Berdkunk Fortress

Berdkunk Fortress is a multi-layered fortress dating back to the 2nd–1st millennia BC. It was rebuilt and reached its peak in the medieval period, and was destroyed in the 13th–14th centuries during the Tatar-Mongol invasions.

The fortress stands by the village of Berdkunk, which has now merged with its ruins. It is almost inaccessible from all directions except the eastern side near the village.

In the Middle Ages, a new fortress was built over the ruins of the Cyclopean fortress because of its dominant position. This later fortress was called the White Fortress and is also known as Aghkala and Ishkhanats Berd; it was built of dressed basalt with lime mortar.

The central structures of the medieval White Fortress are relatively well preserved, with defensive walls still standing, and the southern tower of the citadel reaches up to 8 meters. Many ruined buildings survive, especially in the eastern part near the lake, where some walls are up to 1.5 meters high, and rock-cut trenches about 275 meters long in total surround the fortress almost entirely.

Berdkunk was a center of trade and crafts where goods from Gegharkunik and the surrounding regions were sold, known for its shops, stalls and inns. It lay at a crossroads of trade routes as a major station on the Dvin–Partav route, and it belonged to no feudal lord but was governed entirely by the city council.