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Fortress Petra The ruins of the ancient city-fortress of Petra date back to the 6th century BC. It was once one of the most important cities of the Lasika Kingdom (Part of Georgia) and an important base for the Byzantine Empire on the Black Sea. Today, not much of this historic city remains above ground, but those interested in history or early medieval architecture will find much to discover. Petra is also an ideal place for those looking for a site away from the tourist hotspots, or who simply want to enjoy great views of the sea and the Black Sea coast. The name Translated from the Greek, Petra means stone or rock. The fortress was actually built on a rocky mountain and was protected by walls as well as sheer cliffs. The site Petra is located in the Adjara region, in the village of Zikhisdsiri, not far from the town of Kobuleti. The Petra Complex The site covers an area of 7 hectares and consists of - The fortified wall and towers Defensive wall The defensive wall surrounded the entire complex and had several towers. It was built in two layers with a distance of 3 metres between them and a height of 10 to 12 metres. Two construction periods can be seen on the wall, from the 6th century and from the 18th century. Stone Palace In the southern part of the complex there is a relatively large house built of river stones. Only the ruins of the first floor of the house remain. Basilica of Petra In the central part of the complex was the bishop's church. This was a three-nave basilica from the 6th century, but after the Arab invasion the church was badly damaged and later rebuilt in the 10th century as a single-nave basilica. Under Ottoman rule, the church was converted into a storeroom. The southern side of the church has been razed to the ground, but fragments of three other sides of the church remain. The church was originally frescoed and fragments of the fresco can still be seen on the north-west corner. The baths The ruins of two baths have been preserved in the Petra complex: Columns, rooms with small pools and remains of the domed roof can still be seen. The walls of the baths are preserved to a height of about one metre. Economic buildings To the southwest of the church are the ruins of a narrow building. According to scholars, this was a storage room for produce. History of Petra The Petra area was inhabited as early as the Stone Age, and in the 2nd century AD a fortified settlement was established here as part of the Lasika kingdom. In the 6th century, during the Byzantine-Persian War, one of the causes of which was the rebellion in the Lasika Kingdom, Emperor Justinian I built new defensive walls and expanded Petra. According to the Greek historian Procopius of Caesarea, there was already an "insignificant" fortress on the site. Immediately after its construction, several battles between Byzantium and Persia took place in the fortress of Petra, as the political and economic expansion of Byzantium, or Persia (then the Sassanid Empire), in the southern Caucasus was largely dependent on the control of Petra. Petra controlled the eastern part of the Black Sea and the fleet of the Byzantine Empire. Important roads connected Georgia with the provinces of Byzantium, Iran and other parts of Georgia. The importance of Petra for Georgia is further underlined by the existence of the Episcopal Church in the complex. After the Arab invasion between 736 and 738, Petra and many other Georgian cities were destroyed. From the 10th century, after the unification of Georgia, Petra is no longer mentioned as a city, but as a fortified complex that played an important role in Turkish raids. At the beginning of the 18th century, Petra was conquered by the Ottomans and the site was rebuilt. Under Ottoman rule it was very well fortified and every attempt by Georgia to liberate the fortress was unsuccessful. During the Crimean War from 1853 to 1856, 25 cannons and a large Ottoman garrison were stationed in Petra. After the Treaty of Berlin between Tsarist Russia and the Ottoman Empire in 1878, Petra became part of Georgia again. At the end of the 19th century, the western part of the fortress was blown up during the construction of the Batumi-Baku railway. The whole complex was badly damaged and has never been restored. Archaeological excavations at Petra Several excavations have been carried out at the site of Petra and numerous artefacts dating from the Bronze Age to the 10th century AD have been found. Exhibits from Petra are on display in the National Museum of Georgia and the Hermitage in St Petersburg. The most valuable find from Petra dates from 1904 and is known as the "Treasure of Zichisdsiri". It consists of several finely worked gold earrings, necklaces and rings, some with precious stones, as well as coins and small sculptures from the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC. It is also interesting to note that after Petra became part of Georgia again, a Russian-Georgian garrison was stationed there for a short time and while digging trenches the soldiers found several graves with artefacts, most of which are now on display in the Hermitage in St Petersburg. Museum of Petra Since 1989, the Petra Museum has been operating on the site of Petra, displaying artefacts found in Petra from the Bronze Age to the Early Middle Ages. The museum is open every day from 10.00 to 18.00. Entrance is free (from 2023) |
