Khertvisi Fortress — Located in Aspindza Municipality, 46 km from Akhaltsikhe, situated on a cliff above the confluence of the Paravani (Javakheti Mtkvari) and Mtkvari rivers, is one of the oldest fortresses in Georgia.
According to the chronicler Leonti Mroveli, Khertvisi was already a city in antiquity. It is mentioned again as a small town in the second half of the 18th century, though no urban structures from that period have survived. The fortress itself has been documented since the 10th-11th centuries. Within the walls of this massive structure, various construction layers from different eras can be distinguished. The citadel itself is striking for the strength of its masterfully crafted walls and towers.
Two secret passages from the eastern wall lead toward the Javakheta Mtkvari. One was for water, the other for communication with the outside.
The two main towers in the east and west within the walls date from the lime of Queen Tamara (1184-1212). Inside ihe walls are the ruins of a church, as well as living and storage buildings. An inscription in the church dates it back to 985. Another inscription above the fortress entrance dates the Khertvisi tower and a portion of the walls to 1354-1356.
The history of the Khertvisi Fortress and town is also connected with the history of Samtskhe-Saatabago. The fortress was seized by the Turks in 1578. Briefly recaptured by Georgia’s Giorgi Saakadze, it was again lost to the Turks and from 1638 became one of the most important cities of the Ottoman Empire’s pashalik. A century later, in 1771, King Erekle took Khertvisi by storm, but even he could not maintain control of the fortress for long. During the evacuation, great wealth was carried out. This event and the circumstances surrounding it provided further grounds for the historian who reported it to consider Khertvisi an ancient city.
Finally, in 1828, Georgia regained Khertvisi Fortress and the Samtskhe-Javakheti region as a result of Russia’s victory in the Russo-Turkish War. In this war, numerous Georgian officers and soldiers sacrificed their lives for the liberation and return of Georgia’s historical territories.
Today, the fortress is a favorite destination for tourists and travelers, where the past truly comes to life.