Fortress · Tsikhisdziri, Mtskheta Municipality, Mtskheta-Mtianeti
Ksani Fortress
ქსნის ციხე · Mtkvari Fortress · Konstantinbati
A partly ruined fortress of the Mukhrani princes on Mount Sarkineti near Tsikhisdziri, commanding the meeting of the Ksani and Mtkvari rivers, with walls and towers largely from its 1746 rebuilding.
Where it is
41.8758, 44.5780
Why go
Prince Bagrat of Mukhrani raised the first fortress in the 16th century to control a trade route; once fighting had left it useless for defence, his descendant Konstantine Mukhranbatoni built anew over the ruins, finishing in 1746 and naming it Konstantinbati. Its towers, each a different shape, housed the garrison, and at the foot of one lie a water reservoir and a wine cellar with room for fifteen qvevri. Position is the draw: the fortress can be seen from Georgia's main east–west highway, and from its walls both river valleys open out. It makes a detour on the drive west from Mtskheta.
Near Ksani Fortress
Monastery
Shio-Mgvime Monastery
A working monastery in a narrow limestone gorge on the north side of the Mtkvari near Mtskheta, grown up around the cave where the 6th-century ascetic Shio spent his last years and was buried.
5 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Monastery
Samtavro Monastery
A working convent in the centre of Mtskheta around an 11th-century domed church where Georgia's first Christian king and queen are buried; part of the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta World Heritage property.
12 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Fortress
Bebris Tsikhe
A ruined hilltop fortress on the right bank of the Aragvi just north of Mtskheta, built to shut the town's approach from the Aragvi valley, with its citadel and lower yard still traceable.
12 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Church
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
The principal cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the centre of Mtskheta, rebuilt between 1010 and 1029 by the architect Arsukidze, and part of the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta World Heritage property.
12 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ