Akhaltsikhe, was founded in the Middle Ages. Its name means “a new fortress” because the town’s fortress used to be the region’s most prominent landmark.
In 1579 it was a centre of the Ottoman Empire; then, during the Russian -Turkish war in 1828 – 1829, it was brought back to Georgia, which used to be a part of the Russian Empire Now, the vast recently renovated fortress of Rabati dominating the town from the north side of the Potskhovi River remains the main landmark of Akhaltsikhe. Its upper part includes the castle of the Jakeli family, where the Museum of Samtskhe-Javakheti region is situated; the Akhmediye Mosque, an orthodox church, an amphitheatre and a citadel.
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