The ancient Fortress of Narikala towers over the Old Town of Tbilisi and is one of the main attractions of the capital of Georgia. This fortress has existed since the 4th century, and the residents of the city call it the Heart of Tbilisi. You must visit this place to see the ruins of the fortress, as well as enjoy the beautiful views of the Old Town and the Botanical Garden.
The ancient capital of Georgia in the 4th century was Mtskheta, where in 326 Tsar Mirian III adopted Christianity as the state religion. As soon as King Vakhtang I Gorgasal was able to conquer the lands south of Mtskheta, in 458 he moved the capital of Georgia to Tbilisi. The key factor in this decision was a much more advantageous defensive location: on the left bank above the Kura rises the fortress of Narikala, and on the right rises the rock of Metekhi, where King Vakhtang built his palace, as well as the Temple of Metekhi.
Narikala Fortress has two levels. At the top of the hill is the Upper Fortress. The area of this fortress is small, but it was absolutely impregnable because of the high rocky cliffs. The lower fortress of Narikala was of key importance for the defense of the city. It was surrounded by powerful fortress walls and towers, which have partially survived to this day. The fortress of Narikala was never taken by storm, but the invasions of the Arabs, Khorezmians and Persians were so large that they captured vast territories of the country, and the defense of the fortress did not make sense.
In the 19th century, the fortress of Narikala no longer had defensive significance, since Georgia, according to the St. George`s Convention, became part of the Russian Empire. After the outbreak of the Caucasian War in 1817, a powder warehouse was set up in the church of St. Nicholas, which was located in the Lower Fortress. In 1827, an explosion occurred in the warehouse, which completely destroyed the church. In the same year, there was a strong earthquake in Tbilisi. It damaged the walls of the citadel. After that, the fortress of Narikala was no longer restored.
In the 1990s, the city authorities carried out the restoration of some of the fortress walls, and also restored the tower of the Ganja Gate. In 1996, the Church of St. Nicholas was built in the Fortress of Narikala on the site of the old church of the 12th century.
From Old Tbilisi to the Narikala Fortress, you can walk along Orbiri Street, which rises steeply up the hill. It stretches through the picturesque old quarters. In some places on this road, there are viewing points with beautiful views. You can also get there by cable car from Rike Park. The lower station is located near Europe Square. The best option would be to climb up on the cable car, and down on foot along the trail, then to walk around the Old Town.
