GeorgiaOfficial tourism
Nokalakevi Archaeological Site

Where Golden Fleece legends take stone form

Nokalakevi Archaeological Site

Why go

Nokalakevi is the most significant archaeological site in western Georgia, a 4,000-year-old fortified settlement that likely served as the capital of ancient Colchis—the kingdom where Jason sought the Golden Fleece. Layer upon layer of history unfolds here: Bronze Age dwellings, Hellenistic towers, Roman baths, and Byzantine churches stacked atop one another like geological strata. Ongoing excavations by the Anglo-Georgian Nokalakevi Expedition continue revealing tombs, goldwork, and defensive walls that rewrite our understanding of Caucasian antiquity. Unlike reconstructed ruins elsewhere, this site offers raw, tactile encounter with deep time—archaeologists often work in open view, letting visitors witness history being unearthed.

On the ground See

  • The massive Cyclopean walls of the lower fortress, built with limestone blocks weighing several tons and dating to the 4th–3rd centuries BCE
  • The Roman bath complex with intact hypocaust heating system and mosaic fragments from the 1st–4th centuries CE
  • The early medieval citadel and Church of the Forty Martyrs, constructed atop earlier layers with sweeping views of the Tekhuri River gorge

Practical Know before you go

Best visited April through October; the site lies 40 km northwest of Kutaisi, accessible via marshrutka to Senaki followed by taxi, or by rental car on the road toward Zugdidi.

Last reviewed 25 August 2026 · reviewed quarterly