“Let’s not drive through Tskhvarichamia. The road is too curvy and nauseating there,” our experienced fellow traveler warns us as we begin our journey to Tianeti. The other road is quite bumpy but it’s still better. They want us to be ready for everything. They say if we get there without complaining, then we’ll have no problem traveling through any road in Georgia.

There is a legend about Tianeti and the Iori river: At one time, the Tianeti plain was covered by a lake and people lived on the nearby slopes and mountains. One of those villages was Ikhincha, and now there is a shrine there. You can still see the ruins of the village. The people living nearby come here very often to celebrate the Ikhinchoba religious festival and pray. The legend has it that a fortune-teller living in Ikhincha took offence at one of the local priests. The priest had a son named Ioram and a daughter named Tinatin. The fortune-teller persuaded the people of the village that if they drowned the priest’s children in the lake, the bottom of the lake would open, the water would be gone and the people would be able to live in lowlands with more and better land to cultivate. So, one night the local people killed the priest’s children, and the next morning they awoke to see the lake completely gone. That is why they named the lowlands Tianeti and the river – Iori, after the names of the priest’s children.
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In Pudznari village, on the right side of the road, we see a church: In Georgia, almost every church and every shrine have their own unique history. According to legend, this church of Holy Godmother was built by Lasha-Giorgi, the son of the greatest Georgian monarch, Queen Tamar, to repent all of his sins. “After he seduced took away his bodyguard’s wife, he went to Armenia, brought hundreds of carts loaded with rocks from there and built this church. As the elders say, when tired and sad with the country’s internal and external problems as well as with the personal painful experiences, King Lasha-Giorgi came here from time to time and prayed.” My host tells me that the Pudznari Church of Holy Godmother is the only domed church in Dusheti municipality that was preserved to this day. For years, this church was in danger; the dome was damaged, the vaults were completely destroyed and the walls were in a very bad condition. However, in 2012, the authorities began the restoration works and the church is now in a very good shape.

From Pudznari we head to Tskhrakara fortress, but before that, our fellow-traveler invites us to taste some traditional food and drink. He says we must say a toast to this blessed land. Sure enough, we head to one of the restaurants and drink three toasts. Before our host gives the fourth, he tells a joke:

“There is a legend here that very few young people know. In ancient times, when God lived on earth, he saw that the people, whom he once expelled from Eden, were very tired and exhausted. So he decided to make their lives a little more interesting. After a while, he resolved to create a liquid, a drink that would take the people back to Eden, at least for a few hours. So, he invented wine for the people to go back to Eden in their dreams. After that, he invited all the angels and the devil to taste his new creation. They all liked wine, but the devil would not be the devil if he didn’t want to compete with God. So, he thought for a little while and created another drink – chacha, a Georgian version of vodka. After that he invited God to taste it. God drank one cup, then another and then another and said to the devil: ‘Let anyone who drinks three cups of this liquid or less be on my side and those who drink more, be yours.’ Even today, when the old people drink vodka, they say that the fourth cup is ‘devilish’ and you have to drink it very quickly and pass on to the fifth,” the old man named Duluzauri explains.

Our host says hen we must visit the Tskhrakara Fortress before sunset. This historical site was built in 10th century AD. When Georgia was partitioned into different principalities, this fortress, called Bodoji, became an important site. It was also known as the residence of the King of Kakheti. It was built by Kvirike III in the 10th century.

“You have to reach Tskhrakara before sunset,” the old man warns us. We see some fabulous things when we get there. The Tskhrakara castle was built in the 10th century, but only this fortress is preserved. You can see the entire village and nearby sites from above and it’s a spectacular view. We also see a cross that is stuck into the ground. It means that during religious festivals mixed with pagan traditions, people come here and pray.

After Tskhrakara, we head to Arkhali. It’s upstream, seven kilometers away from Tianeti, in the village of Duluzaurebi. Here, on the mountain covered with forests, the Arkhali fortress is built. It’s very possible that the legendary Bodoji Courtroom was here and not in Tskhrakara, because as the local people say, “Bodoji” stands for “cliff.”