Rabati Castle

Rabati Castle stands on a hill above the old quarter of Akhaltsikhe, the capital of Samtskhe-Javakheti, and is the main sight in town. Its walls enclose about 7 hectares, with an Orthodox church, the domed Akhmediye mosque with its minaret and madrasa, a palace of the Jaqeli princes, baths, watchtowers and terraced gardens. The complex was heavily rebuilt in 2011 and 2012, so much of the stone you see is new. Some visitors find the result too polished, but the views over the town are excellent either way.

Part of the complex is open to wander freely, while a ticket covers the upper citadel and the Samtskhe-Javakheti History Museum, which is part of the Georgian National Museum network. Come in the late afternoon, when the light is good for photos from the upper walls. Akhaltsikhe is also the natural overnight stop between Borjomi and Vardzia, with Sapara, Zarzma and Abastumani all within an hour.

A fortress called Lomsia stood here by the 9th century. By the end of the 12th century the town was known as Akhaltsikhe, 'new fortress', and from the 13th to the 14th century it was the seat of the Jaqeli family, rulers of the principality of Samtskhe-Saatabago. It held out against Tamerlane in 1393. The Ottomans took the region in the late 16th century, and in 1752 Haji Ahmed Pasha Jaqeli built the mosque. Russian troops under Paskevich stormed the fortress in 1828.