The ancient Khihani fortress is one of the pearls of Adjara. The fortress of Khihani has a very advantageous strategic location at the very top of the mountain. In fact, it is unassailable, and for many years served as a refuge for Georgians, a point of observation of the Turkish border, a spiritual center and just a hope for peace and peace in their homes. The exact date of the beginning of the construction of the fortress is unknown, but already in 1230 a church was built here named after George the Victorious. According to legend, the walls around the building were erected already after. In those distant times, Khihani was a fortified city and served as the residence of the eristavi Abuserisidze.
Inaccessible from three sides walls in height of 7-8 m with two large towers – this appears before us the fortress of Khihani, which for 700 years was for Georgia the construction of the most important economic and strategic significance, serving as a shield against Ottoman conquerors. Till now the fortress has been preserved only partially, but even in this form it is interesting, attractive and easily conquers the hearts of its guests.
There were four towers of the fortress once upon, but centuries left their imprint. The first was best preserved, but to get inside it – you need to get under a small tunnel. The height of the walls, preserved to this day, is about 7-8 meters. Masonry is very high quality, the solution is actually petrified. This indicates a high level of construction in Georgia of those days.
All four towers were strictly rectangular in shape. It is interesting that for hundreds of centuries the fortress performed the same function – security, and it retained its weighty importance right up to the twentieth century. Another interesting fact is the presence of “Kvevri” throughout the fortress. Kvevri is a huge clay pitcher buried in the ground, or a pit of characteristic form, the walls of which are coated with a special solution; used such a vessel for long-term storage of wine. The presence of Kvevri suggests that people lived here permanently. Judging by the number and size of the “kvevri” – it was not one, and not even 5 people, but at least a few dozen.
One of the outstanding events here is the death of the national hero Selim Khemshiashvili, who was beheaded in 1815. According to the legend before the execution, he said: “You can kill me and another hundred soldiers, but you will never kill the soul of Georgia.”
Khihani Fortress
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