102 Items
Napichkhovo Castle
Images taken of the very limited, overgrown remains of Napichkovo "Castle" and the site on which it lies.
Type: Architecture
Tags: C4th-C6th, Defensive Network, Fortifications, Georgia, Georgian
Tsikusdziri/Petra Church
A relatively small church, it's small size was probably dictated by the amount of room available on the citadel.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Byzantine, C6th, Church, Georgia, Georgian, Late Antique
Osindale St.George's Church
Images of Osindale church exterior. Sadly no interior shots were taken as there was a service going on that I did not wish to disturb.
Vardtsikhe/Rhodopolis Church
A large and clearly functioning church found within the walls of Vardtsikhe. The church seems to be made largely with spolia recovered from the site.
Abano Pass into Tusheti
This is the only overland route to Tusheti from the rest of Georgia, apart from a hiking trail that leads to Khevsureti. The pass is only open in high summer and is inaccessible for around eight months a year.
Omalo
Omalo is the largest village in Tusheti and one of very few to be inhabited all year round. It has grown a great deal in the last ten years as it has become the centre for tourism in the Tusheti National Park. Dzveli (Old) Omalo has the largest concentration of guest houses within the park and the visitor centre lies just outside the village. It also boasts a twentieth century church and a pagan ritual enclosure south of the old part of the village. As at Dartlo, the cluster of towers above the village is given a different name to the rest of the settlement. In Omalo the towers are called Keselo.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Architecture, Church, Georgia, Keselo, Omalo, Pagan, Tower, Tusheti
Dartlo
Dartlo is located above a ford in the valley. The closest building to the river is a ruined stone structure that, on closer investigation possessed the traces of a fresco of an angel. This had obviously been a church in the past and was the only evidence of Christianity encountered on the first visit to Tusheti in 2006. By 2016 the village was more developed and second only in size to Dzveli Omalo for tourist infrastructure.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Architecture, Church, Dartlo, Fresco, Georgia, Tower, Tusheti
Dochu
This village is notable for the shrine at its centre. A large and substantial stone cairn is topped with stag antlers and females in our party were told that we were not to approach the structure. The local belief is that the fertility of the men of the village is damaged should women pass too close to the shrine.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Antlers, Architecture, Fertility, Georgia, Pagan, Shrine, Tusheti
Bukistsikhe Castle
Bukistsikhe castle occupies a very strategic position on a hill above the River Supsa at the point where the narrow river valley opens up into a wider plain.
Type: Architecture
Tags: C4th-C6th, Castle, Defensive Network, Fortifications, Georgia, Georgian
Zoti Castle
Zoti is similar to Bukistsikhe in terms of it being on a hill overlooking a narrow section of river valley. The valley in question is however much higher and steeper here with Zoti perched high above the valley floor.
Type: Architecture
Tags: C17th-C18th, C4th-C6th, Castle, Defensive Network, Fortifications, Georgia, Georgian