Askana Fortress

Askana was one of the strongholds of the Gurieli, the princes of Guria. It stands east of Ozurgeti on a wooded hill in the Bakhvistsqali valley — exactly where the road into the upper valley could be controlled. The fortress belongs to the late medieval period. The Gurieli used it as a residence and a refuge during the centuries when Guria lay between the Ottomans and Imereti and fighting was frequent. By the 18th century it had lost its military purpose and was gradually abandoned. What survives is ruin, and it is worth knowing that in advance: - Sections of curtain wall following the contour of the hill, in places two or three metres high - The base of a tower at the highest point - The remains of a cistern, the element a siege depended on, clearly readable - Vegetation — trees and ivy have taken the walls, and in summer they hide a good deal The merit here is not architecture but position. From the hill the valley opens in both directions and it becomes obvious why the fortress stands on this particular spur. It is the sort of monument that answers one simple question — why here? — with your own eyes rather than a panel. In spring and late autumn, when the leaf is off, the ruins read far better. In July and August the growth covers half the masonry.

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