Fortress of Mere (Region of Samtskhe)
Fortress of Mere (Georg. მერეს ციხე, Tur. Mere kalesi) is located in the historical region of Georgia – Samtskhe (Georg. სამცხე), not far from the historical village of Mere (Georg. მერე), now Chakyrkoch (Tur. Çakırkoç), in the Posof district of modern Turkey. The fortification built on the right bank of the Potskhovistskali (Georg. ფოცხოვოსწყალი) received its name from the nearest village of Mere, located on the plain of the Potskhovistskali River. Mere Fortress was one of the most important fortifications in the area and served as a border fortress of the historical region.
The fortress is located on a rocky hill and the building plan of the castle is adapted to the topography of the mountain on which it is built. Today, only three large parts of the castle remain, which are largely destroyed. Several building layers can be seen in the walls. On the right side of the entrance, on a stone boulder built into the southwestern wall of the castle, a Georgian inscription is carved. To the southeast of Mere Castle, on a slope outside the walls, there is a dilapidated church. The church, which is a single-nave building, was built in the 10th century according to its design features. According to historians, the church is a small remnant of a previously existing monastery complex.
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