Natural Wonders of Georgia. The Lava Stream of Abuli.

The name "Abuli" in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region is given to two mountains (Patara and Didi Abuli), a lake, a village, a river and a cyclopean fortress on Mount Patara Abuli.

Lava Stream is included in the list of natural wonders of Georgia. The stream begins from the mountain Didi Abuli, which is located on the Abul-Samsar range. The height of Didi Abuli is 3303 meters. The mountain is an extinct volcano, the cone is deformed because of its antiquity and great height.

South of Didi Abuli is Mount Patara Abuli (2800). The slopes of the mountain and its foot are covered with "stone seas". There are several lakes in the central part of the lava flow.

The southern slope of Mount Patara Abuli is covered with large rocks, brought down by old glaciers. On this slope at an altitude of 2670 m above sea level is a cyclopean dry masonry fortress. The fortress is notable for its size, power, impregnability, and strategic location. In spite of the fact that the fortress was built of flat stones, without using cement, the height of walls in some places reaches 5 m, thickness - 3 m, the area of an internal fortress - 2400 sq.m. The builders cleverly took advantage of the presence of a large number of boulders here, and by rearranging some of them, arranged underground shelters with a narrow and low loophole closed by boulders. That is why it is almost impossible to detect the entrance in the mass of a large number of huge stones.

At the foot of the northeastern slope of Mount Samsara, near Baraleti, a cool breeze blows in hot weather from the lava clefts, which are at a height of 2200 m. This indicates the existence of underground cavities (lava caves) in the lavas, filled with air. On hot summer days, sheep flocks near the clefts to cool off.