Ujarma Fortress

Ujarma stands on a spur above the Iori river on the old road between Tbilisi and Kakheti, and it was a royal seat: the chronicler Leonti Mroveli credits its founding to King Aspacures I in the third or fourth century, Vakhtang Gorgasali enlarged it as a residence in the fifth, and it functioned as a fortified town and residence for several centuries before decline and abandonment. The walls run along the ridge and down the slopes with towers at intervals, enclosing a citadel, cisterns, the foundations of buildings and a small church rebuilt in modern times. Consolidation work has stabilised parts of the structure. It is passed by everyone driving from Tbilisi to Telavi and takes half an hour to walk round.

History

By the chronicler Leonti Mroveli, the first stone of Ujarma was laid by King Aspacures I of Iberia in the 3rd to 4th centuries, and under Vakhtang Gorgasali and King Dachi the fortress was enlarged into a residence with a citadel, strong towers and walls, palaces and churches; from the 4th to the 8th century it played an important part in the country's history. Arab invaders took it in 914, and the upper fortress, destroyed in the 10th century by Abul Kassim, was restored in the 12th century by King George III, 1156-1184, who made it his treasury. Mongol rule in the 13th century and the break-up of the Kingdom of Georgia at the end of the 15th century gradually reduced the once prosperous town to a small place (Wikipedia, Ujarma fortress).

What you'll find

• Walls following the ridge - towers and circuits along the spur.
• The citadel at the high point - the core of the royal fortress.
• Cisterns and building foundations - the interior of the old town.
• The Iori river below - the valley the fortress controlled.

When to go

April to October. Two hours as a stop on the Telavi road. Morning light suits the walls. Summer is hot with no shade.

Good to know

It is a ruin with minimal interpretation and no facilities. Ground inside is uneven with unfenced drops. Consolidation work leaves some sections closed. The visit is short.

Nearby

Sagarejo is south-east; Telavi lies north-east.

Key facts