Modinakhe () is a Georgian fortress located high on the mountain in the city of
Sachkhere
Sachkhere ( ka, საჩხერე) is a town at the northern edge of the Imereti Province in Western Georgia. It is the center of the Sachkhere Municipality.
Farming is a major contributor to the economy of Sachkhere. Alva LLC estimates th ...
in
Imereti
Imereti ( Georgian: იმერეთი) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 munic ...
, Georgia. It is currently in ruins.
History
The exact date of its construction is unknown. For a long time, the Modinahe fortress served as a residence for the princes
Tsereteli
The Tsereteli family ( ka, წერეთელი), also known as Tsertelev (Russian), is a noble family in Georgia (and partly, a Russian noble family) which gave origin to several notable writers, politicians, scholars, and artists.
History ...
, until it was captured by the Russian army in 1810 in the course of
Russian conquest of the Caucasus
The Russian conquest of the Caucasus mainly occurred between 1800 and 1864. The Russian Empire sought to control the region between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. South of the mountains was the territory that is modern Armenia, Azerbaijan, Geor ...
. After that, it was abandoned, and in 1991 it was badly damaged by an earthquake, today there is large debris off the walls in the lower part of the mountain. The fortress is interesting as an observation platform and as a historical place.
Fortress name "Modi-nakhe", which means "to go and see", corresponds to the impregnable position of the castle, to which the enemy stands and looks at Modinahe (
Ibn Arabshah mentioned a certain fortress in Georgia, called "Come, look, returns").
References
Literature
* Nadiradze J., Archaeological monuments of the Kvirili Gorge, Tb., 1975;
* Soselia O., From the History of Feudal Georgia to Western Georgia, Tb., 1966;
* Beradze T., Nadiradze J., The Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia, vol. 7, p. 61, Tb., 1984.
{{Authority control
Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance of Georgia