History of Samshvilde

Samshvilde stands on the cliffs overlooking the Khrami River, which, over millennia, has carved a deep canyon through the rock. From the north, another small river joins the Khrami, creating an additional canyon. Between these canyons lies a narrow strip of land where, long ago, even before the Common Era, a city was established. In the mythological section of the chronicle of Leonti Mroveli, it is said that Kartlos, the legendary ancestor of the Georgians and founder of the kingdom of Kartli, built the first city of the region, Armazi, and then the second, Orbē, which by the time of Mroveli (the 11th century) was already known as Samshvilde. Thus, in the mythological consciousness of the people, Samshvilde was considered the second city of Iberia, after Armazi.

In the 5th century, Samshvilde became the center of the Eristavi (governorship), and King Archil gifted it to his son, Mirdat, who settled there with his wife. She built the early version of the Sion Cathedral in the city, and Mirdat became the father of Vaktang Gorgasali. Thus, it is possible that Samshvilde is the birthplace of Gorgasali.

A bit later, in the 7th century, a temple was constructed in the city, modeled after the Tsromi Cathedral, and it came to be known as the Samshvilde Sion.

In the mid-7th century, the city fell within the boundaries of the Arab Caliphate, although semi-independent Iberia and Armenia still existed at that time. In 750, the “Abbasid Revolution” took place, with the Abbasid dynasty overthrowing the Umayyads. This resulted in a tightening of internal policies, a reduction in the rights of autonomous regions, and several raids to suppress uprisings. Around 100 years later, the city came under the control of the Armenian Kingdom of Ani.

In 978, the Armenian prince Gurgen broke away from the Kingdom of Ani, establishing the Tashir-Dzoraget kingdom and declaring Samshvilde its capital. For nearly a century, the city maintained its status as the capital, only for King David the Landless to move the capital to the city of Lori in 1065. Interestingly, Lori’s geography is remarkably similar to Samshvilde’s — with identical canyons and fortification systems, a nearly exact replica.

Another century later, the region was incorporated into Georgia for nearly five centuries. During their first visit to Georgia in 1220, the Mongols, traveling from Ganja, ascended the Khrami River to Samshvilde before turning back.

The city was likely thoroughly looted in the following years. The Armenian author Kirakos Gandzaketsi writes, “The same fate befell other cities — Dumanis, Shamshoylte, and the capital Tbilisi, where everything was looted and captured, the inhabitants massacred or taken captive.” His mention of Shamshoylte bears a striking resemblance to Samshvilde.

The next major blow to the city came with the invasion of Jihan-Shah, the last ruler of the Kara Koyunlu state. King Alexander attempted to refuse paying tribute, which led to a punitive raid: in the spring of 1440, a 20,000-strong army besieged the city, holding it for 50 days before capturing it through deceit on Easter, March 27. The Turkmen destroyed the city and killed nearly all its inhabitants — about 10,000 people. It is said that the heads of the slain were used to build a tower of considerable height. This was the same Jihan-Shah who later built the famous Blue Mosque in Tabriz.

In the 16th century, the Persian army passed through these lands several times, but the city was not destroyed. In 1578, the Turks arrived and destroyed the Sion Cathedral. The subsequent history of the city is poorly documented. At some point, it was abandoned by its inhabitants.