Ananuri: the fortress on a lake that shouldn’t exist

By Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze, MD, MPH, PhD · 15/09/2026

Updated 17 October 2026

Ananuri is the first stop on the road north, and for most visitors the first Georgian fortress they see: two churches, a tower, a curtain wall with battlements, all in warm stone above water so blue it looks retouched. It is one of the most photographed places in the country, and the photograph is a fiction — a beautiful one.

The fortress

Ananuri was the seat of the Dukes of Aragvi, the family that ruled this valley from the 13th century and controlled the road to the pass. The complex you see is mostly 17th century: a large church of the Assumption, built in 1689 and carved on its south wall with a cross rising from a vine, two winged lions and a grapevine — Georgian stone-carving at its most confident; a smaller, older church beside it; and a square tower with a peaked roof in the Khevsur style, the oldest structure, from which the dukes watched the valley.

The dukes were not loved. In 1739 a rival clan, the Shanshes, stormed Ananuri, set fire to the tower with the ducal family inside, and ended the line. Some of the burn marks are still visible. Four years later the peasants of the Aragvi rose against the next set of masters and the king took the valley for himself. Ananuri became a royal garrison, then a Russian one, then nothing.

The lake

For three hundred years the fortress stood above a river gorge with the village of Ananuri below it. In 1986 the Soviet authorities dammed the Aragvi at Zhinvali to supply Tbilisi with water and power. The village was moved; the valley filled; the fortress found itself on a shore. The reservoir is the reason the water is that colour — glacial meltwater, held still — and the reason the view exists at all. The drowned village is still down there. In dry autumns, when the level falls, its church tower appears.

What to do there

Forty-five minutes is enough: the carved facade, the frescoes inside the large church (17th-century, heavily damaged, with a Last Judgement worth finding), and the climb up the tower for the view over the wall to the water. There is a small market at the gate for churchkhela and honey. In summer, boats run on the reservoir from the far shore.

See it with GTour

Ananuri is the first stop on every GTour journey north: the Kazbegi day trip, the two-day journey and the Gudauri escape.

This story in Georgian — ქართულად: shenidasveneba.ge

Quick answers

What is Ananuri? Ananuri is a fortress complex in Georgia that served as the seat of the Dukes of Aragvi, who ruled the valley from the 13th century and controlled the road to the mountain pass. The complex, mostly built in the 17th century, includes two churches and a tower, and is one of the most photographed sites in the country.

Why does Ananuri sit on a lake? The lake is not original to the fortress; it was created in 1986 when Soviet authorities dammed the Aragvi River at Zhinvali to supply Tbilisi with water and power. The resulting reservoir flooded the village below and left the fortress standing on a shoreline, with the striking blue color coming from still glacial meltwater.

What happened to the village that used to be below Ananuri? The village of Ananuri once sat in the river gorge beneath the fortress but was relocated and submerged when the Zhinvali dam created the reservoir in 1986. The drowned village remains underwater, though in dry autumns when the water level drops, its church tower can reappear above the surface.

What are the main structures at the Ananuri complex? The site includes the large Church of the Assumption, built in 1689 and decorated with carvings of a cross, vine, and winged lions; a smaller, older church next to it; and a square watchtower with a Khevsur-style peaked roof, which is the oldest structure on site. The tower was used by the Dukes of Aragvi to watch over the valley.

What happened to the Dukes of Aragvi who built Ananuri? The ducal line ended violently in 1739 when a rival clan, the Shanshes, stormed the fortress and set fire to the tower with the ducal family trapped inside; burn marks from this attack are still visible today. Four years later, local peasants rebelled against their new rulers, prompting the king to take direct control of the valley, after which Ananuri became a royal garrison and later a Russian one.

What can visitors do at Ananuri today? A visit of about forty-five minutes allows time to see the carved facade and 17th-century frescoes inside the large church, including a notable Last Judgement scene, and to climb the tower for views over the reservoir. There is also a small market at the entrance selling churchkhela and honey, and boats operate on the reservoir from the far shore in summer.

How can travelers visit Ananuri as part of a tour? Ananuri is included as the first stop on every GTour journey heading north from Tbilisi, including the Kazbegi day trip, the two-day journey, and the Gudauri escape.