This fortress gave birth to the city of Sukhum. In the early AD Romans who had constructed it gave it the name Sebastopolis (“Sacred City”), but Turks reinforced it and renamed Sukhum-Kale in the 17th century. Today only the ruins have left from the fortress but they are still the integral part of the city landscape, the witnesses of centuries-old and heroic history of the city.
The history of the fortress began in the times of Roman domination. The original stronghold existed from the end of the 1st to the end of the 3rd century AD. In the middle of the 5th century on the ruins of Sebastopolis appeared a new Byzantine fortress. In the end of the17th - beginning of the 18th century the fortress was reconstructed by Turkish conquerors. They added bastions and restored the walls. During this period Sukhum fortress was square in the plan with protruding pentagonal bastions on the corners. The main gate was in northeast wall, others - in the seaward wall. The fortress walls were made from cobble-stone of up to two meters thick on a very insignificant foundation.
In the end of the 19 th century the fortress was practically intact and occupied the area of 120 õ 100 meters. After Sukhum fortress was taken by Russian armies in 1810 it served as garrison fortification. Then it was turned into prison in which many participants of revolutionary movement were kept.
In 1956 during the quay renovation the fortifications were taken down. Only the southwest tower (Turkish period) which still has Roman brickwork at its foundation and the northern wall with the remains of the gate lined with cobble-stone has survived. |
