Slesis Cixe: A Medieval Georgian Fortress

Slesis Cixe, also known as Slesa fortress, is a medieval fortress in the Akhaltsikhe Municipality, within Georgia's Samtskhe–Javakheti region. Perched strategically on two adjacent hills, the fortress comprises a ruined castle and a better-preserved tower. It historically guarded the southern approaches to the heartland of Georgia via the Borjomi valley. The fortress's history remains largely unknown. The absence of embrasures for firearms suggests a construction period during the High Middle Ages. A document from 1516 mentions the Slesari family, indicating their connection to Slesa. The village of Slesa was first documented in 1598. The fortress features an irregular rectangular layout, elongated on the south–north axis and rounded at its southwest end. Curtain walls, reaching up to eight meters in height, are reinforced with semicircular buttresses. The courtyard has three platforms: a lower platform with remnants of small structures, a middle platform with a ruined hall church, and an upper platform topped by a tall tower with rounded corners. A separate four-story tower with a semicircular rear wall stands south of the lower platform. A defensive wall flanks a ravine slope between the castle and the tower. As of 2019, the fortress has not been archaeologically studied. The castle walls are constructed with regular stonework courses, bound by mortar, with a thickness of approximately 150 cm.