Samshvilde

17 August 2017

Between the oldest towns of Georgia Samshvilde is without doubt one of the most memorized and exquisite because of its location, landscape, many important sites and rich historic past.   

Samshvilde has a long history. Caves, menhirs and settlements in its surroundings and old cemetaries near them are dated to the second half of the IV millennium – III millennium BC by archeological surveys. It’s not an accident that a chronicler names Kartlos as the builder of Samshvilde fortress – “Kartlos built the fortress of Orbi which is now called Samshvilde and King Pharnavaz made it a duchy and a town.” The Georgian Chronicles tells us that Sagdukht, mother of Vakhtang Gorgasali, “built Sioni of Samshvilde” in the V century. In the VII-IX centuries owners of Samshvilde were “relatives to Pitiakhshs”, desxendants of old Pitiakhshs. In the X-XIII centuries this town had several different patrons. In the beginning of XI  century Bagrat IV liberated the town but it didn’t stay at the hands of kings for long. By the end of XI century Giorgi II gave Samshvilde to the Duke of Kldekari Ivane son of Liparit as a sign of reconciliation and pardon. Not long after that the town was seized by Seljuks. In 1110 David the Builder retrieved Samshvilde again but gave it to Ivane Orbel in 1123 for winning wars. Samshvilde was at the hands of Orbelians for half a century then it became a royal town again.