A defensive and residential tower – a ‘koshki’ – dating back several centuries in the village of Tekali (Lower Svaneti, Georgia). For defensive purposes, the entrances were always positioned several metres above ground level. Ladders are used to move from one floor to the next.
(May 2026)
(Foto: © Rüdiger Benninghaus)
#Wehrtürme, #defensive_towers, #Architektur, #architecture, #Tekali, #Nieder_Swanetien, #Lower_Svaneti, #Georgien, #Georgia, #Kaukasus

Stalin’s admirers have not yet completely disappeared, particularly not in Georgia, as this statue of Stalin in front of a private house in the village of Sasashi (Lower Svaneti, Georgia, Caucasus) shows.
(May 2026)
(Foto: © Rüdiger Benninghaus)
#Statuen, #statues, #Stalin, #Sasashi, #Nieder_Swanetien, #Lower_Svaneti, #Georgien, #Georgia

A fountain structure rich in symbolism, seen in the centre of Lent’ekhi, the main town in Lower Svaneti (Georgia, the Caucasus): the mountain represents the Caucasus mountain range; the figure (some see it as a woman, others as a man) carries a sun, which plays or played an important role in the pre-Christian religion of the Svans, and Caucasian ibexes, which also have or had a place in that religion.
Although the Svans have been Georgian Orthodox Christians for centuries, a certain degree of syncretism exists.
(May 2026)
(Foto: © Rüdiger Benninghaus)
#Brunnen, #fountains, #Skulpturen, #sculptures, #Nieder_Swanetien, #Lower_Svaneti, #Lentekhi, #Georgien, #Georgia, #Kaukasus