The Battle of Didgori was fought between the Georgians and Seljuk Turks at Didgori Valley sixteen kilometers northwest of Tbilisi in eastern Georgia on August 12, 1121. It ended in the greatest military victory in Georgian history.
King David the Builder of Georgia had been gradually forcing the Seljuk garrisons out of his kingdom, having recaptured the Seljuk-held fortresses of Zedazeni (1103), Samshvilde (1110), Rustavi (1115), Gishi (1117) and Lore (1118). The Kingdom of Georgia had been making intensive preparations for a decisive battle aimed at liberating the Arab-held city of Tbilisi.
Sultan Mahmud b. Muhammed Tapar (reigned in 1117-1131) called upon all Muslims of the Near East to unite against Georgia in 1121.
The Seljuk coalition army of 300,000-strength under Artuklu Ilgazi invaded the southwestern provinces of the Georgian Kingdom and reached Didgori Valley in mid-August 1121. The Sultan’s brother Turgul, the Melik of Ganja, Atabeg Gundogdu, and Dubeys b. Sadaka were among the coalition commanders.
King David the Builder’s army consisted of 40,000 Georgians, 15,000 Kipchak auxiliaries, 500 Alan mercenaries and 300 French Crusaders. The Georgian generals encamped in the deep forest and blocked the passage of the gorge to prevent their soldiers’ retreat.
The two armies clashed on August 12, 1121. King David sent 200 cavalrymen to the enemy’s camps. They pretended to be renegades and attacked suddenly as they reached the center of the enemy’s camps.
Meanwhile, the Georgians’ main forces under David the Builder and his son Demetre (the future King Demetre I) attacked the Seljuk flanks despite being vastly outnumbered. The fierce, three-hour battle ended in a crushing victory of the Georgians. Myriads of the Seljuks were annihilated and many of the survivors were enslaved.
After the battle, King David expelled the remaining Seljuk garrisons from the country and reconquered Tbilisi after heavy fighting in 1122. The victory at Didgori marked the beginning of the Georgian golden era.
In commemoration of the 1121 victory, an impressive memorial monument was erected at the place of Didgori in the early 1990s. The Georgian national festival "Didgoroba" (“the Day of Didgori”) is celebrated annually on September 2.
King David the Builder’s appeal to his warriors just before the battle (according to the French knight and historian, Galterius):
- "...Soldiers of Christ! If we fight with abandon, defending the faith of our Lord, we shall not only overcome countless servants of Satan, but the Devil himself. I will only advise you one thing that will add to our honor and our profit. And raising our hands to Heaven we will all swear to our Lord that in the name of love to Him, we will rather die in the battlefield than run....”
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Last updated: 10-22-2005 06:32:31
