Pansheti Towers

The Pansheti Towers are standing in the hamlet of the same name, in the Kazbegi municipality in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region in Georgia.

The Pansheti Towers are two village towers that served as a place of refuge for the villagers in times of trouble. I guess they date back to the 17th century. They are only some 100 meters apart from one another. The village was situated on a rocky hill, with the main tower on a cliff at the edge of the hill and the other one on its northern slope. Both towers are of the same design; slender and square.

The main tower partially collapsed in the 1970s but was restored. To get to the entrance, formed by a small opening, one had to climb part of the cliff face with the use of a fixed chain, which is impossible nowadays.

The other tower is missing its top and is therefore not as high as the main tower. According to legend this was because its builder was not able to finish it.

The original village around the towers was abandoned some 50-70 years ago when the villagers moved down to resettle on the more even valley floor of the Terek River.

At present the Pansheti Towers can freely be visited from the outside. Beware of the dogs that are roaming the ruined village, though, they didn't seem to like visitors... I especially like the main tower.

Gallery

The main tower

The other tower