Narikala ( ka, ნარიყალა, ) is an ancient

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

overlooking

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

, the capital of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, and the

Mtkvari The Kura, also known in Georgian as Mtkvari ( ), is an east-flowing transboundary river south of the Greater Caucasus Mountains which drains the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus east into the Caspian Sea. It also drains the north side of ...

(Kura) River. The fortress consists of two walled sections on a steep hill between the sulfur baths and the botanical gardens of Tbilisi. On the lower court there is the recently restored St Nicholas church. Newly built in 1996–1997, it replaces the original 13th-century church that was destroyed in a fire. The new church is of "prescribed cross" type, having doors on three sides. The internal part of the church is decorated with the frescos showing scenes from both the Bible and the history of Georgia.

History

According to the legend, it was built by the king Vakhtang I Gorgasali of the ancient

Kingdom of Iberia In Greco-Roman geography, Iberia (Ancient Greek: ''Iberia''; ; Parthian: ; Middle Persian: ) was an exonym for the Georgian kingdom of Kartli or Iveria ( or ), known after its core province. The kingdom existed during Classical Antiquity and ...

. Archaeological studies of the region have, however, revealed that the territory of Tbilisi was settled by humans as early as the

4th millennium BC File:4th millennium BC montage.jpg, 400x400px, From top left clockwise: The Temple of Ġgantija, one of the oldest freestanding structures in the world; Warka Vase; Bronocice pot with one of the earliest known depictions of a wheeled vehicle; Kish ...

. The earliest written accounts of settlement of the location come from the second half of the 4th century AD, when a fortress was built during King Varaz-Bakur's reign (ca. 364). Towards the end of the 4th century, the fortress fell into the hands of the

Persians Persians ( ), or the Persian people (), are an Iranian ethnic group from West Asia that came from an earlier group called the Proto-Iranians, which likely split from the Indo-Iranians in 1800 BCE from either Afghanistan or Central Asia. They ...

, but was recaptured by the kings of Kartli by the middle of the 5th century. It was considerably expanded by the

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a membe ...

s in the 7th century and by king

David the Builder David IV, also known as David IV the Builder ( ka, დავით IV აღმაშენებელი, tr; 1073 – 24 January 1125), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the 5th king ('' mepe'') of the Kingdom of Georgia from 1089 until his de ...

(1089–1125), respectively. The

Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...

renamed it the "Narin Qala" (i.e., "Little Fortress"). Most of the extant fortifications date from the 16th and 17th centuries. Rostom, the

Safavid The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

-appointed vali/king of

Kartli Kartli ( ka, ქართლი ) is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari (Kura), on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial rol ...

, fortified the surroundings of the fortress and transferred control of the fortress to the Iranians. In 1827, parts of the fortress were damaged by an earthquake, and were subsequently demolished.

Gallery

Narikala fortress, Tbilisi, Georgia.jpg Tbilisi, Narikala, Georgia.jpg Narikala, Tiflis, Georgia, 2016-09-29, DD 91.jpg, View from the center of Tbilisi. Narikala, Tiflis, Georgia, 2016-09-29, DD 45.jpg, Wall at the rear part of the fortress. Kala, Tbilisi.JPG Narikala Tbilisi 2019 2.jpg Narika Tbilisi 2019 5.jpg Narikala, Tiflis, Georgia, 2016-09-29, DD 148-150 HDR.jpg, View by night. Iglesia de San Nicolás, Narikala, Tiflis, Georgia, 2016-09-29, DD 44.jpg, St Nicholas church. Iglesia de San Nicolás, Narikala, Tiflis, Georgia, 2016-09-29, DD 79-81 HDR.jpg, Interior of St Nicholas church.

References

External links

* {{YouTube, TfGuoX_AHuw, Narikala
Narikala on Geocities

Narikala on World66

Narikala on the official website of the City of Tbilisi
Buildings and structures in Tbilisi Castles and forts in Georgia (country) Tourist attractions in Tbilisi Military history of Tbilisi