Handaberd Fortress

Handaberd stands on a cliff 1 km east of the village of Knaravan in Artsakh, above the Lev River, at 1,665 metres above sea level. Its cliffside position made it impregnable.

In the 9th century Prince Atrnerseh of the Arranshahik dynasty rebuilt a fortress that already existed here, and the earliest written reference to Handaberd dates to 854. It later belonged to the Khachen princes and then the Dopyan princes, and both Movses Kaghankatvatsi and Kirakos Gandzaketsi noted its significance.

The fortress follows the mountainside in the shape of an irregular rectangle, with walls up to 8 metres high reinforced by semi-circular towers. Two building phases are visible: rough-cut Bagratid-era foundations and plastered 13th-century upper walls. Inside, wells and ruins of structures have survived.

On the southern side of the fortress is a “false gate” that served as a defensive trick. The only real entrance is a narrow, winding path through jagged rocks that leads to the northern gate.