Hirkhat Fortress, residence of eristano Abuseridze, what to see in Beshumi

The fortress of Khikhani, or as it is otherwise called the Hirkhat fortress, is located on the border of the istrian provinces of Georgia - Adjara and Shashveti, at the mouths of the rivers Shalt and Khikhanistskali, at an altitude of 2635 meters above sea level, on one of the branches of Mount Arsiani, near the village of highland Adjara Zeda Thilvana (Huloi municipality).

The Khikhanskaya fortress is a monument of the tenth century, but folk legend connects it with the name of Queen Tamara. For centuries, the fortress was the residence of local eristanos (Eristavi appanage princes, the title of Georgian feudal lords) – Abuseridze.

On the territory of the fortress stood their palace, which was protected by rectangular towers and a reliable fence. In the first half of the XIII century, on the instructions of the eristavs Abuser and Vardan, their brother Tbeli erected a stone church named after St. George on the territory of the fortress. Tbeli Abuseridze was a writer and astronomer. He wrote several scientific, artistic, historical and religious works. In one of them, he described the process of building a church, from where you can find out what difficulties the builders faced when they built a temple in such a remote place.