This popular tourist attraction in Armenia is full of mysteries. The name of the fortress and the village where it is located in Armenian means “in front of the field”. The exact time of when it was found is unknown. It is assumed that the construction of the fortress was carried out in the 7th-10th centuries. Dashtadem fortress functioned until the 16th century despite the fact that it was repeatedly subjected to severe destruction. Archaeological excavations were conducted here in different years. As a result, it was discovered that the base of Dashtadem was carved in the rock. In addition, subterranean passage, huge platform and water storage tank were found there. Also there were khachkars, various items made of clay, bronze and glass among the artifacts.
The well-established transport infrastructure of Armenia allows to get to Dashtadem Fortress by a private car or with the help of various travel companies which offer regular excursions and tours to different sights of the country. Due to the geographical location of Dashtadem Fortress the trip will not seem long.
The high season in Armenia lasts for a long time due to the pleasant climate conditions. Warm days in Armenia start in March and last until late autumn; winter is usually snowless and not long. The high precipitation season is variable. The tourist season for Dashtadem Fortress depends on the weather conditions.
About 2 km south-west of the village Dashtadem in the Aragatsotn Province, there is the monastery of St. Christopher. The monastery consists of a small cross-domed church of the 7th century, a three-story mausoleum, with a bell tower, a dormitory (now destroyed), a fence, built of raw stones, and a cemetery, rich with khachkars dating back to 10-14 centuries. The only western entrance of the church is decorated with typical engaged columns of the 7th century. You can see many signs carved by the workers on the walls, which were built of neatly processed black tufa stone. The church was completely renovated in 1980.
In the southern part of the village there is a large complex of Dashtadem fortress. It is believed that it was built by the Armenian noble family Kamsarakan on the site of the castle, founded in the times of the ancient Urartu Kingdom. The information about the fortress has been mentioned for the first time during the Arab conquest of Armenia (VII century). The ancient part of the fortress, built of neatly processed stone, is a rectangular tower, to which, in 1174, pyramids were added - a semi-circular and a polygonal pyramids (the Arabic inscription has remained on the southern pyramid). Later around the fortress was built a fence with fortress towers. Unfortunately, only ruins of it have survived nowadays. The northern wall adjoins the one-nave church, built of red well-processed tufa stone.
TALIN CATHEDRAL
15 km
ARUCH CATHEDRAL
40 km
SARDARAPAT MEMORIAL
56 km
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