Замок царицы Тамары
2 reviews
April 28, 2020
"In the deep gorge of Daryal,
where the Terek digs in the darkness,
The ancient tower stood
black against the black rock.
In that high and narrow tower, Queen Tamara lived,
She is as beautiful as an angel of heaven,
as treacherous and evil as a demon."
For two millennia, the Caucasus had to defend itself from endless foreign /more often inter-communal/ invasions and raids. There are many military fortifications and fortresses here.Frequent wars, and most importantly time, have destroyed them, but some still remain in remote, hard-to-reach places.
The northern part of the Georgian Military Road runs along the Terek River, squeezed by almost vertical cliffs. This narrowest section of the path is called Daryal, from the Persian "Gate of the Alans". In ancient times, the Daryal Gorge was blocked by iron gates, but they were stolen by the warriors of the "Lame" Timur when they visited here.
With the light hand of M.Y. Lermontov, we all know the ruined building located in the gorge as the Castle of Queen Tamara / Tamar will be right, but we are used to writing /. The authors of "12 chairs" did not ignore this area either. The fortress was originally built during the period of the Georgian king Mirvan (162-112 BC), then it was repeatedly restored and rebuilt. Now it's a complete ruin.
By the way, there are over 10 ruins of fortresses and castles on the territory of Georgia and South Ossetia, which bear the name of Queen Tamara. There are many legends and mysteries associated with each of them. For several centuries, searches have been conducted for the grave of Queen Tamara and her husband David Soslan, where, according to eyewitnesses, there should be innumerable treasures. Until now, almost every year, some kind of expedition goes in search of it, and the "Black" diggers go there in droves. The latter often disappear, but this is not a mystical secret, but simply the locals do not like uninvited guests, and the mountains know how to keep their secrets.
And just for information. Tamara was married twice. The first husband, Yuri, the son of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky of Vladimir, married for political reasons, was expelled from Georgia. The second is the Ossetian warrior David Exiled, a love marriage, they are even buried together. One lifetime portrait of Queen Tamara has been preserved, but in very poor condition. In the 19th century, it was "restored" and rewritten, it turned out it was not clear what. Of course, this is not a portrait by our A.A. Shilov, or even by Rembrandt, but as it turned out, we have it.
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4
December 26, 2018
It's a little difficult to get along the mountain path, which also needs to be found... The fortress is located on the mountain opposite the Church of St. George (another landmark is the memorial of the 2nd World War). There is a dilapidated castle upstairs, beautiful views.
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