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.

What you actually see

• 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.

Honest expectations

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.