Artanuj

Artanuj is a fortified city in southwestern Georgia, in historical Klarjeti, on the left bank of the Artanujistskali river. The name derives from Laz language — Artanish-Uji, which means “edge of Ardahan”. According to Georgian sources, King Vakhtang Gorgasali (5^th century) entrusted the construction of a fortress on the rock of the village of Artanuj to Artavaz, the son of his nursemaid, and appointed him as the prince there. The king intended to keep the fortress as a royal shelter in case of emergency. In the first half of the 8^th century, Artanuj was destroyed by the Arab commander Marwan Ibn Muhammad; In the 9^th century, it was restored by Ashot I the Great (Couropalate). He built a church named after the apostles Peter and Paul in the fortress, and built a city at the foot of it.

Ashot I Couropalate is buried in the church of Artanuj fortress. According to the 10^th century Byzantine source (Constantine Porphyrogenitus), Artanuj was strongly fortified and had a large rabati (residential area, market). At that time goods came here from Trabzon, Iberia, Abasgia, Armenia and Syria. The Klarjeti branch of the Georgian Bagrations carried the title of Artanujian. The noblemen of Artanuj were loyal servants of the Georgian king and provided great help to him in the fight against Baghuashi (11^th century). From the 13^th century, Artanuj was under the rule of Atabeg of Samtskhe. In 1553, it was seized by the Turks.

Source: ქათიბ ჩელების ცნობები საქართველოსა და კავკასიის შესახებ, გ. ალასანიას გამოც., თბ., 1978; ქართლის ცხოვრება, ს. ყაუხჩიშვილის გამოც., ტ. 1, თბ., 1955; ჩილდირის ეიალეთის ჯაბა დავთარი. 1694 – 1732 წწ. ც. აბულაძის და მ. სვანიძის გამოც., თბ., 1979.

Literature: შანიძე ა., თხზ. თორმეტ ტომად, ტ. 2, თბ., 1981; ჯანაშია ს., შრომები, [ტ.] 5, თბ., 1987.

D. Berdzenishvili