Battle of Didgori
Battle of Didgori (1121) was fought between the Georgians army, led by David IV the Builder, and the army of Seljuk Empire, on the Didgori Valley (near Manglisi, on the outskirts of Tbilisi).
At the beginning of the 12th century, feudal Georgia grew stronger as a result of reforms, carried out by the King David IV. He severely punished domestic feudal lords who fought against the royal authority and its policies, and then he started expelling the Seljuk Turks, who had occupied Georgia.
From 1120, David IV moved the battle outside the borders of Georgia (Qabala, Arsharunik, Barda, Hnarakert, etc.).
The Seljuk Turks, who were expelled from Georgia, and their local governors of Tbilisi, Dmanisi, and Ganja appealed to other Muslim rulers for help.
The coalition army was led by the commander-in-chief of the anti-crusade war, the governor of Baghdad, Najm al-Din Ilghazi ibn Artuq, on behalf of the Sultan. In the first half of August, in 1121, this army was stationed in Trialeti-Manglisi and Didgori.
Choosing this place was not accidental. Didgori was one of the gates of Tbilisi, from which it was possible to enter Shida Kartli, bypassing Mtskheta. According to I. Javakhishvili, the army of the Seljuk Turks consisted of 300,000 warriors (according to the French historian Gautier — 600,000) and was much bigger than the Georgian army.
David IV's army camped in a forest between two mountains. They blocked the narrow entrance to the ravine, their only way back. The army had to either win or be killed.
The Battle of Didgori started on August 12, 1121. David IV resorted to a tactical move: when both opposing armies lined up for the battle, the Georgian army separated 200 horsemen and advanced towards the enemy detachment. The Seljuk army thought they were traitors to the king and allowed them to enter their ranks without hindrance. Suddenly, the horsemen drew their weapons and charged the enemy; the daring move confused them, and the Georgian army attacked the enemy's flanks from two sides. The main force of the army, under the command of David IV, attacked the enemy from the Nichbisi valley, while Demetrius I, son of David, descended from one of the mountains of Didgori with his army and intercepted the army lined up for battle at the foot of the mountain. A large part of the enemy army turned its back on the battlefield. Even the wounded Ilghazi barely escaped capture. The Georgians pursued the fleeing enemy for 8 days, and the defeated army of the Seljuk Turks suffered heavy losses.
Of particular importance for the victory was the well-thought-out strategy of David IV the Builder, the correct strategic planning and the use of tactical innovations, as well as the correct use of the Didgori-Manglisi area. Due to the narrowness of the terrain, the forces of the Muslim coalition were scattered over a vast territory (from Trialeti to Manglisi), and numerous soldiers could not form an effective battle force.
The victory in the Battle of Didgori put an end to the domination of the Seljuk Turks in Georgia and its neighboring countries.
Source: ცხოვრება მეფეთ-მეფისა დავითისი, წგ.: ქართლის ცხოვრება, ს. ყაუხჩიშვილის გამოც., ტ. 1, თბ., 1955.
Literature: მესხია შ., ძლევაი საკვირველი, თბ., 1972; მეტრეველი რ., დავით IV აღმაშენებელი, თბ., 1990; ჩხატარაიშვილი ქ., შაიშმელაშვილი ი., დიდგორის ბრძოლა, თბ., 1973.
R. Metreveli
