Kasriskari

Kasris Kari guarded a passage at the northern edge of Dvaleti, the mountainous country between Kartli and the lands of the Ossetians. The Georgian geographer Vakhushti described a great gate of rock and mortared stone built across the river to prevent passage without leave. Beyond it lay the narrow valleys and towered settlements of Dvaleti, whose mountain routes were passable for only part of the year. Control of these northern approaches mattered to the Georgian kings, though their authority over the highlands weakened as the kingdom fragmented.