It stands at the head of the Skhalta valley in a strategically most convenient spot, approachable on foot only from the southeast. Several layers can be distinguished in the fortress's masonry: the oldest of the 10th–11th centuries, the newer of the 17th–19th centuries (the era of Ottoman rule). The cultural and economic rise of the Skhalta-Khikhanistskali valley is connected with the activity of the eristavt-eristavis of the Abuserisdze family, whose duchy Adjara was. The building of the Khikhani fortress, one of the finest fortifications, is linked with the Abuserisdze family. According to the "Matiane Kartlisai", Abuser I Abuserisdze is mentioned as lord of the Khikhata fortress in the mid-11th century. In the 11th–13th centuries it was the residence fortress town of the eristavt-eristavis.