Narikala Fortress

Dominating the city skyline (until the TV tower came along, anyway), Narikala Fortress is an ancient symbol of Tbilisi’s defensive brilliance. The fortress walls date from various periods, the earliest from the 4th century, when it was a Persian citadel. The foundations of the towers and most of the present walls were built in the 8th century by the Arab emirs, whose palace was inside the fortress. Subsequently Georgians, Turks and Persians captured and patched up Narikala, but in 1827 a huge explosion of the Russian munitions stored here ruined not only the fortress but also the Church of St Nicholas inside it. The church was rebuilt in the 1990s with the help of funding from a police chief. There are superb views over Tbilisi from the top of the fortress.