Galarsan-Gorarsan, Medieval fortress near Shaki, Azerbaijan

Galarsan-Gorarsan is a ruined medieval fortress on Mount Garatepe, northeast of Kish village and about four kilometres from Shaki. Its rough grey, tan and brown stones are laid in uneven courses; the top edge is broken, with a short rounded section rising at the right, and a rectangular opening sits in the base. Trees and bushes cover much of the wall.

The fortress on Mount Garatepe above the Kish River is thought to have been built in the 8th or 9th century. In 1551 the Shaki khan Darvish Muhammad Khan defended himself here and was killed by the shah's men while trying to flee. In 1743–1744 Nader Shah's army besieged it and failed to take it, and Haji Chalabi Khan turned Shaki into an independent khanate.

The name dates from the 18th century and means "you will come, you will see" in Azerbaijani. According to the account, Nader Shah asked how Haji Chalabi Khan intended to defend the fortress; the khan answered "You will come and see", and the shah's army failed to take it in 1744. The story is recorded in Haji Seyid Abdul-Hamid's 19th-century work on the Shaki khans.

To reach the ruins, you need to walk uphill from the base of the mountain, so wear comfortable shoes and prepare for a climbing hike. The path can be steep in places, and there are no facilities at the site itself.

The fortress is also called Qala düzü, the name of the flat ground between it and Kish village. Lev Tolstoy set episodes of his stories "Hadji Murad" and "Sheikh Shamil" in this fortress, though he never visited it.