The oldest cities in Georgia. Visit the city of Sighnaghi.

Sighnaghi is one of the oldest cities in Georgia. It received the status of a city in 801, and is one of the significant economic and cultural centers of Kakheti.

The climate in the city is moderately humid, although 7.5% of the total annual precipitation falls here in the summer months, which causes a lack of humidity. The average temperature in January slightly exceeds 0 °, and in July it averages +23 °. There is almost no natural vegetation left here. Along with cultivated plants, in the vicinity of Sighnaghi there are landscapes of plants characteristic of dry plains, semi-deserts, steppes, forest-steppe (arid forests), broad-leaved forests. Such diversity serves as a significant resource for educational tourism. There are many ancient churches and monasteries, historical monuments and museums in Sighnaghi and its surroundings. Thousands of pilgrims and tourists come here every year.

The name "Sighnaghi" comes from the Turkish word and means "shelter". Fortified places have existed here since the XII-XIV centuries. The transformation of the fortress into a city is associated with the name of the Kartli and Kakheti tsar Heraclius II. Here he founded a city in which he settled 100 families of merchants and artisans, and surrounded it with a large fortress wall built of stone and brick. The fortress wall of Sighnaghi is one of the largest in Georgia. Its length is about 4 kilometers and covers almost 40 hectares. The wall is two-tiered: the width of the lower - blind tier is 1.5 meters, and the upper one is 70-80 cm. The difference in width between the tiers on the inside served as a combat path. There are 23 towers in the fence (2-3-storey, with loopholes, fireplaces and fighting platforms). Each of these towers bears the name of each surrounding village. There are 5 gates in the fortress wall, the central gate - Magaroskari - communicates directly with the fortress itself. The church of St. Stephen Hirseli is built into the fortress wall of Sighnaghi.

In 2005-2008, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Georgia and the President, the rehabilitation of Sighnaghi was carried out.