This one is easy to spot on it's mount in downtown Gori. Archeological excavations showed that the first fortified settlement here dates to IV-III cc BC. Gori fortress was first mentioned in the XII centuryand was considered a strategic holding point in the Middle Ages, the control of meant control over the whole province of Shida Kartli. It was renovated many times, the final cobblestone look given in 1774 when it was renewed by Erekle II

Mostly ruinous now, the western part –Tskhrakara- is better preserved. Interesting features are the arch gate in the southern wall and, on the south-east side of the fortress, the ruins of a small church. The fortress once had a tunnel for bringing water and a water pool for times of seige.