Khertvisi Fortress

Khertvisi stands on a narrow rock spur where the Paravani river meets the Mtkvari, controlling the route up the gorge toward Vardzia, and it is among the oldest fortifications still standing in Georgia, with a history reaching back well before the surviving fabric. The church inside is dated to 985 and the main walls and towers to the fourteenth century, built in courses of dark stone that follow the shape of the spur. It is unrestored and largely unmanaged, so it can be walked into and climbed, with the usual caveats about loose stone and unfenced drops. It is passed by everyone driving to Vardzia and takes half an hour to look round.

What you actually see

• Walls following the rock spur - the fortress shaped by its site.
• The 985 church inside - the oldest dated building in the compound.
• Fourteenth-century towers - the main surviving defences.
• The river confluence below - the Paravani meeting the Mtkvari.

When to go

April to October. One to two hours. It is on the road to Vardzia and easily combined with it. Morning light suits the stone.

Honest expectations

It is unrestored with loose stone, unfenced drops and no supervision; climbing about is at your own risk. There is no interpretation and no facilities. The visit is short.

Nearby

Vardzia is south up the gorge; Akhaltsikhe lies north-west.