Materials, preserved at the Division of Old Documents of the Central Historical Archive, cover the 9th-19th centuries.
The division holds manuscript books, as well as collections of originals and copies of historical documents, Georgia-Imereti Synod Bureau registers, collections of Persian, Turkish, Arabic, Polish, Russian documents, 1832 plot materials, and photos of historical monuments and collection of historical notifications, also private fonds of famous public and clerical figures. Division of Ancient Documents preserves nineteen fonds with 33 890 documents.
The most important is the collection of the originals of the old documents (fonds 1448) that consist 10 956 documents if the 11th-19th centuries. Collection of the copies of the old documents (fonds 1449) is not of a less importance.
In 1923 fonds 1416 of old manuscript books were created in the Historical Archive. Manuscript books were mainly gathered from churches and monasteries and private persons. Not one precious manuscript and historical document was taken by Professor Shalva Chkhetia from Moscow Historical Archive, Rumiantsev Museum, Institutes of Lazarev and St. Petersburg Asian Peoples. Materials, preserved at the collection of manuscript books, consists the books of the 11th-19th centuries. Documents are mainly in Georgian, though the books in Russian, Persian, Turkish and Jewish also exist.
Materials of the Division of Old Documents are mainly written on paper, part of them on parchment. Most of the manuscripts are written in mkhedruli and nuskhuri (old Georgian scripts), a relatively small part of the texts is in asomtavruli (old Georgian script).
Private fonds of historians and clerical figures are very important. Among them are the fonds of Catholicos Kirion II, Polievktos Karbelashvili, Leonide Okrospiridze, Alexandre Okropirisdze, Tedo Zhordania, Ekvtime Takaishvili, Sargis Kakabadze, Niko Berdzenishvili, Giorgi Bochoridze, Shalva Chkhetia, Simon Kaukhchishvili and others.
Currently digitalizations of fonds are carried out. It will simplify the access to the documents and provides its protection.