IRAKLI II PALACE (BATONIS TSIKHE)

Its name means "the lord's castle". The fortress walls are imposing. They enclose a school, the museum, and finally the palace, set in a second courtyard. A visit to this unusual site is well worth the effort. This Persian-style palace is one of the few Georgian monarchs' castles to have been completely preserved to the present day. Two small churches stand next to it.

The palace was built between 1664 and 1675 by Artchil II, King of Kakhetia, when he transferred his court from Grémi to Telavi. From then on, it was the residence of Kakhetian kings until the reign of the penultimate king of Kakhetia, Irakli II (1794-1798). The palace's architecture reflects the Persian influence. It is built on a single storey. Within its walls decorated with moucharabiehs, you can visit two rooms where Irakli II was born and died. The throne room, decorated with portraits of members of the royal family, was a gift from Empress Catherine II of Russia.

The fortified complex also includes ruins of oriental baths and the Museum of History and Ethnography. The latter, now renovated, presents the history of the region, exhibits artillery pieces, horse harnesses, traditional costumes and some interesting archaeological finds. An art gallery features a fine collection of works by local painters. These include paintings by Elené Akhvlediani, Telavi's most famous painter and an illustrious member of the Georgian avant-garde of the 1920s.