- Type
- Ruin
- Origins
- 10th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Samtskhe–Javakheti, Georgia
- Style
- architecture of Georgia
- Coordinates
- 41.4796°, 43.2857°
History
According to Georgian chronicles a stronghold stood here as early as the 2nd century BC. The present walls went up gradually between the 10th and 14th centuries – the church inside is dated to the 10th century, and an inscription records the building of the walls in 1354. In the heyday of medieval Georgia, Khertvisi was an important centre of Meskheti, guarding the road to the cave city of Vardzia. In the 16th century the Ottoman Turks took the fortress and held it until 1828, when the Russian army captured it during the Russo-Turkish War. After that it lost its military role.
What to see
Towered walls climb the steep rock, with a citadel at the highest point. A small church survives within the fortress. The walls overlook the canyons of both rivers and the dry, rocky slopes of Javakheti. The fortress lies on the road from Akhaltsikhe to Vardzia, so a visit combines easily with a trip to the cave monastery.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q2478899
Popularity: articles about this site in 21 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).