The medieval fortress of Ananuri is located at the entrance to the Daryal Gorge on the southern slope of the Caucasian ridge. It is located 70 kilometers north of Tbilisi. If you decide to visit the Daryal Gorge, then it is necessary to plan a stop at the Ananuri Fortress. 1 hour will be enough for you to explore the fortress and admire the views of the mountains and the Zhinvali reservoir.
The Daryal Gorge has remained an important Trans-Caucasian transport route for centuries. The Cross Pass (2379 m) is the lowest in the Central region of the Caucasian Ridge, so only here it was possible to create a road for caravans. An alternative route goes around the Caucasian Ridge through Derbent, along the shore of the Caspian Sea. But this route is 1.5 thousand kilometers longer.
Ananuri Fortress is located at the place where the small Vetzathevi River flows into the White Aragvi. On the western side, a rock protrudes into the valley of the Aragvi River. Here the road makes a bend. The creation of a citadel in this place made it possible to control a very important trade road, so the Georgian princes (Eristavs) in the 16th century decided to erect a fortress tower here. An even more ancient fortress, called the Castle of Queen Tamara, is located in the narrowest section of the Daryal Gorge, 10 km north of Stepantsminda village.
The first documentary mention of the Ananuri fortress dates back to the 1720s, however, the structure of some towers indicates that they were built about two centuries earlier. Ananuri Fortress began with a single square battle tower, which is now located inside the citadel. Some historians suggest that it could have appeared here in the 13th century. The fortress was used as the residence of local rulers, and in the 19th century, the garrison of Russian troops was located in the fortress of Ananuri.
There are two Christian temples in the Ananuri Fortress. The Assumption Cathedral was built in 1689. It was the time of the greatest pressure from Iran and Turkey to convert Georgia to Islam, so there are practically no Christian churches in Georgia at that time, but local princes built a large cathedral inside the Ananuri Fortress. Next to it is the Church of the Savior (the Church of the Virgin Mary). There is no exact information about the time of its construction, but historians believe that it appeared several decades before the Assumption Cathedral.
In the 18th century, the fortress acquired an appearance that has survived to this day, but now we can only see the upper part of the fortress. The buildings below are destroyed. The ancient city of Zhinvali was located below the fortress, however, in 1985 it was flooded as a result of the construction of the Zhinvali hydroelectric dam. Georgia needed electricity, so the authorities decided to flood a fairly large (by local standards) ancient city.
Alexander Pushkin in Ananuri Fortress
The story of Alexander Pushkin`s visit to the Ananuri fortress in 1829 has been preserved. According to local archives, Pushkin came to the fortress on foot from the neighboring village of Pasanauri, which is located 45 kilometers away. Some express surprise about such distances that Pushkin walked. However, if we recall the events in Pushkin`s life at this time, it can be understood.
Alexander Pushkin first saw Natalia Goncharova in December 1828 at the ball of the dance master Yogel. He fell in love with her and decided to woo her right away. In 1829, Pushkin, through Fyodor Tolstoy, sent a letter to his mother asking for her daughter`s hand in marriage. The answer was vague, although there was no refusal. Natalia was 16 years old at the time, and Pushkin was 30 years old. Her mother said she was too young to be married.
She hoped that her beautiful daughter would have other suitors and decided to wait. Upset, Pushkin left for the Caucasus, but returned a year later. In 1830, he again asked for the hand of Natalia Goncharova. Since there were no other suitors, the mother agreed to the marriage.
In this interval between the two matchmaking to Natalia Goncharova, Pushkin traveled to Georgia. Apparently, he was in such an emotional state that required long trekking in the mountains.
During the same trip, while in Tbilisi, Alexander Pushkin expressed his opinion about Sulfur Baths Abanotubani: "I have never met anything more luxurious than Tiflis baths either in Russia or in Turkey." Until now, these words are a good advertisement for a truly luxurious balneological complex, which is located in the very center of Old Tbilisi.
