Nokalakevi

Nokalakevi means the place where a city was, and the city was Archaeopolis, a stronghold of the kingdom of Lazica that was fortified heavily in the fifth and sixth centuries and figures in Byzantine accounts of the wars fought over this coast. The site runs up a hillside above the Tekhuri river with three lines of defence: walls and towers along the lower town, a middle circuit and a citadel on the ridge. Inside are churches, a bath house with hypocaust, cisterns and a tunnel cut down to the river to secure water during a siege. Excavation has been running for decades as a joint Georgian and British project, and a museum displays the finds.

History

The ruins on the Tekhuri, covering about 20 hectares on the northern edge of the Colchian plain, were known to early Byzantine historians as Archaeopolis and to Georgian chroniclers as Tsikhegoji, the fortress of Kuji, a Colchian ruler; the fortress commanded a crossing of the river at a route through the hills into central Samegrelo. It played a part in the wars between the Byzantine Empire and the Sasanians in the South Caucasus in the 6th century AD, as one of the key fortresses guarding Lazica. Its defences use a loop of the river and the gorge it has cut, with a citadel above linked by a wall to the lower town, where excavations have found stone buildings of the fourth to sixth century AD over several earlier phases of occupation from the eighth to second centuries BC (Wikipedia, Nokalakevi).

What to look for

• Three lines of walls and towers - the defences up the hillside.
• The tunnel to the river - the cut passage securing water in a siege.
• A bath house with hypocaust - the late antique heating system.
• The site museum - finds from decades of excavation.

When to go

April to October; summer excavation seasons bring the site to life. Half a day. The climb to the citadel is steep. Check museum opening before travelling.

Good to know

The climb to the upper circuits is steep and rough. Much of the site is walls at knee height and takes interpretation. The museum has limited hours. Signage is thin and mostly in Georgian.

Nearby

Senaki is south-west; Martvili lies north-east.

Key facts