Amberd fortress

Amberd Fortress in the Aragatsotn region is one of the most remarkable medieval fortress-cities of Armenia. It stands on the southern slope of Mount Aragats, about 7 km northwest of the village of Byurakan, on a triangular promontory where the Arkashen and Amberd rivers meet, and the deep gorges around it form a natural line of defence. Its exact founding date is unknown, but archaeological research dates the fortress to between the 9th and 13th centuries. In the 10th century it belonged to the Pahlavuni princes and became a key stronghold of Bagratid Armenia; later it passed to the Zakarians and then to the Vachutians, who made it an administrative centre. Travellers come to explore the castle, the bathhouse, the 10th-century chapel and the high, thick walls, and to see the Katoghike Vahramashen Church, built in 1026 with the sponsorship of Vahram Pahlavuni at the highest central point of the fortress. See Amberd for yourself on a tour with ONE WAY Tour.