Kveshi Castle

Kveshi Castle lies next to the village of the same name, in the Dmanisi municipality in the Kvemo Kartli region in Georgia.

Kveshi Castle probably already existed in the 7th century.

In 1187 it was given to Vardan Dadiani as a reward for his service in raids against the Seljuks and Eldiguzids, by the legendary Queen Tamar of Georgia. In 1191 Dadiani revolted by allying himself with Tamar's expelled ex-husband Yury Bogolyubsky. Tamar crushed the revolt, took the castle back from Dadiani and gave it to the Toreli family, who had supported her.

Through inheritance it went from the Toreli to the Javakhishvili family. They sold it in 1468 to Bagrat VI of Georgia. Later that century it went to the Baratashvili family.

During the second part of the 16th century the castle came into the hands of David XI of Kartli.

In 1795 the Qajars of Iran invaded Georgia. This left the eastern part of Georgia, amongst that also the area of Kartli, devastated. As a result Kveshi Castle was abandoned and fell to ruin.

In the early 19th century Georgia was annexed by the Russian Empire. During a rebellion by Prince Aleksandre of Georgia the castle was apparently restored as it was used to station Russian troops by the Russian Viceroy of Georgia; Alexander Tormasov.

Kveshi Castle was built on a rock in a valley, near the confluence of the Geta and Mashavera rivers, controlling the roads through this valley. The only entrance into the castle is through a tunnel carved out of the rock. Above the entrance to this tunnel used to be a lintel with a Georgian inscription which has now disappeared. Inside the castle there is a small church. The remains we see today mainly date back to the 17th/18th century.

At present Kveshi Castle is freely accessible. A very nice castle.

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