Fortress · Sagarejo Municipality, Kakheti
Ujarma Fortress
უჯარმის ციხე · Ujarma
A fortress town on a rocky ridge above the right bank of the Iori near the Gombori Pass, founded under King Aspagur and made a royal residence by Vakhtang Gorgasali in the fifth century.
Where it is
41.8108, 45.1536
Why go
The fortress closed the narrow outlet of the Iori, which is why a king of Kartli fortified this ridge in the third or fourth century and why Vakhtang Gorgasali later extended it into a royal residence; he is recorded as having died here of his wounds. The upper citadel keeps strong walls and towers, with a two-storey royal palace on its eastern side and a two-storey church, while the remains of the lower town lie below. Ujarma was damaged in the Arab invasions of the tenth century and restored under King George III in the twelfth, before Mongol domination reduced its importance. Georgia's tourism administration counts it among the sights of the Gombori road into Kakheti.
Near Ujarma Fortress
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Monastery
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Church
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Historic site
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29 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ