Lesser Caucasus Mountains

In southern Georgia the Lesser Caucasus encloses the high country of Samtskhe and Javakheti. The upper Kura cuts through its volcanic landscape in a steep gorge, joining the plateau to the lower valleys. Fortresses such as Tmogvi stood above this river corridor, while churches and cave settlements occupied the surrounding rock. Beyond the gorge lie broad uplands and lakes, a landscape of cold winters quite different from the forested ridges farther north.