In the south of Georgia is the city of Akhalkalaki, magnificent in its beauty and historical past. Having been in this wonderful settlement, you can enjoy amazing nature, get acquainted with Armenian culture and religion (more than 90% of the inhabitants are Armenians), learn interesting legends, touch history, because the famous Akhalkalaki fortress is located here.
Akhalkalaki village
Traveling is very popular these days. Today, hundreds of thousands of tourists fly to Georgia to get acquainted with this unusual country. Special attention is given to the village in Georgia - Akhalkalaki. Although after the collapse of the USSR it was considered the most impoverished and neglected, now this city is completely different. The name of this village is translated from Georgian as “new city”, so people now call it Akhalkalak. It gained its fame for two reasons:
- The village is inhabited not by Georgians, but by Armenians.
- In Akhalkalak, ancient sights preserved the history of the area.
Akhalkalaki cannot be called a tourist city of Georgia, but this place attracts history and culture lovers with its memorable places. However, it is worth visiting for another reason - clean mountain air and incomparable nature.
Just look at the village of Akhalkalaki (Georgia), a photo of the nature of this amazing city.
The best options for getting to Akhalkalaki
How to get to Akhalkalaki in Georgia? Tourists most often first fly to the capital of this wonderful country - Tbilisi. The path from Tbilisi to Akhalkalaki is about 190 kilometers along the highway. From there, you can get to the city in various ways:
- By taxi or rental car. This option is quite expensive, but convenient. So you can get to Akhalkalaki in about three hours.
- By own car. Getting on your own, it is better to use the navigator. Overcoming this distance, the car will need about fifteen liters of gasoline. Today - it costs about twenty euros (about 1.5 thousand rubles).
- By bus. This way you can get a little faster - in just two and a half hours. It costs about four euros (300 rubles).
- By train. This option is the most convenient and fast. Get to Akhalkalaki in less than an hour. An electric train ticket costs three to five euros (230-370 rubles).
Amazing sights of Akhalkalaki
Fortress, mosque, ruins - this is what Akhalkalaki is especially famous for. All this has been preserved since the sixth century AD in the northern part of the city. Most often, six main attractions of Akhalkalaki in Georgia are distinguished:
- fortress walls
- an abandoned mosque
- the ruins of the citadel,
- caravanserai,
- Armenian church
- central square.
These memorable places will tell about the history of this magnificent city. Below you can see a description of the city of Akhalkalaki (Georgia), attractions and photos.
Fortress walls
The main attraction of the city of Akhalkalaki in Georgia are the Akhalkalaki fortress walls. Unfortunately, today they are already very destroyed and neglected, and more like ruins. But this does not prevent them from being the most important attraction of the city. At the moment, no one lives in the area of this fortress. At this place - a wasteland. And earlier, back in the days of the Turks, there was a rather large city inhabited by people. After the attacks, people of Muslim ethnicity left, and a new Armenian population came in return. The fortress is striking in its scale.
At the beginning of the 19th century, General Ivan Fedorovich Paskevich quickly recaptured the Turks with an instant assault. He locked the Turkish army within the fortress, leaving them no opportunity to leave it. Paskevich’s stormtrooper army was about five times smaller than the Turkish army. A bold but deliberate step helped to win. Each shot hit exactly where it was intended. The Turkish army simply could not hold the defense. Among the Turks, a terrible panic began. They crushed each other, not knowing what to do, how to save at least their own lives. Those who still managed to escape and survive later said that inside the fortress there was a sea of blood, the level of which was military to the waist. Due to such a victory in the Atskuri fortress, which is nearby, the military immediately laid down their arms. Paskevich’s army came from them messengers to report that they surrender Atskuri without resistance.
Ottoman mosque
The next attraction of the city of Akhalkalaki in Georgia is the Ottoman mosque - this is one of the interesting places that is part of the fortress left by the Turks. This mosque, like others, was the place where the Turks prayed and served their God. Only men could enter the Muslim temple - this is one of the peculiarities of their peculiar religion. Prayers are held in it together - several people at a time. Here, the younger generation was taught faith and worship. Specially trained clerks recorded and transcribed prayers inside the building. This mosque is quite small in comparison with others, since it is included in the construction of the fortress. It was built by the Turks to pray for victory.
The ruins of the citadel
Another attraction of the city of Akhalkalaki in Georgia is the ruins of the citadel. The citadel is the main tower of the fortress. She gained her fame all for the same reason - the capture of the Akhalkalaki fortress by Ivan Fedorovich Paskevich. During the assault on the fortress walls, the general several times offered to surrender to the Turkish army, to which the Turks always refused, since they were absolutely sure of their victory. Their confidence was that, firstly, their army was several times superior to the Russian in number, and secondly, they were ready for an attack. They prepared for him in advance.
General Paskevich conducted reconnaissance of the fortress, placed all his fighters in positions, distributed commands, strengthened weak positions so that Turkish cavalry could not attack them. In the evening of June 23, 1828, siege batteries were built by the Russian military, and the next day their full use began. It was on this day that Paskevich’s army destroyed the citadel of the Akhalkalaki fortress along with the walls and corners of the fortress, which collapsed in several places. After this event, the Ottoman army stopped attacking.
Karvasla - caravanserai
Karvasla - this is the name of the next attraction of the city of Akhalkalaki in Georgia, which means a caravanserai. This is a rather small structure, also part of the Akhalkalaki fortress. This caravanserai was closed. The walls made it possible to repel the attack and withstand the siege, but not for too long. It was a rectangular building, inside of which was an open courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard was a well with drinking water. Inside were both people and animals - in this case horses. Here, human food and feed were stored in warehouses. Also inside were pens for animals. Like the above attractions, the caravanserai is now in very bad condition.
19th century Armenian church
The Armenian Church, which was built in the 19th century, is one of the main attractions of the city of Akhalkalaki in Georgia. This is one of the Christian churches of Georgia. Here you can get acquainted with all the features of the prayer of the Armenians. People come here on special days to pray. This church is completely different from the temples in Russia. You don’t need to read about it, you need to see it live to see the building of extraordinary beauty, to imbue with the national color and get acquainted with the Armenian religion. Tourists always pay special attention to this place.
Central square named after Mesrop Mashtots
The central square of Akhalkalaki named after Mesrop Mashtots is a very important part of the city. It is named after the Armenian scholar-linguist who created the Armenian and Georgian alphabets, was the founder of literature and writing of the Armenians. He opened the first national school, laid the foundation for the thought of pedagogy. He was an educator and preacher, translated the Bible, was engaged in translations and writing prayers. His role was huge. Thanks to Mesrop Mashtots, Armenian national unity was preserved. The years of his life - 361-440 BC. There are many legends about him that can be learned from the residents of the city of Georgia, Akhalkalaki. In his honor, a monument was erected on the central square near the House of Culture.
What else is surprising about this city?
The city of Akhalkalaki is rather small, but it has its own history, culture, religion, customs and traditions. In the center of the city is the Akhalkalaki Museum of Local Lore, which was created in 1973. In it you can see about forty thousand exhibits of the 19-20 centuries, as well as objects found during excavations by archaeologists. Visitors to this village are always struck to the core by its nature. In addition to attractions, on the territory of this small town there are nature reserves.
Tourists can take a walk along Didi Abuli Mountain or Tavshanka Hill, enjoying the fresh coniferous air of the forests. This city is located between two small rivers where you can swim in boats or kayaks, go down on them on a raft, catch fish. However, fishing is possible only outside protected areas. In Akhalkalaki, it is always quite cool, so unfortunately you won’t be able to swim and sunbathe. But here you can have a great time without it.