Gori (Georgian გორი) - a city in eastern Georgia, the center of the region of Shida Kartli and the center of the municipality. Founded by David the Builder.
Gori is one of the oldest cities in Georgia . The official status of the city of Gori was in 1801. The city takes its name from the rock formation ( Horak ) in the city center , where the remains of the ancient Goris- Tsikhe .
Gori was first mentioned in chronicles from the VII century BC. e . , although some sources connect the foundation of the city to the reign of David IV the Builder at the beginning of the XII century. Archaeological evidence suggests that in place of Gori urban settlements existed long before the Christian era , from the early Bronze Age ( about 3 thousand years BC ) . Was found pottery typical of the Kura- Araz culture. In 1946, a landslide at the north wall Goris- Tsikhe bared formation times of antiquity . Were found walled clay " kvevri " ( wine vessels ) , painted in red tiles, pieces of pottery of baked red clay . Discovered layer refers to the period from the I century BC to the beginning of our era . Approximately the same age and were ancient tombs discovered in the eastern part of the Goris- Tsikhe . In the burials found pottery shards , necklaces , coins, bracelets and other jewelry. In 1292 Alans headed by a prince bahatar captured the fortress city of Gori with surrounding lands , castles and villages. In 1306 , the last king of the Alan bahatar died . Georgian king George V, combining his vassals , led the fight against Ossetians. In 1326 , after a three-year siege , he took Gori. Pursuing the Ossetians , George V made a trip to the mountains, came to Darya Aragvi and Ksani gorges.
In 1477 , the Shah state Goyunlu , surprise attack on Gori , taking the city without a fight , but leaving it soon . In the middle of the XVI century Gori briefly seized Iranian shah Tamaz I. By the end of the XVI century , Gori becomes a springboard power of the Ottoman Turks . In 1599, the Georgian king Simon I suddenly attacked Gori and took it by storm , killing Ottoman garrison . In 1614, the Iranian Shah Abbas I took Gori and hence led to further conquest of the country . According to the French traveler Jean Chardin , in 70 years of the XVII century , Gori was a significant trade center. In 1723, the city ravaged Ottoman Turks . Within a few years the city was ruled by the Ottomans. Since 1735 the city owned Persians . But in the 40 years of the XVIII century, the city was finally liberated from the invaders.
Undergone severely damaged during an earthquake in 1920 .
In 2006, President Saakashvili announced the construction of a second in Gori ( first - in Senaki ) modern military bases in Georgia . [1]
In August 2008, a military base occupied by Russian troops during the exacerbation of the conflict in South Ossetia.