Ancient and important places in Georgia. Visit the famous Suram fortress.

Likhsky The (Suram) ridge divides Georgia into two parts — Western and Eastern. The village of Surami is located on the southern slopes of the ridge, 5 kilometers northwest of Khashuri.

Surami was founded in the II century BC as one of the points on the ancient trade highway - the Great Silk Road. Caravan routes coming from Kartli, Imereti and Samtskhe crossed here. Surami retained the function of a stopping point until the end of the XIX century. In 1872, the first railway in Transcaucasia along the Poti — Tbilisi route passed through Surami. After carrying out a railway tunnel under the Suram Ridge, this branch is used only for local communications.

The Suram fortress is located in the southern part of the village, on the bank of the Suramula River. It was one of the most important defensive structures of the country. There is a version that the first fortress was built here by King Parnajom in the first half of the II century, although a fortress built in the XI century has survived to us. The complex includes a fence, a fortress, a tower, a palace and the Church of St. George (XI-XII century). As in other fortresses, there is a secret tunnel that descends to a depth of 12-16 meters and goes out to the Suramula River.

A legend is connected with the fortress, according to which, the reason for its power is that a young man named Zurab was walled up alive in its walls. He was his mother's only son. According to legend, in the place of the wall where he was walled up, pure water oozes - the tears of his mother.

The fortress has been mentioned in historical sources since 1625. In the 90s of the XVIII century, Surami was the main outpost in the struggle against the highlanders of the North Caucasus. Since July 24, 1783, after the conclusion of the treaty between the Russian Empire and the Kartalino-Georgian Kingdom in the city of Georgievsk, there was a united Georgian-Russian garrison here.