Shorapani

Shorapani guards a route between eastern and western Georgia at the meeting of the Kvirila and Dzirula rivers. Its ancient fortress was large enough, according to Strabo, to shelter the inhabitants of a town. Boats could reach the vicinity from the west, while roads continued through the mountains towards Kartli, making the stronghold an important link between the two sides of the country. Merchants and travellers found markets and lodging beside the river crossing.

The fortress changed hands repeatedly in the wars of the region. Ottoman forces occupied it in the eighteenth century, and King Solomon I of Imereti fought to remove their garrison. In 1770 he recovered Shorapani during the wider struggle to restore royal control over Imereti's fortified places.