Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Cultural Heritage Protection Agency of Adjara
PhD, Assistant Professor, Researcher
Batumi/Georgia
kqamadadze@gmail.com
Abstract
The present report examines the Khikhani Fortress, located in mountainous Adjara on the Adjara-Shavsheti border, which served as the ancestral residence of the Abuseridze family and constituted one of the region’s principal political and administrative centers. The Abuseridzes played a significant role in the historical development of Adjara during the 11th to 13th centuries. The Abuseridze family first appears in written historical sources in the 11th century. The earliest known representative of the dynasty is Ioane Abuseridze, the Eristavi of Artanuji, who is mentioned during the early years of the reign of King Bagrat IV. In the 11th century, alongside Khikhani Fortress, the Abuseridzes controlled several important strongholds, including the fortresses of Artanuji, Tsikhejvari, and Atskuri. In subsequent centuries, however, they gradually lost these military-administrative centers, and their authority became largely confined to Khikhani Fortress and the governance of Adjara.
Khikhani Fortress is situated at the headwaters of the Skhalta-Khikhanistskali River, approximately 125 kilometers from Batumi, on one of the branches of the Arsiani Range, along the Adjara-Shavsheti border, at an elevation of 2,236 meters above sea level. Owing to its natural setting, the fortress occupies an almost inaccessible location and commands an exceptionally advantageous strategic position. It effectively controlled several major trade and caravan routes extending in different directions. During the Middle Ages (11th-13thncenturies), Khikhani Fortress functioned as the residential and administrative center of the Abuseridze family. In the Late Middle Ages (17th-19th centuries), it became the principal stronghold of the Khimshiashvili family in Adjara.
Construction activity within the fortress continued throughout the medieval period. However, following the Mongol invasions of the thirteenth century, Georgia entered a period of severe political instability. These developments also significantly affected the Abuseridze family, who are only rarely mentioned in written sources from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries onward. Over time, the family gradually lost both its political authority and economic influence.
Archaeological evidence further demonstrates that traces of intensive occupation at Khikhani Fortress gradually disappear after the thirteenth century. Although the earlier structures continued to remain in use, no substantial new architectural additions were made to the fortress complex after this period.
Keywords: Middle Ages, Adjara, Khikhani Fortress.
(This work was supported by Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia (SRNSFG), GSDP-25-478) The Abuserisdze Palace and Family Church in the Village of Tkhilvana).