Fortress of Pharnaki (Region Tao)
Fortress of Pharnaki (Georg. ფარნაკის ციხე, Tur. Iriağaç kalesi) – located in the Georgian historical region – Tao (Georg. ტაო), north of the historical village of Pharnaki (Georg. ფარნაკი), now Iriağaç, at the confluence of the Bana River (Georg. ბანა) and Oltisi, in the province of Erzurum (Georg. კარნუ-ქალაქი), Turkey.
In terms of style and construction methods, it was built in the early Middle Ages. The walls of Pharnaki have a reddish tint and the Turks call it the Red Castle. The castle complex is well inscribed in the outlines of the rock. It is built on an elongated rocky hill surrounded by high whitewashed walls. Due to the difficult terrain, the castle has several levels. At the foot of the castle, in an open meadow, the ruins of a once vast palace, as well as a bathhouse with a spherical roof, have been preserved. A church was built on the edge of the cliff, one wall of which is a rock.
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