- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 16th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Georgia
- Coordinates
- 42.1636°, 44.7039°
History
Ananuri was the seat of the eristavis, or Dukes of Aragvi, who from the 13th century ruled this mountain valley north of Tbilisi. The present complex dates mainly from the 16th and 17th centuries: an upper castle with towers, a lower castle and two churches, the grandest of which, the Church of the Assumption, was built in 1689. In the 18th century the fortress saw bloody fighting with rivals from the neighbouring duchy of Ksani, who took and burned it in 1739. In 1743 the peasants rose against their new ruler, and soon afterwards the king of Kartli abolished the duchy. In the 19th century the fortress lost its role, and in the 1980s the Zhinvali Reservoir was created at its foot.
What to see
The fortress stands on a slope above the turquoise Zhinvali Reservoir, about 70 kilometres from Tbilisi on the road to Kazbegi. Inside the crenellated walls are two churches and the square Sheupovari tower, which can be climbed by steep stairs. The facades of the Church of the Assumption are carved with grapevine crosses, animals and angels, and fragments of 17th-century frescoes survive inside.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q2600596
Popularity: articles about this site in 26 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).