Ancient fortresses in Samtskhe-Javakheti - Sapara monastery and fortresses Atskuri, Choboshevi, Khertvisi, Kohtas, Abuli, Saro.
Tourists can see the most ancient sights of Georgia in Samtskhe-Javakheti. The time of construction of the Saro and Abuli fortresses dates back to the 9th century BC. The fortresses are made of roughly turned boulders and are a lot of secrets for scientists
Samtskhe-Javakheti –One of the regions of Georgia, which includes the districts of the provinces of Same, Javakheti and Tori, it also borders with Armenia and Turkey. Almost half of the population are Armenians. Here you can find not only Georgian temples, but also Armenian churches and even Turkish mosques.
In addition, Bronze Age buildings (35/33–13/11 centuries BC) have been preserved in this area – these are Abuli, Saro and Shaori fortresses. No one knows when, who and for what purpose they were built, but there is a legend about their mystical, extraterrestrial origin.
Abuli Fortress and its occurrence for many millennia for historians and archaeologists remains an incomprehensible mystery. It is located at the foot of the Maly Abuli Mountain at an altitude of 2500 m above sea level. The five-meter walls of the fortress, reaching a thickness of 3 meters, are made of mountain stone without the use of binding and strengthening materials.
Ruins of ancient buildings can be observed on the territory of the fortress, but there is no cultural layer, only stone, so the fortress of Abuli is one of the mysteries of Georgia. On the mountain near the village of Saro, the ruins of the Bronze Age fortress of the same name and the church of the Archangel of the 11th century have been preserved. Shaori Fortress, built only from large boulders, is named after the river of the same name and is located at an altitude of almost 3000 meters above sea level. Of course, modern climatic conditions do not allow living at such an altitude.
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Also in Samtskhe-Javakheti there are the well-known cave monasteries of Vardzia and Vanis-Kvabebi. They were built near the village of Khizabavra to protect the population during the attacks of the Turks. In Vardzia there are frescoes of the Georgian Queen Tamara and her father George III. The ruler also gave the name to this place: according to legend, little Tamara, who got lost in this area, shouted: "Var dzia" (I'm here, Uncle).
In addition, several more modern fortresses can be found in the southern region of Georgia, for example, Akhaltsikhe, Atskuri, Choboskhevi, Khertvisi, Kohtas, Melnisi and Mohsevis fortresses, Okros, the impregnable fortress of Tmogvi and Curtain.
The Sapara Monastery near the town of Akhaltsikhe and the Transfiguration Monastery in the village of Zarzma are the most famous of the religious attractions. Unique paintings and stone carvings have been preserved in the Sapara monastery.
The Transfiguration Monastery, which was founded in the 7th-10th centuries, in turn, was restored in the 19th century after being completely abandoned for 300 years during Turkish rule. Of the original ancient buildings in Zarzma, the arch of the belfry with the inscription of the 10th century has been preserved.
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