Borjgali ( ka, ბორჯღალი; also Borjgala or Borjgalo) is a Georgian symbol of the

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

and

eternity Eternity, in common parlance, means infinite time that never ends or the quality, condition, or fact of being everlasting or eternal. Classical philosophy, however, defines eternity as what is timeless or exists outside time, whereas sempit ...

. The borjgali is often represented with seven rotating wings over the

tree of life The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythological, religious, and philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The Assyrian Sacred Tree: A Hist ...

which can be used to create various shapes and variations and can be considered as a main symbol of Georgian culture.

Etymology

The term ''Borjgali'' is believed to derive from

Megrelian Mingrelian or Megrelian (, ) is a Kartvelian language spoken in Western Georgia (regions of Mingrelia and Abkhazia), primarily by the Mingrelians. The language was also called kolkhuri (Georgian ) in the early 20th century. Mingrelian has histori ...

word ბარჩხალი (''barchkhali''), which literally means "strong shining". Some other scholars believe that it has different origins. In old Megrelian ''borj'' means "time" and ''gal'' means "pass" or "flow". So the whole phrase would mean "the flow of time".

Usage

This pre-Christian symbol was widely used in both western (

Colchis In Greco-Roman geography, Colchis (; ) was an exonym for the Georgian polity of Egrisi ( ka, ეგრისი) located on the coast of the Black Sea, centered in present-day western Georgia. Its population, the Colchians are generally though ...

) and eastern Georgia (in Georgian architecture's ''Dedabodzi'', "mother-pillar") as part of a

Darbazi Darbazi ( ka, დარბაზი; from fa, italic=yes, darvāze, "gate") is a term used in Georgia to describe a chamber with a distinctive "swallow dome"-type roof structure found in the traditional domestic architecture of Asia Minor and th ...

in the

Kura–Araxes culture The Kura–Araxes culture, also named Kur–Araz culture, Mtkvar-Araxes culture or the Early Transcaucasian culture was a civilization that existed from about 4000 BC until about 2000 BC, which has traditionally been regarded as the date of its ...

) as a holy symbol. During the medieval period, this symbol was incorporated as a part of Christian symbolism. Nowadays, the symbol is used in Georgian IDs and passports, as well as on

currency A currency, "in circulation", from la, currens, -entis, literally meaning "running" or "traversing" is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general ...

and by the

Georgian Rugby Union The Georgian Rugby Union (GRU) (Georgian: საქართველოს რაგბის კავშირი) is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in the nation of Georgia. Founded in 1964, it was part of the Rugby Union of ...

. Georgian rugby team players are called ბორჯღალოსნები (''borjgalosnebi''), which means "Men bearing Borjgali". It was also used on the naval ensign of Georgia during the late 1990s and early 2000s.Previous edition: ie90br/> Format: A4 (tall) (279×210 mm) Georgian nationalists often use symbol to emphasize national pride.

Gallery

File:Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia 101.jpg,

Colchian In Greco-Roman geography, Colchis (; ) was an exonym for the Georgian polity of Egrisi ( ka, ეგრისი) located on the coast of the Black Sea, centered in present-day western Georgia. Its population, the Colchians are generally thoug ...

representation of the Borjgali File:Borjgali and Star of David in Oshki.jpg, Borjgali on the Cathedral of Oshki File:1-50 Tetri back.png, Borjgali on a Georgian coin File:Ge-money-lari-100.jpg, Borjgali on 100 Georgian lari File:Tedo Zibzibadze 2011.jpg, Georgian rugby player with Borjgali on his shorts and shirt File:Georgian Airways Tbilisi International Airport.jpg, Borjgali on

Georgian Airways Georgian Airways ( ka, ჯორჯიან ეარვეისი), formerly Airzena, is the privately owned flag carrier of Georgia, with its headquarters in Tbilisi. Its main base is Tbilisi International Airport.Flight International 3 Ap ...

File:სამშობლო.jpg, Borjgali in

Fereydunshahr Fereydunshahr ( fa, فریدون‌شهر, ka, ფერეიდანი "Phereidan") is a city and capital of Fereydunshahr County, about 150 kilometres west of the city of Isfahan in the western part of Isfahan Province, Iran. At the 2011 ...

File:Naval ensign of Georgia (1997–2004).svg, Borgali on the former Georgian naval ensign, used during the late 1990s and early 2000s

Etymology

Usage

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading