Galarsan-Gorarsan ( az, Gələrsən-Görərsən) is a fortress in

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

, built in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, ruins of which remain on the coast of the

Kish Kish may refer to: Geography * Gishi, Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan, a village also called Kish * Kiş, Shaki, Azerbaijan, a village and municipality also spelled Kish * Kish Island, an Iranian island and a city in the Persian Gulf * Kish, Iran, ...

River, about from Shaki city, on the summit of Garatepe Mountain.

History

Construction of the fortress is dated back to the 8th or 9th century. Gelersen-Gorersen was thoroughly consolidated and was used for defence. In translation from

Azerbaijani language Azerbaijani () or Azeri (), also referred to as Azeri Turkic or Azeri Turkish, is a Turkic language from the Oghuz sub-branch spoken primarily by the Azerbaijani people, who live mainly in the Republic of Azerbaijan where the North Azerbaija ...

the name of the fortress means “will come-will see”. An interesting episode from the history of

Shaki Khanate The Shaki Khanate ( fa, خانات شکّی, also spelled as Sheki Khanate, Shekin Khanate, Shakki Khanate) was one of the most powerful of the Khanates of the Caucasus, Caucasian Khanates established in Afsharid dynasty, Afsharid Iran, on the n ...

is connected to it. When the ruler of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Nader Shah Nader Shah Afshar ( fa, نادر شاه افشار; also known as ''Nader Qoli Beyg'' or ''Tahmāsp Qoli Khan'' ) (August 1688 – 19 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian h ...

, attacked Shaki Khanate in the 18th century,

Haji Chalabi Khan Haji Chalabi Khan (; 1703 1755), was a statesman, warlord, ruler and founder of Shaki Khanate. Origin Born to a certain landlord Gurban beg during the reign of Sultan Husayn in 1703, he was of noble birth. Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dic ...

, Khan of Shaki Khanate, secured in the fortress. When Nader Shah offered him to give in, Chalabi answered: “You will come and see”. The infuriated Nader Shah, who was not expected such an answer, decided to capture the fortress by force. In 1744, the

Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

approached the fortress with a great army, but couldn't capture it and fell back. Since then the fortress was famed as Gelersen-Gorersen. Gelersen gerersen2

References

Castles and fortresses in Azerbaijan Tourist attractions in Azerbaijan Monuments and memorials in Azerbaijan {{Castle-stub