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Fortress Interior, lower floor.
Mid Spring year 203.
A back entrance has been added, complete with two guard dogs. After the death of our ranger, catacombs were hastily carved under the main floor. A waterfall flows through the central hole in each of the apartment levels. If you look carefully, you can see water in the chasm where the falls empty out a couple levels down.
Akhaltsikhe (Rabati) Castle (Georgian: ახალციხის (რაბათის) ციხე) is a medieval fortress built in the 9th century under the name "Lomsia Castle" in the city of Akhaltsikhe in southern Georgia, recently globally reconstructed. One of the main attractions of the Samtskhe-Javakheti region along with Vardzia.
The original name of the fortress in the 9th century was Lomsia, which can be translated from Georgian as "Lion". At the end of the 12th century, Lomsia acquired the new name Akhal-tsikhe, which literally translates as “New fortress”,the name "Rabati" which is sometimes used for this castle, mostly is used after restoration and it is a of Jewish/Arabic origin and means any fortified place. Rabati was usually called the trading quarter at the fortress, earlier mainly Jewish merchants and craftsmen lived in the Rabat quarter, however mainly after reconstruction the name stuck to the all fortress itself.[4][5] On the official web site of municipality of Akhaltsikhe town and on the official Facebook page of the fortress the name is "Akhaltsikhe (Rabati) Castle" was used or just "Akhaltsikhe Castle."[6] In most of all historical documents castle is mentioned as Akhaltsikhe castle[7]
According to the Georgian Chronicles the city was established in the 9th century by Guaram Mampali, son of the King of Tao. At the end of the 12th century Lomsia turned into a real city with the new name Akhal-tsikhe (New Fortress), which in addition to the fortress had a serious system of city-wide fortifications – high walls, guarded entrance gates and watch towers. From the 13th to the end of 14th centuries it was the capital city of Samtskhe-Saatabago, ruled by the Georgian princely (mtavari) family and a ruling dynasty of the Principality of Samtskhe, the House of Jaqeli.[8]
In 1393 the city was attacked by the armies of Tamerlane. Despite the Turko-Mongol invasions, the fortress withstood and continued to thrive. After the Treaty of Constantinople in 1590, the whole territory of Samtskhe-Saatabago came under the rule of Ottoman Empire.
Metropolitan John writes in the late 18th century that "despite the fact that a large part of the population has been Islamized, there's still a functioning Orthodox church." After the Treaty of Georgievsk between the Kingdom of Kartli and the Russian Empire was signed, the question of the fate of Akhaltsikhe. The first attempt to take the fortress in 1810 failed. However, Prince Paskevich successfully stormed the fortress 18 years later, in the great Battle of Akhaltsikhe. After the Treaty of Adrianople in 1829, the Ottomans yielded this part of Akhaltsikhe Region.
The fortress and its adjacent buildings were extensively rebuilt and renovated in 2011–2012 in order to attract more tourists to the area.
April 20, 2015 - Belogradchick Fortress or "Kaleto is one of the most preserved fortresses in Bulgaria. In the 1st – 3rd century, the Romans kept a fortress here to guard the strategic paths, which were crossing the area, using the advantage of the rock’s natural ability of hindering accessibility. Located on the north slopes of the Balkan Mountains, the fortress was used in ancient times, first by the Roman’s as part of their defensive blockade and subsequently by the Byzantine Empire. The fortress was extended by the Bulgarians. Its significance grew after the separation of Vidin’s Kingdom, including the territories of today’s North-West Bulgaria, parts of East Serbia and South-East Romania. The fortress, named Belgrad at that time, was one of the last fortresses to be taken over by the Turks at the end of the 14th century. They placed a garrison here, which played a key part in the defense of the country’s West areas and crushed the Bulgarians’ revolts. In the period since 1805 till 1837, the Kaleto Fortress was extended and reconstructed to allow the use of fire guns under the supervision of French and Italian engineers. The memorial plaques after the construction are written both in Bulgarian and Turkish – the unique case in the history of Turkish fortresses’ constructions. The extension included 3 courts (all of them with the capability of defending independently) located in a total area of 10 211 sq. meters, and one separate fortification. There are two main gates – Vidin Kapia and Nish Kapia. The fortification’s walls, which are 10 meters high, were added with gun embrasures. For the cannons, 3 bastions were built, each allowing the use of 15-16 cannons. In wartime, the number of the fortress’ defenders and the surrounding hills reached up to 3000 people. Part of Bulgarian Tourist Union’s “100 National Tourist Sites”: Belogradchik Rocks and Fortress" Text taken from: www.belogradchik.biz/belogradchik/attractions/kaleto.en.html
Akershus Fortress (Norwegian: Akershus Festning) or Akershus Castle (Norwegian: Akershus slott) is a medieval castle that was built to protect Oslo, the capital of Norway.
Built in the second half of the 18th century by Sweden on a group of islands located at the entrance of Helsinki's harbour, this fortress is an especially interesting example of European military architecture of the time.
Edinburgh Castle is a castle fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear. There has been a royal castle here since at least the reign of David I in the 12th century, and the site continued to be a royal residence until the Union of the Crowns in 1603. As one of the most important fortresses in the Kingdom of Scotland, Edinburgh Castle has been involved in many historical conflicts, from the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century, up to the Jacobite Rising of 1745, and has been besieged, both successfully and unsuccessfully, on several occasions. From the later 17th century, the castle became a military base, with a large garrison. Its importance as a historic monument was recognised from the 19th century, and various restoration programmes have been carried out since.
Few of the present buildings pre-date the Lang Siege of the 16th century, when the medieval fortifications were largely destroyed by artillery bombardment. The notable exception is St Margaret's Chapel, the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh, which dates from the early 12th century.[1] Among other significant buildings of the castle are the Royal Palace, and the early-16th-century Great Hall. The castle also houses the Scottish National War Memorial, and National War Museum of Scotland.
Although formally owned by the Ministry of Defence, most of the castle is now in the care of Historic Scotland, and it is Scotland's most-visited tourist attraction.[2] Although the garrison left in the 1920s, there is still a military presence at the castle, largely ceremonial and administrative, and including a number of regimental museums. It is also the backdrop to the annual Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and has become a recognisable symbol of Edinburgh and of Scotland.
Приозерск. Крепость Корела. Круглая воротная башня Ларса Торстенссона. Старый арсенал (артиллерийский дом). / Priozersk. Korela fortress. Round gate tower Lars Torstensson. Old Arsenal (artillery house).