Travel Guide Khertvissi

It is one of the most grandiose sites in all of South Georgia. Its strategic position has made it an object of incessant covetousness over the centuries. This citadel is thought to have been built as early as the 2nd century BC. According to legend, it was destroyed by Alexander the Great. In the 11th century, Khertvissi was an important centre of Djavakhetia. Prosperous in the 12th century, it was destroyed the following century by the Mongols. It was successively conquered by the Djakeli clan, the Turks in the 16th century, and the Russians in the 19th century. Shortly after Khertvissi, in the direction of Vardzia, on the right, there is an old arena from the 17th century.