Ananuri Fortress

Ananuri is where everyone stops on the way to Kazbegi, and deservedly so. The fortress stands on a rocky spur above the Zhinvali reservoir, its lower walls dropping straight into turquoise water, and the whole composition looks almost staged.

The site developed from the 13th century onwards, but what stands today is largely 17th century. It was the seat of the Dukes of Aragvi and a defensive knot controlling the Aragvi valley — in other words, the only road north. In 1739 the rival Duke of Ksani besieged and burned it; scorch marks are still visible on the tower walls.

Three main structures sit inside the curtain wall:

• The Church of the Assumption (1689), with lavish stone carving on its south facade, a vine cross and two lions
• The older, plainer Church of the Virgin, with fragments of fresco surviving inside
• The square keep, climbable by internal stairs, with a full view over the reservoir from the top

The carving on the Assumption facade deserves a slow look; it is among the best examples of late medieval Georgian decoration anywhere. Water levels change through the year: in spring the reservoir laps close to the walls, while by late summer it drops and leaves a wide band of exposed shoreline.