Vardzia is a spectacular cave monastery complex in southern Georgia,  under the Erusheti Mountain on the left bank of the Kura River, The main construction period was the second half of the twelfth century under the reign of King Tamara. Looking like one of the movie sets of Lord of the Rings, Vardzia had 13 levels of natural caves containing over 5000 rooms. The monastery served as a sanctuary and gave cover to people to avoid the Mongol onslaught in case of their invasion. 100 years after its construction, an earthquake factually destroyed more than two-thirds of the underground fortress and the intact remaining caves became visible. The site was abandoned after the Ottoman occupation in the sixteenth century. Now it is a part of a state heritage sites in Georgia.