Mount Didgori, Mountain summit on the Mtskheta-Mtianeti–Kvemo Kartli border, Georgia
Mount Didgori is a 1,631-metre summit in the eastern Trialeti Range, on the administrative border of Tetritsqaro and Mtskheta municipalities. Its slopes are cut by erosion valleys and covered with beech forest, while the top holds a secondary subalpine meadow. The battle monument stands on the meadow: dozens of massive swords driven into the ground as crosses, scattered sculptures of dismembered warriors, and a concrete column shaped like a deda bodzi, the central pillar of a medieval Georgian house.
On 12 August 1121, King David IV of Georgia defeated the Seljuk armies at the Battle of Didgori, fought across meadows extending for several kilometres on the mountain's slopes. The victory became a celebrated moment in Georgian history. In 1995, sculptor Merab Berdzenishvili and architect Tamaz Gabunia received the State Prize of Georgia for the monument later erected on the battlefield.
The monument's central concrete column takes the form of a 'deda bodzi', the main pillar of a traditional Georgian dwelling. Around it stand dozens of massive swords driven into the ground like crosses, among scattered sculptures of dismembered warriors. Sculptor Merab Berdzenishvili and architect Tamaz Gabunia received Georgia's State Prize in 1995 for the work.
The summit lies about 40 km west of Tbilisi in the eastern Trialeti Range, on the boundary of Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Kvemo Kartli. The monument stands at 41°45'38 N, 44°30'29 E, reached by local roads; the slopes are gentle but cut by eroded valleys, and the top is open subalpine meadow, so weather can shift quickly.
The mountain also gives its name to a Georgian armoured personnel carrier, the Didgori. The battle monument was designed by sculptor Merab Berdzenishvili and architect Tamaz Gabunia, who received the State Prize of Georgia for it in 1995.
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