Natural monuments of Georgia. The famous Rukh Fortress is the most fortified structure of King David.

Rukh Fortress is the largest and most significant fortification of the Dadiani family (100 x 80 m). It is located on the left bank of the Inguri River, on the territory of the village of Rukhi (Zugdidi municipality).

The construction of the fortress is associated with the name of Levan II Dadiani – the Sovereign Prince of Samegrelo, "ruler of all Georgia" (as he called himself). Levan II Dadiani ruled the region for 46 years and throughout this time he was relentlessly striving to expand and strengthen his possessions. The Italian missionary Archangelo Lamberti wrote: "If Levan II Dadiani had been brought up in our educated country, if he had received knowledge from our best mentors, none of the rulers would have been comparable to him."..

Levan Dadiani did not limit himself to building a fortress, he settled merchants from Imereti here and turned Rukhi into one of the centers of the region. The Rukh fortress played a significant role during the Georgian-Ottoman War, as well as the Crimean War.

The fortress is surrounded by strong defensive walls 12 meters high. These are almost solid walls, only in the upper part there are battle trails. The fortress itself consists of two parts - the citadel and the courtyard. Both parts are fortified with towers. The entrance is located in the lower courtyard and consists of two parts. The first door is fixed on the outer line and is locked with a large latch. The second door, also with a large bolt, is located on the middle line. B) pilasters. The elongated citadel is located on the northern section of the fortress. The largest 4-storey tower was the donjon (main tower) of the fortress. The garrison was equipped with artillery weapons. Information about the fortress is available in the works of historians Vakhushti Bagrationi and Gorgidzhanidze, in a lengthy inscription on the icon of the Khona Church (dated 1636), in the inscription of the Ilora icon, in the notes of the French traveler Jean Chardin, etc.