Tmogvi: Hotels and Accommodation
When searching for a hotel in Tmogvi, the place itself is the starting point. Tmogvi lies in the rugged landscape of the Mtkvari Valley, with high eroded cliffs, dry slopes, and settlement terraces that follow the natural relief. Tmogvi Fortress stands on an inaccessible rocky mountain on the left bank of the Mtkvari.
Culture
The Tmogvi fortress-town complex includes a domed church in the upper fortress, dating from the 13th to 14th centuries. The complex also contains a church, residential and agricultural buildings, a tunnel descending toward the Mtkvari, and two deep water cisterns.
Upper Tmogvi preserves an abandoned traditional Meskhetian settlement as well as the remains of traditional oda houses. The Upper Tmogvi Church is a national cultural monument dating from the 11th century. Vani Caves, a medieval cave monastery, is located in the surroundings of Tmogvi.
Outside Tmogvi Fortress, the Church of St. Ephrem is carved into the rock; its iconostasis was also carved from the rock. A second church beside the fortress gate preserves remnants of altar-area paintings and dates from the beginning of the 14th century.
History
Tmogvi controlled the historic caravan route that led from Byzantium through the Mtkvari Valley to Georgia. Tmogvi Fortress is first mentioned in written sources in connection with the Arab invasion of 914.
The archaeological settlement of Tmogvi extends along both banks of the Mtkvari. Remains of palaces have been preserved on each bank. The settlement also includes a three-room bathhouse made of stone and Georgian brick.
Landscape
The fortress town of Tmogvi lies between two gorges; ruins and defensive walls have been preserved on the rocky summit.
Routes
The Nakalakevi–Tmogvi Fortress–Upper Tmogvi–Chachkari route is described as a two-day itinerary and can be completed without special physical preparation or equipment. Along the way toward Chachkari are Early Bronze Age kurgan tombs, as well as wine presses, dwellings, and chapels carved into the rock.
The Khertvisi–Vardzia road runs through the Mtkvari Valley and passes Tmogvi Fortress. Tmogvi can be reached via the regional road through the Mtkvari Valley on the route between Aspindza and Vardzia; local roads connect settlements and upper plateaus.
For the broader travel overview: Samtskhe-Javakheti.
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