Atskuri Castle
The other significant monument in the village, Atskuri Fortress, is situated on a hill overlooking the River Mtkvari, just a few hundred meters away from Atskuri Church. Atskuri Fortress was one of the most significant defensive structures of medieval Georgia.
The fortress was built in the 10th century in order to control the Mtkvari River valley and a major commercial road between the cities of Borjomi and Akhaltsikhe that also connected Atskuri with the regions south of Georgia.
When the Samtskhe-Javakheti region was hit by a major earthquake in 1283, Atskuri Fortress, like Atskuri Church, was mostly destroyed, but promptly rebuilt. By the end of the 15th century Georgia had already broken up into various independent and semi-independent kingdoms that were further weakened by ongoing attacks by the Iranians and Ottomans throughout the 15th and 16th centuries. But even in these rough times, Atskuri Fortress remained a strong defense post.
And the castle was again the center of attention during the Russian-Turkish war in 1828 and 1829. Although the main fighting went on in the west of today’s Georgia, Russian General Ivan Paskevich had the order to tie down as many Turkish troops as possible by capturing fortresses and castles that were still held by the pashas of the Ottoman Empire. Among them were Atskuri Fortress and Akhaltsikhe Fortress, just some 15km southwest of Atskuri.
On August 17th, 1828 Akhaltsikhe Fortress fell to the Russians, after General Paskevich had besieged the castle for over three days. He then turned northeast and took Atskuri Fortress, still an important strategic defense point, overlooking the Mtkvari River rand Borjomi valley.
The Russian-Turkish war was finally settled with the Treaty of Adrianople in September 1829, giving the Russian Empire new access to the Black Sea and to the Danube Delta and paving the way for Serbian and Greek independence. The treaty also opened up the Dardanelles for commercial shipping.
The Dardanelles are a narrow waterway of strategic importance in northwestern Turkey, not only separating Europe and Asia, but also connecting the Sea of Marmara with the Mediterranean and allowing passage to the Black Sea via the Bosporus.
Today only the ruins of Atskuri Fortress are left, yet some of the many layers of construction undertaken over the centuries, can still be observed. The citadel, the most inner part of a castle and often a small castle itself, marks the highest point.
The castle set sits on top of a small mountain, but although it is difficult to access and the inner castle can only be reached through a narrow tunnel carved into the rock, it is well worth the climb. The view of the area around is fascinating and gives you an idea of why Atskuri Fortress was of massive strategic importance for the whole region throughout the centuries.
Atskuri Fortress was elevated to the category of Cultural Monument of National Significance of Georgia in 2006 by presidential decree.
Picture credits: beyondarts GmbH
Project “Increased regional added value in the tourism sectors of Georgia by Digital Heritage Tourism Guides” was funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) with funds of Austrian Development Cooperation.
