There are over 100 castles and forts in Georgia, which were constructed between the years 800 and 1700 by various provincial kings. The castles and forts have long been abandoned, but most are still standing, and some are preserved by the United Nations.[1][2]
The earliest castle in Georgia was the Ananuri castle, which was built in the period from 1200–1249. The Ananuri castle consisted of two castles with a big curtain wall surrounding them. It was the seat of the dukes of the Duchy of Aragvi, which was one of multiple feudal dynasties during the period.[3]
The last castle to be built in Georgia was the Rabati Castle, which was built between 1250 and 1299. The original town was built from 700–800, with the castle being built in the 1260s. From the 1260s to the 1340s, the castle and the surrounding town were the capital cities of the province of Samtskhe-Saatabago, which was ruled by the House of Jaqeli.[4]
The forts of Georgia lie in varying states of ruin. The oldest was built in the 9th century, while some were built as late as the 17th century. While many still stand, most have been heavily damaged by various causes.[5]
Citadel Tbilisi
editCastles
edit| Castle name | Location | Time built | Notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ananuri | On the Aragvi river, 72 km (45 mi) from Tbilisi | 1200–1249 | [6] | |
| Rabati Castle | At the town of Akhaltsikhe, Georgia | 1250–1300 | Originally called Lomisa Castle before the Ottoman conquest.[7] | [8] |
Forts and fortresses
edit| Fort name | Location | Time built | Notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atskuri Fortress | 30 km (19 mi) from Borjomi | 900–999 | [9] | |
| Bakhtrioni | Kakheti region, left bank of the Alazani river | 1650s | [5] | |
| Birtvisi | Tetritsqaro Municipality | 1038 | [10] | |
| Gagi Fortress | near the town of Marneuli | unknown | ||
| Gori Fortress | Overlooking the city of Gori | 1200–1299 | [11] | |
| Gremi | Kakheti region, 175 km (109 mi) from Tbilisi | 1600–1699 | [12] | |
| Keselo | Tusheti region, overlooking the village of Omalo | 1230s | ||
| Khertvisi Fortress | Meskheti region | 1354 | ||
| Mutso | Khevsureti region, right bank of the Andakistskali river | unknown | ||
| Narikala | Tbilisi | 300–399 | ||
| Agarani Fortress | Near Kojori, Tbilisi | also known as Kojori Fortress, Azeuli Fortress or Kor Ogli Fortress | ||
| Redoubt Kali | 10 miles north of Poti | 1807 | [13] | |
| Surami Fortress | Surami | 1170s | ||
| Tmogvi | Left bank of the Kura river | 800–899 | [14] |
References
editCitations
edit- ^ Rosen, p. 99.
- ^ Noble & Kohn & Systermans, p. 113.
- ^ Rosen, p. 100.
- ^ Noble & Kohn & Systermans, pp. 115–118
- ^ a b Kurtsikidze, Shorena and Chikovani, Vakhtang (2002), "Georgia's Pankisi Gorge: An Ethnographic Survey" Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Berkeley Program in Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies Working Paper Series, pp. 30–31.
- ^ Rose, p. 101.
- ^ Anonymous, p. 91.
- ^ Noble & Kohn & Systermans, p. 120.
- ^ Atskuri (2012)
- ^ Thomson, Robert W. (1996), Rewriting Caucasian History. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-826373-2, p. 289.
- ^ "Georgia", in Encyclopædia metropolitana; or, Universal dictionary of knowledge, ed. by E. Smedley, Hugh J. Rose and Henry J. Rose (1845), p. 532.
- ^ Кавказский этнографический сборник – Том 6 – Страница 264 / Изд-во Академии наук СССР, 1976
- ^ Wood (2007)
- ^ Karapetian, Samvel (2011). Javakhk (PDF). Yerevan: Research on Armenian Architecture. pp. 192–204. ISBN 978-99941-875-7-7.
Bibliography
edit- Anonymous (1223). History of the Five Reigns
- Noble, John; Kohn, Michael; Systermans, Daniel. (2008). Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan. London, UK: Lonely Planet. ISBN 1-74104-477-4
- Rosen, Roger (1999). Georgia: A Sovereign Country of the Caucasus. Hong Kong: Odyssey Publications. ISBN 962-217-748-4
- Wood, James, ed. (1907). . The Nuttall Encyclopædia. London and New York: Frederick Warne.
Web sources
edit- "Atskuri". Historical Monuments of Georgia. 2012. Archived from the original on June 19, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.