Skhvilo Fortress (Region of Shida Kartli)
Skhvilo Fortress (Georgian: სხვილოს ციხე) – One of the main fortresses of the late feudal era in the territory of Shida Kartli, was of great national importance. Built on a mountain ridge, the castle towers over the Lekhura Valley (Georgian: ლეხურა) and the wide Tirifoni Plain (Georgian: ტირიფონი). The builders took into account the fact that there was little hope for the natural defense of the castle, so they made the walls of the castle more durable, the height of which in some places reaches ten meters, the thickness is two meters. Taking the castle for the technology of that time was quite difficult. According to the plan, the castle is close to the shape of a long rectangle. A powerful structure with two quadrangular towers, built of cobblestone. Each tower stands in narrow wings. Both towers were supposed to be five-story.
The only entrance to the castle is from the west, its height is two meters, probably, it was possible to get inside by an attached wooden ladder. The walls of the fence are two meters thick, reach a height of 14 meters, have several tiers and end with battlements. Under the battlements there was a wooden battle path on consoles. At its level there were loopholes and machicolations. The inner territory, divided by walls into several parts, is entirely occupied by numerous buildings of different periods. The walls and towers of the castle are contemporaries, and the internal buildings were built comparatively later. Among the buildings, the church stands out, having two floors due to the cramped courtyard area. Not far from it is a reservoir for water, supplied there by a water supply. Externally, the castle looks quite impressive. In some places, enemy holes and mines are still clearly visible.
Skhvilo Mount (Georgian: სხვილოს მთა), Kaspi Municipality (Georgian: კასპის მუნიციპალიტეტი)
