In the middle of the 1 st millenium in the river Zhoekvara mouth on the seacoast Romans erected a rectangular fortress-kastella. It was a powerful stronghold and played an important strategic role. It was reconstructed a number of times. Three walls of the fortress — the western, the northern and the eastern are still intact but the southern one was destroyed by sea surf. The fortress ruins is the most ancient architectural monument of Gagra ,
The eastern wall of the fortress bears the evidence of Roman brickwork. From this side you can also see the fortress gate with a stone arch. In 1830 the fortress underwent a major reconstruction by Russian military men. One can see the powerful bastions, canon and gun loopholes of the fortification. |
