the area of Tiflis-Gardman, Sughdabil, as well as al-Lal.

The kingdoms of the Caucasus, as well as Armenia, had acquired an Iranian population element from the time of the early Scythian invasion of the area in the 1st millennium BC. By the time of Khosrow I's fortification activities, a large number of Iranians were settled in this region, including Iberia. The imposition of direct Sasanian rule by Khosrow I meant that, in all likelihood,