Bazaleti Summer School of Economics is organized by the Free University of Tbilisi, the capital of the country of Georgia. This week-long program, held in August, focuses on the latest research on property rights, business regulation, international trade, and law and economics.
Contents
The general sponsor of the Bazaleti Summer School is the Knowledge Fund, a non-profit organization supporting education and science. The Bazaleti Summer School is implemented with the support from Eurasia Partnership Foundation, Agritechnics and organized in cooperation with Institute of Economic Studies - Europe (France) and the New Economic School-Georgia.
Students
A total of 50 young individuals from Georgia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Belgium participated in the 2008 school. Among the students were employees of the Ministries of Finance and Agriculture of Georgia, the Ministries of Economic Development of Georgia and Azerbaijan, the State Chancellery of Georgia, the Office of the Prime Minister of Georgia, and students from different universities: TSU, GAU, IBSU, ISET, and Sabanci University (Turkey).
Faculty
In 2008, faculty included Simeon Djankov, Caroline Freund of the World Bank, Pierre Garello of the Institute for Economic Studies, and Robert Lawson of Auburn University.
Venue
The Bazaleti resort is located on Lake Bazaleti, 40 minutes' driving distance from Tbilisi. The area around the lake housed a flourishing medieval town and is surrounded by many legends. In 1626, the Battle of Bazaleti between the two rival Georgian factions took place there.
The battle was a culmination of the power struggle that evolved after the Georgian nobles rallied behind Teimuraz and Saakadze and recovered much of eastern Georgian kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti from the Iranian occupation. Shah Abbas I of Iran used the rivalry between Teimuraz and Saakadze to divide the Georgians into two opposing parties and to punish Saakadze who had formerly fought under the Iranian ranks. In a pitched battle, Saakadze’s backup man, Davit’ Gogrishvili, was killed and his demoralized forces were routed by the royal army. Saakadze fled to the Ottoman Empire where he was assassinated in 1629 after serving a brief but successful military career under Sultan Ibrahim I.
Nearby David Gareja Georgian Orthodox monastery is located on the half-desert slopes of Mount Gareja. The monastery includes hundreds of cells, churches, chapels, refectories and living quarters hollowed out of the rock face. The monastery was founded in the 6th century by David (St. David Garejeli). His disciples, Dodo and Luciane expanded the original lavra and founded two other monasteries known as Dodo's Rka (literally, "the horn of Dodo") and Natlismtsemeli ("the Baptist"). The monastery saw further development under the guidance of the 9th-century Georgian saint Ilarion. The convent was particularly patronized by the Georgian royal and noble families. The 12th-century Georgian king Demetre I, the author of the famous Georgian hymn Thou Art a Vineyard, even chose David Gareja as a place of his confinement after he abdicated the throne.