Richard And Jo Demeester's photos with the keyword: Mestia tower

Ancient towers in a village not far from Mestia in Svaneti, Georgia.

The towers may be about a thousand years old, but the atmospheric lighting is a more recent addition. Mestia, Georgia.

This cluster of towers is in the Svaneti town of Mestia. They were built for defensive purposes, and combined with the remoteness of the region, have served the inhabitants well for a thousand years. The area was well known as a stronghold and frequently sheltered important religious icons and artefacts when other regions were under threat by invading forces.

These towers are dotted all through the valleys of Svaneti. They were predominantly built between the 9th and 13th centuries. The bed and breakfast we stayed at in Mestia had its own, dating from the 10th century. Dates like these make the majority of “old” houses pale in comparison.