A traveller's reflection: Caucasus 2018: 03 Akhaltsikhe, Georgia

"When everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top..."

(Khertvisi Fortress)

Day 03: 17 April 2018 (Tuesday)

Route: Akhaltsikhe/ Khertvisi/ Vardzia

Hotel: Almi Almi Akhaltsikhe, Georgia

Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital and largest city is Tbilisi.

(A typical local breakfast)

(Hotel Almi, our lodging for two nights)

Akhaltsikhe literally means New Castle formerly known as Lomsia is a small city in Georgia's southwestern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. It is situated on both banks of a small river Potskhovi, which separates the old city in the north and new in the south. In the old part of the city one can see the great Rabati Fortress, built by the Ottomans around a mosque and St. Marine's Church. The Sapara Monastery is on the hills nearby the city.

This morning, with Anna's assistance, the money changer came to the hotel for us to change our USD to Georgian Lari. They do not accept currency other than Lari here.

(The Georgian Lari)

We travelled about 45 km south to Khertvisi then later for another 11 km to Vardzia to visit the Kertvisi Fortress and Vardzia Cave Monastery.

(The plain and the mountains)

(The Kura River)

(One of the suspension bridges)

Khertvisi fortress is one of the oldest fortresses in Georgia and was functional throughout the Georgian feudal period. The fortress was first build in the 2nd century BC. As the legend says, Khertvisi was destroyed by Alexander the Great. After visiting the castle we walked on the suspension bridge over River Kura.

(Free entrance to the Khertvisi Fortress)

(One of the oldest fortress in Georgia)

(A steep climb to the fortress)

(Exploring the interior of the fortress)

(The remnants of the partially destroyed castle)

(Sentry hole with a view of the valley)

(Indiana Jones exploration team)

(Panoramic view of the valley and Kura River)

(Photo opportunity from the top of the castle)

(Walking on the suspension bridge over Kura River)

Our next visit was to Vardzia Cave Monastery, a site excavated from the slopes of the Erusheti Mountain on the left bank of the Kura River, 30 km from Aspindza. The caves stretch along the cliff for some 500 m and in up to 19 tiers. The Church of the Dormition dating to the golden age of Tamar and Rustaveli, has an important series of wall paintings. The site was largely abandoned after the Ottoman takeover in the 16th century. Now part of a state heritage reserve, the extended area of Vardzia-Khertvisi has been submitted for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

(The view of the Cave Monastery from the valley)

(The history dating to the Golden Age)

(Archaeological artifacts excavated from the caves)

(A long uphill walk to the monastery)

(Head phones available on rental)

(The view of the Kura River and the valley)

(Exploring a few of the many caves)

(Smaller caves used for meditation by the priests)

(A church building still standing strong)

(A church perched on the hill slope)

(A view of the valley from the church)

(Stairs leading to the upper level of the cave monastery)

(A leisure down hill walk)

(Beautiful wild flowers along the path)

(A cool glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice)

After the visit, we traveled back to town. On the Akhalsikhe-Vardzia route, we enjoyed the beautiful scenery of River Kura and the green valley along the way.

We performed our prayers in the hotel and had baked trout lunch in the hotel restaurant.

(The Rabati Fortress overlooking Alhaltsikhe city)

In the afternoon we visited Rabati Fortress, built as early as the 9th Century by Guaram Mampali, a Christian Georgian Orthodox prince from the Kartli Empire. The Rabati Castle is a medieval structure originally called the Lomisa Castle until it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans ruled the land for centuries until the Russian invasion. The Ahmadiyyah Mosque, a minaret, a synagogue, a Christian church, the Jakelis’ Palace, a museum and a citadel are the restored antique buildings in the fortress.