Kelasuri Wall
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| Kelasuri Wall | |
|---|---|
კელასურის კედელი | |
 Ruins of the first tower of the wall | |
 The wall is shown on this 17th century map in the upper reaches of Galidzga, Okumi and Eristskari rivers (top left corner) | |
| General information | |
| Country |  Abkhazia[note 1]/ Georgia |
| Coordinates | 42°35′N 41°02′E / 42.58°N 41.04°E |
The Kelasuri Wall (Georgian: კელასურის კედელი) or Great Abkhazian Wall (Georgian: აფხაზეთის დიდი კედელი) is a stone wall located to the east of Sokhumi in Abkhazia,[note 1] Georgia. The exact time of its construction is not known; several dates ranging from antiquity to the 17th century were suggested, although more recent works have provisionally favoured construction in the 6th century AD.[1] The wall featured about 300 towers, most of them now entirely or largely ruined.[2]
The wall begins near the mouth of Kelasuri River where the ruins of a large tower remained. It goes to the east crossing Kodori River near Tsebelda fortress, then passes near Tkvarcheli and terminates near the village of Lekukhona on the right bank of Enguri.[2]
Most of the fortifications are located in the western part of the wall between Kelasuri and Mokvi Rivers. Kelasuri's left bank and mountain passes were most heavily fortified. On the other hand, only four towers were found between Tkvarcheli and Enguri.[2]
