Records of Tsirkoli fortress appear in the Georgian chronicles from the 970s, though nothing is known of its origin or ownership. The first mention is connected with David Curopalates: when rebellious nobles opposed the country's unification, they betrayed the lord's fortress and carried the captured king and his family off to Kakheti. With the Kakhetians' help David Curopalates recovered all the seized places except Gura and Tsirkoli fortress. How long Tsirkoli remained in Kakhetian hands is unknown, for Kakheti itself soon lost its independence.