Keselo
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Keselo is a small medieval fortress just above the village of Omalo in Tusheti (historic geographic area in eastern Georgia). Its location is dazzling, surrounded by northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. Keselo is bordered in the north by Republic of Chechnya and Dagestan, in the east by the Georgian historic provinces Kakheti and Pshav-Khevsureti to the south. The population of the area is mainly ethnic Georgians called Tushs or Tushetians (Georgian: tushebi), However, there are some villages nearby which are populated by Daghestani.
History
Keselo towers which originally totalled thirteen were constructed during the Mongol invasion of Georgia in 1230s. The towers offered protection to the inhabitants of old Omalo from the invading Mongols and later Daghestani tribes. During the raid on Tush villages by the invader, people abandoned their villages and used towers as temporary shelters.
During the Soviet time, most of the towers were ruined. However, in 2003 the rebuilding of five towers of the medieval fortress of Keselo commenced. This project was sponsored privately by Henk and Eliane Hooft, a Dutch family living in Georgia and later by Keselo Foundation. The restoration was done according to the medieval Tush tradition of constructing fortified towers. The restorations also included a monument in the nearby village of Dartlo and the restoration of a tower in Khiso, on the road to Omalo. The work itself was bringing to light an array of archaeological artefacts, such as ancient rock art motifs and Bronze Age axes and jewellery.
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