Today we got bad news; our permit to cross borders to Azerbaijan was not granted. So we took the 65+kilometer forest highway through the Gombori Ridge separating Alazani and Iori River valleys through Gombori Pass (1620 m) towards the Armenian border. We were so happy that we got sunny weather after many gloomy days, that we made an unplanned stop at the picturesque ruins of the little fortress city of Ujarma. It is located on the right bank of the river Iori, with great views from the top. There was nobody in the ticket office, which saved us 10 GEL per person. The Georgian-Iberian king of Kartli Asfaguri built the fortress in the III-IV centuries. In the reign of King Vakhtang Gorgasali and King Dachi, the fortress was extended and used as a residence. It was destroyed in the 10th century by the Arab conqueror Abul Kassim but was restored in the 12th century by King George III. The Mongol domination in the 13th century, and the disintegration of the Kingdom of Georgia into little kingdoms at the end of the 15th century, gradually reduced the importance of Ujarma and made the once prosperous city a small place.
Parking location – Ujarma: 41.811534N 45.151946E (🚻)