- Type
- Ruin
- Origins
- 9th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Samtskhe–Javakheti, Georgia
- Coordinates
- 41.3946°, 43.3148°
History
The fortress guarded the route along the canyon of the Mtkvari (Kura) river on the borderlands of Georgia and Armenia; it is recorded as early as 914, when the Arab commander Yusuf ibn Abi al-Saj approached its walls but withdrew without attacking. In 1073 it was granted to the nobleman Niania Kuabulisdze, and over the following centuries it passed through several families, among them the Toreli and the Tmogveli, who produced the poet Sargis Tmogveli. Earthquakes repeatedly wrecked the stronghold: in 1088 its lord Kakhaber and his wife died in the collapse, and after rebuilding it was destroyed again by the tremors of 1283 and 1319. The Shalikashvili family were its last lords in the 16th century, and in 1578 the Ottomans took it. In the following centuries it lost its importance and was abandoned.
What to see
Ruined walls and towers stretch along a narrow rocky ridge high above the river. Reaching them from the village in the valley takes a steep walk, rewarded by the remains of gates, cisterns and a church. The fortress looks over the deep Mtkvari canyon and the surrounding mountains, and the famous cave monastery of Vardzia lies nearby.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q3646287
Popularity: articles about this site in 17 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).