Rabati Fortress in Akhaltsikhe: what to see, how to visit

Rabati is a fortress in the town of Akhaltsikhe in southern Georgia and one of the country’s most striking castles after its restoration. Its look is unusual for Georgia: Georgian walls and towers stand side by side with a mosque, a minaret and eastern courtyards - a legacy of three centuries under the Ottoman Empire.

Why the fortress is famous

General view of Rabati Fortress in Akhaltsikhe — Rabati Fortress in Akhaltsikhe - a large castle complex in southern Georgia. Photo: Jaba1977 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

The fortress was founded as far back as the 9th century under the name “Lomsia”; its origins are linked to Guaram Mampali, son of the ruler of Tao. In the 12th century the name Akhaltsikhe - “new fortress” - took hold, and in the 13th-14th centuries the town was the capital of the principality of Samtskhe-Saatabago, ruled by the Jaqeli family.

From 1590 Akhaltsikhe passed under the control of the Ottoman Empire and remained Turkish for almost two and a half centuries - until 1828, when Russian troops took the town. It was the Ottoman period that gave the fortress its eastern character: in 1752 a mosque with a minaret and a madrasa were built here. Today the whole complex covers around 70,000 m² and combines a church, a mosque, a citadel and residential quarters.

What to see inside

Inner courtyard of Rabati Fortress — The inner courtyards and buildings of Rabati Fortress. Photo: Karelj / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

The heart of the fortress is the upper citadel, with its towers, courtyards, old baths and water cisterns; from here, too, there are views over the town and the surrounding hills. The main landmark is the 1752 mosque with its minaret, with a madrasa standing beside it. There is also an Orthodox church on the grounds.

Mosque with a minaret inside Rabati Fortress — The mosque with its minaret - the fortress's main eastern landmark. Photo: Henri Bergius / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

The restored complex houses the museum of Samtskhe-Javakheti history, and gardens and terraces with arcaded galleries are laid out between the buildings. The site is divided into two parts: the lower, “town” part, with its lanes, shops and cafés, is open freely; entry to the upper citadel with the museum is by ticket (check prices and hours on site).

The 2011-2012 restoration

Walls and towers of Rabati Fortress after restoration — After the 2011-2012 restoration the walls and citadel were put back in order. Photo: Soghomon Matevosyan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Rabati owes its present-day look to the major restoration of 2011-2012, on which the state spent around 34 million lari. The fortress walls, citadel, streets, façades and roofs were all put in order and the infrastructure rebuilt - and the fortress went from a ruin to one of the main tourist sites of southern Georgia. The restoration was free in its interpretation, and some of the buildings look like new-builds, but the scale and the views are impressive.

How to get there

Rabati Fortress seen from the town of Akhaltsikhe — Rabati Fortress is clearly visible from the town below. Photo: I kynitsky / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

The fortress sits right within Akhaltsikhe and is easy to spot from the town. From Tbilisi it takes about 3.5-4 hours by car or marshrutka, usually via Borjomi

from there it is around 50 km to Akhaltsikhe. Akhaltsikhe makes a handy base: from here people drive on along the Mtkvari valley to the cave town.

Nearby

From Akhaltsikhe people drive along the Mtkvari valley to the cave town of Vardzia, and to the north lies the resort of Borjomi with its mineral water and park. The easiest way to take in these places is by car - for how to rent one, see the car hire section; more places across the country are gathered in the things to see section.

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