Agarani ( ka, აგარანი), also known as Kojori Fortress or Azeuli Fortress or Kor Ogli Fortress is a Georgian

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

fortress located near

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 ( ...

Kojori Kojori ( ka, კოჯორი ) is a small town (''Daba (settlement), daba'') in Georgia (country), Georgia, some 20 kilometers southwest of the nation's capital of Tbilisi. It is a so-called "climate resort" and home to several holiday homes o ...

Kvemo Kartli Kvemo Kartli ( ka, ქვემო ქართლი ) or "Lower Kartli", is a historic province and current administrative region (mkhare) in southeastern Georgia. The city of Rustavi is the regional capital. Location Kvemo Kartli is a region ...

region. In historical sources it is often referred to as "Agarata Fortress", which defended the main road to Tbilisi from the south, on the way of important caravan route. Ruin remains of the castle of Kojori

Geography

The fortress was built at the top of Azeuli Mountain (1350 m a.s.l.) on Didi Kedi Range of volcanic origin, a part of

Trialeti Trialeti ( ka, თრიალეთი ) is a mountainous area in central 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 Georg ...

mountains.

History

The fortress was mentioned in The Georgian Chronicles, but the time of its construction is unknown. In the 1060s King Bagrat IV took it over from

emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

Fadlon. During the "

Great Turkish Invasion In Georgian historiography, the Great Turkish Invasion, also translated as the Great Turkish Troubles ( ka, დიდი თურქობა, tr), refers to the continuous attacks and settlement of the Seljuq-led Turkic tribes in the Georgian ...

" (1080) the fortress was captured by the enemy, and that is when it received the name "Kor Ogli". This name was still used on Soviet topographic maps. In July 1118,

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 ...

besieged Agarani in one day, and in 1123 gave it to

Ivane Orbeli Ivane ( ka, ივანე) is a masculine Georgian given name. It is a cognate of the name John (given name), John. Notable people with the name include: *Ivane Abazasdze, Georgian feudal lord, a duke of Kartli under King Bagrat IV of Georgia *Iv ...

. The Orbelis later rebelled against the King Georgy III, and lost their possession. "Agarani Fortress" was a summer residence of Georgian kings. According to the

chronicles Chronicles may refer to: * Books of Chronicles in the Bible * Chronicle, chronological histories * ''The Chronicles of Narnia'', a novel series by C. S. Lewis * ''The Chronicles of Prydain'', a novel series by Lloyd Alexander. * ''Holinshed's Chro ...

Queen Tamar Tamar the Great ( ka, თამარ მეფე, tr , ; 1160 – 18 January 1213) reigned as the Queen of Georgia from 1184 to 1213, presiding over the apex of the Georgian Golden Age. A member of the Bagrationi dynasty, her position ...

was brought ill to Agarani and here she died, but her burial place is unknown. From 15th century the fortress belonged to Sologashvili family, when it was called "Kojori Fortress". According to Vakhushti Batonishvili, it was previously known as the "Azulula Fortress". In February 1921, the Georgian cadets of Officer School died in a battle against the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

, which happened by the fortress.

Bibliography

*D. Berdzenishvili, ''

Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia'' ( ka, ქართული საბჭოთა ენციკლოპედია, tr, ქსე) is the first universal encyclopedia in the Georgian language, printed in Tbilisi from 1965, the editor ...

'', I, p. 52, Tbilisi, 1975. Castles and forts in Georgia (country) Buildings and structures in Kvemo Kartli {{Georgia-struct-stub