Ali and Nino Statue

Rising on Batumi's Black Sea waterfront inside Miracle Park, the Ali and Nino Statue has become Georgia's best-known contemporary artwork and an emblem of the city itself. Designed by Georgian sculptor Tamar Kvesitadze, the piece was completed in 2007, shown that year at the Venice Biennale, then installed on Batumi's seaside boulevard in 2010, with its official unveiling a year later.

Story & Design

It takes its name from Kurban Said's 1937 novel 'Ali and Nino', which tells the tragic wartime love story of the Muslim Azerbaijani Ali Shirvanshir and the Christian Georgian Nino Kipiani; the sculpture therefore stands as a symbol of love that transcends religion and nationality, forever bound yet never fully united. The two figures rise eight metres high and are built from horizontally sliced, semi-transparent layers of steel. As a kinetic work, the statue comes to life each evening from around 7 p.m., driven by motors that set it in motion roughly every ten minutes: Ali and Nino slowly approach, their segmented bodies pass through one another to merge for a single moment, and then part again. This cycle of union and separation echoes the novel's sorrowful ending, and when the figures are lit by neon at night the piece turns into a mesmerising spectacle.

Visiting & Route

Turkish agencies routing Black Sea-Georgia tours across the Sarp border crossing treat the statue as an almost mandatory stop, because it is free, open-air, highly photogenic and one of the few landmarks carrying a genuinely romantic narrative. The average visit lasts 20-40 minutes, a little longer for those waiting to see the movement performance. Guided itineraries usually place it on a late-afternoon route alongside the Batumi Boulevard promenade, the Alphabetic Tower and the Ferris wheel. Nearby stand the Alphabetic Tower, Batumi Boulevard, the Chacha fountain, the Ferris wheel and the marina. The finest photographs are taken at sunset, framing the sea and the illuminated figures.

Access & Best Time

Access is easy: it is walkable from the centre, tour coaches use boulevard-side parking, and the flat, barrier-free ground makes wheelchair access comfortable. The best period is the mild May-October window, July-August being the peak season, though the statue remains open and lit through winter. Recommended route: a daytime boulevard walk, the statue at sunset, then the illuminated evening performance.