Khertvisi Fortress

Khertvisi Fortress

Khertvisi Fortress is a medieval castle located in the village of Khertvisi, at the confluence of the Paravani and Mtkvari rivers, on a high rocky mountain in Javakheti, southern Georgia. Khertvisi was an active fortress in feudal times. Khertvisi has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Testing List together with Vardzia Monastery since October 24, 2007. The first mention of the fortress dates back to the 10th-11th centuries, while the church was built in 985 and the current walls in 1354. Local legend says that the city was once destroyed by Alexander the Great, but was rebuilt and attacked many times over the centuries. It was the center of the Meskhetian region in the 10th-11th centuries, then in the 12th century it became a town. The Mongols destroyed it in the 13th century and it lost its power until the 15th century. Significant reconstruction was made by Zakari Kamkamishvili in 1354-1356, according to the inscription on a stone found in the fortress. Between the end of the 13th and the 15th centuries it was the property of Meskhetian landowners of the Jaqeli family. During the 16th century Ottomans invaded the southern region of Georgia. For the next 300 years they also occupied Khertvisi. In the year 1624 the fortress was briefly occupied by Giorgi Saakadze. King Heraclius II made another successful, although short-lived, attempt in 1771. In 1828, the fortress was liberated from the Ottomans. By the end of the 19th century, the Georgian and Russian armies recovered the lost lands and Khertvisi became a Russian and Georgian military base.