Erebuni Fortress, also known as Arin Berd, is an Urartian fortified city, located in Yerevan. It was one of several fortresses built along the northern Urartian border and was one of the most important political, economic and cultural centers of the vast kingdom. The name Yerevan itself is derived from Erebuni. Later the city of the same name spread in the foot of the hill. Erebuni was founded by Urartian King Argishti I in 782 BC. It was built on top of a hill called Arin Berd overlooking the Aras River Valley to serve as a military stronghold.
The well-established transport infrastructure of Armenia allows to get to Erebuni 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 Erebuni 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 Erebuni Fortress depends on the weather conditions.
There are different opinions in the professional literature about the origin of the name Erebuni. According to one of the versions, Erebuni means “victory”, “capture”, according to another – the city of “independants”.
During the first year of the excavation on the territory of the Arin fortress, a stone with Urartian cuneiform was discovered. The inscription on the stone reported about the construction of the Erebuni fortress city during the reign of the Urartian King Argishti I. The value of the monument was doubled due to the interpretation of the Urartian inscriptions by the researcher Israyelyan, according to which cuneiform writing is also the first evidence of Yerevan city in a scientific plan.
It is worth mentioning the palace part of the fortress. Erebuni Palace was located on the southwestern side of the fortress (with a view of Mount Ararat) and was probably used regularly by the kings of Urartu. There were a temple "Susi", storage rooms, which included wine storerooms filled with large jars on the territory of the palace part.
STATION “SASUNTSI DAVID” OF YEREVAN SUBWAY
4 km
VERNISSAGE
6 km
HISTORY MUSEUM OF ARMENIA
7 km
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