Askana Fortress

Askana Fortress (Georgian ასკანის ციხე) is a medieval fortress in the Georgian region of Guria, in the Ozurgeti Municipality, in the village of Mtispiri. It lies on the right bank of the river Bakhvistsqali, between the mountains Delemuri and Tapuriati.

The fortress was built in the 4th century. In 1774 it was occupied by the Turks together with the fortresses of Likhauri and Bukistsikhe. In the same year Askana was retaken by the Imeretian king Solomon I and the prince of Guria Mamia I Gurieli. In 1805 the fortress was renovated by Kaikhosro Batonishvili; from that time on the former fortress functioned as the largest prison in the principality. In 1819 Ahmed Pasha Khimshiashvili attempted to capture the fortress. In 1828 it was occupied by Russian troops. Today Askana is severely damaged.

The fortress is built of stone. The height of the walls is six metres. The entrance to the fortress is on the south-west side. Inside the fortress are the ruins of a palace and a basilica.

Machine-translated from “Festung Askana” on the German Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Askana Fortress ranks #7,921 of 8,134 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #45 of the 46 mapped in Georgia. Founded c. 350, it is older than 97% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 9 atlas entries founded in the 4th century. 1 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Batumi, 54 km away. See how Georgia compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia (in German) ↗