Armaztsikhe-Bagineti is the archaeological site on the ridge above Mtskheta where ancient Iberian fortifications and palace remains once controlled the river corridor. The ruins are fragmentary, but the location makes the history legible: whoever held this slope watched the routes through eastern Georgia.
It is a worthwhile addition to Mtskheta's church-heavy itinerary because it shifts the story back before the Christian monuments. The climb also gives broad views toward the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers, with Svetitskhoveli and the town below.