# The stone bridges of Ajara: 900 years, no mortar

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- Canonical: https://gtour.ge/the-stone-bridges-of-ajara-900-years-no-mortar/
- Author: Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze (GTour desk, Tbilisi)
- Published: 2026-09-15
- Updated: 2026-10-17
- Language: en
- Russian edition: https://gtour.ge/ru/the-stone-bridges-of-ajara-900-years-no-mortar/

Turn inland from Batumi up the Acharistskali river and the coast disappears in ten minutes. The road climbs through a gorge of chestnut and beech, past tea terraces and villages of wooden houses with wide balconies, and every few kilometres a bridge appears: a single high arch of grey stone, humpbacked, narrow, spanning the river or a side stream with the assurance of something that has stood a very long time. Most of them have. The bridges of mountain Ajara are among the oldest working structures in Georgia, and the best of them are 11th and 12th century.

### How they were built

No mortar. The masons cut local stone into blocks and laid them dry over a timber frame, or centring, in a single arch — sometimes twenty metres across and ten high — with the blocks tapered so that each one locks its neighbours in place; when the frame was removed the arch held itself up by its own weight, pressing outward into abutments cut into the rock of the gorge. The deck is a metre or two wide, paved with flat stones, with no parapet worth mentioning. A bridge built this way has no part that can rot, rust or loosen. It either stands or it falls, and these have stood through nine centuries of floods and earthquakes.

Who built them is not recorded. The bridges belong to the Georgian Golden Age, when Ajara was part of the united kingdom and this valley was a trade route from the coast over the Goderdzi pass to the interior; the masons were probably the same guilds that built the churches. The Ottomans, who ruled Ajara for three hundred years, kept them in use, and the villagers still cross them with donkeys, motorbikes and school bags.

### Which to see

The Makhuntseti bridge, thirty kilometres from Batumi in Keda district, is the most visited: a 20-metre arch beside a road and a waterfall, with a café, in the village of the same name — the easy one, and lovely. Dandalo, further up in the same district, is longer and higher and stands in a quieter setting. Tskhemlara and Purtio are smaller and off the road. In Shuakhevi district, the bridges at Chirukhi and Kokoleti reward the detour. Twenty-two are listed; some are still being found in side valleys.

### The valley around them

Mountain Ajara is a world of its own — Muslim villages with wooden mosques, tea and hazelnut on the terraces, honey and cheese for sale at the roadside, and a highland kitchen of corn bread, sinori and borano that has nothing to do with Batumi’s seafood. Keda has a small family winery reviving the Ajaran grape Chkhaveri; Khulo, at the top of the valley, has a cable car across the gorge and the road on to the Goderdzi pass and the ski resort. A day up the valley and back is the counterweight to a day on the beach.

### See it with GTour

The bridges, the waterfall, the Keda winery and Khulo are the second day of the [Batumi & the Ajara mountains tour](/tour/batumi-the-ajara-mountains-2-days/).

This story in Georgian — ქართულად: [shenidasveneba.ge](https://shenidasveneba.ge/the-stone-bridges-of-ajara-900-years-no-mortar-ka/)

### Quick answers

**How old are the stone bridges of Ajara?** Most of the best-preserved bridges date from the 11th and 12th centuries, placing them among the oldest working structures in Georgia. They were built during the Georgian Golden Age, when Ajara was part of the united Georgian kingdom.

**How were these bridges constructed without mortar?** Masons cut local stone into tapered blocks and laid them dry over a timber frame called centring, forming a single arch that could span up to twenty metres and reach ten metres high. Once the frame was removed, the arch supported itself through its own weight, pressing into abutments cut into the gorge rock, meaning there was no material that could rot, rust, or loosen.

**Who built the Ajara bridges?** The builders are not recorded, but they were likely the same guilds of masons who built the Georgian churches of the period. The bridges were later kept in use by the Ottomans, who ruled Ajara for three hundred years.

**Which bridge is the most visited and where is it located?** The Makhuntseti bridge is the most visited, located thirty kilometres from Batumi in the Keda district. It is a 20-metre arch set beside a road and a waterfall, with a café nearby in the village of the same name.

**Are there other notable bridges besides Makhuntseti?** Yes, Dandalo is further up the Keda district and is longer and higher than Makhuntseti, set in a quieter location. Tskhemlara and Purtio are smaller and off the main road, while Chirukhi and Kokoleti in Shuakhevi district are also worth the detour.

**How many of these bridges exist in total?** Twenty-two bridges are currently listed, though some are still being discovered in side valleys of the Ajara mountains.

**What else can visitors experience in the valley around the bridges?** The valley features Muslim villages with wooden mosques, tea and hazelnut terraces, and a highland cuisine of corn bread, sinori, and borano distinct from Batumi's seafood. Keda has a family winery reviving the local Chkhaveri grape, while Khulo at the top of the valley offers a cable car across the gorge and access to the Goderdzi pass and ski resort.

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