Khornabuji Castle

Khornabuji Castle (Georgian: ხორნაბუჯი, romanized: khornabuji), also sometimes known as the Fortress of Tamar (Georgian: თამარის ციხე, romanized: tamaris tsikhe), is an ancient castle in the eastern part of Georgia. It is located approximately two miles / 3 kilometers north of Dedoplistsqaro in the region of Kakheti. The castle's ruined remains are located on the imposing Tsiv-Gombori Range. It was probably constructed, originally, at the end of the 1st millennium BC, at which time it was the only fortification controlling the valleys of the Iori and Alazani rivers.

Archeological works conducted during the 1970s in the area uncovered extensive evidence of a settlement that flourished in the flat land beneath the castle during and before the medieval period. The first surviving written records of it date back to the reign of Vakhtang I, during the 5th century. At that time, Khornabuji was one of the largest settlements in the Kakheti region. According to the chronicle, it was one of several places to which Vakhtang appointed a bishop after he had built the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral at Mtskheta.

Late in the 5th or early during the 6th century, Khornabuji was conquered by the Sasanians. It appears the surrounding town was destroyed, though something of the castle survived and the town once again reappeared on the area of flat ground to the south of the castle rock over the following centuries. During the thirteenth century, according to some sources, the castle was rebuilt on the instructions of Queen Tamar, although others suggest that references to Queen Tamara building a castle may have referred to a castle built at another site.

Text adapted from “Khornabuji Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Khornabuji Castle ranks #2,857 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #15 of the 39 mapped in Georgia. Founded c. 250 BC, it is older than 99% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 7 atlas entries founded in the 3rd century BC. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,169 times in the last 60 days, more than 52% of the atlas. The nearest day-trip guide is Ganja, 91 km away. See how Georgia compares in the castle statistics.

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