Abuli fortress

Abuli fortress, located on the south slope of lesser Abuli mountain, on latitude 2500 m above the sea level, is one of the most mysterious and not well-studied megalithic structures from the Bronze Age. The little Abuli mountain, which’s height reaches 2700 m above the sea level, is one of the volcanic mountains of the Samsari range. At the top, one of the extinct craters, according to rumors, there is a lake. The very top of the mountain is covered with gray stones, of which the Abuli fortress was built. The fortress has the shape of the ring. We can distinguish tower and living quarters inside the fort. Now in the area are no water sources. There are also no found cultural layers, although the excavations were not conducted seriously. In the current climatic conditions Abuli cleavage at such a height is not suitable for life, because of too low temperatures, although the Javakheti plateau everywhere are scattered ruins from different epochs, which show once active life in these parts, when the climate was warmer and softer. You can get to the castle from the village Gandzani (Ninotsminda district), driving along the dirt road through the pass and rounding the hill Abuli from the south. And from there one have to go by foot. Hiking to the top of Abuli takes around 1 hour. If trekking starts from the car road from Gandzani, then whole trek will take 6-8 hours.