Kelasuri Wall

Kelasuri Wall 

(Abkhaz Wall), a defensive wall in Abkhazia that was probably erected during the fifth and sixth centuries A.D.

The Kelasuri Wall began 4 km south of the city of Sukhumi, formed a belt around the southern part of Abkhazia, and ended in the region of the mouth of the Inguri River. The wall was about 160 km long and up to 4 m high. It was built of cobblestone and limestone solution. The wall had almost 2,000 watchguard and defense towers that were up to 8 m high. It defended the entire southern part of Abkhazia from enemy attack. The wall lost its military importance at the end of the 15th century. Significant sections of the wall and several hundred dilapidated towers have been preserved.

REFERENCES

Ivashchenko, M. M. “Velikaia Abkhazskaia stena.” In the collection Izvestiia Abkhazskogo nauchnogo obshchestva, issue 4. Sukhumi, 1926.
Pachulia, V. Spisok pamiatnikov kul’tury, vziatykh na uchet po Abkhazskoi ASSR. Sukhumi, 1961.