Abuli Fortress (Region of Samtskhe – Javakheti)
Abuli Fortress (Georgian: აბულის ციხე) – The megalithic fortress built presumably during the Bronze age. The walls and towers are built of flat stones, using a dry masonry technique. Very large stones are also found in the masonry. The fortress is located on the mountain – Patara (Small) (Georgian: პატარა აბული), which is an extinct volcano, at an altitude of 2650 meters above sea level. The slopes of the mountain are dotted with gray and brown rocks, mostly flat, suggesting fossilized lava.
The fortress is in the shape of a ring. You can distinguish the towers and living quarters inside the fortress. The walls are thick. The original height is unclear – part of the wall has collapsed. Often, among the ruins of buildings, there are peculiar bowls – stones with a depression, reaching a diameter of one meter. It can be assumed that they were used for water replenishment. The whole building has a rather complex plan and rather resembles a city gradually formed behind several rows of defensive walls. The height of the passages in the walls is small – about 1.5 meters, their width is limited by the natural length of the slabs from which the floor was made.
Mountain Patara Abuli (Georgian: პატარა აბული), Municipality Akhalkalaki (Georgian: ახალქალაქის მუნიციპალიტეტი)
