Rabati Castle

Rabati is the fortified quarter of Akhaltsikhe, occupied since the medieval period and rebuilt many times, holding within one enclosure a mosque with a minaret, a madrasa, a church, a synagogue building and a castle keep, which reflects the mixed population the town had for centuries. Between 2011 and 2012 the whole complex was rebuilt on a large scale, with new stonework, a hotel, restaurants and landscaped grounds added, and the result divides opinion sharply: it is legible, comfortable and popular, and heritage specialists have criticised it as a reconstruction that overwrote what survived. The museum in the upper section covers the region's archaeology and history.

History

By the Georgian Chronicles the town was founded in the 9th century by Guaram Mampali, son of the king of Tao, as Lomsia, and at the end of the 12th century it grew into a true city called Akhal-tsikhe, "new fortress", with high walls, guarded gates and watchtowers; from the 13th to the end of the 14th century it was the capital of Samtskhe-Saatabago under the Jaqeli family. It withstood Tamerlane's attack of 1393, passed with the whole region to the Ottoman Empire after the Treaty of Constantinople in 1590, and in the late 18th century Metropolitan John noted an Orthodox church still at work among a largely Muslim population. A Russian attempt to take the fortress failed in 1810, Paskevich stormed it 18 years later, and after the Treaty of Adrianople in 1829 the Ottomans gave up the region; the fortress and its buildings were extensively rebuilt in 2011-2012 to draw visitors (Wikipedia, Akhaltsikhe Castle).

What to look for

• Mosque, church and synagogue in one enclosure - the town's mixed past.
• The rebuilt keep and walls - the 2012 reconstruction at full height.
• The regional museum - archaeology and history of Samtskhe.
• Views over Akhaltsikhe - the town from the upper terraces.

When to go

April to October. Two to three hours. The lower section is free and the upper is ticketed. Summer evenings are pleasant when the walls are lit.

What to expect

Most of what you see is new work from 2012, not historic fabric, and visitors expecting an old castle are often disappointed. The commercial development inside is heavy. Interpretation is thin. Akhaltsikhe itself is a plain town.

Nearby

Sapara monastery is east; Vardzia lies south.

Key facts