Castles and Fortresses

Fortresses and castles in Armenia were built as defensive constructions to protect people from the enemy attacks. They were mainly built on the edges of sharp rocks or on hills so that to be hardly accessible for attacks. Nowadays numerous fortresses and castles are the great indivisible part of Armenian history and culture. Tourists and travelers are especially attracted by constructions built on inaccessible and unassailable rocks. Check out the most mysterious and worth attention fortresses below. 

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Erebuni fortress town was built in 782 BC, by  Argishti I, the king of Urartu Kingdom. The name of Yerevan is etymologically derived from the name of Erebuni, and the date of found...
One of the most magnificent fortresses in Armenia is Akhtala. The fortress is located on a plateau in the gorge of the river Debed, in Lori Province. The fortress of Akhtala or Ptg...
The ancient town-fortress of Metsamor is located on a volcanic hill, in the Ararat valley, not far from the village of Taronik, on the bank of the River Metsamor, 35 km away from Y...
Lchashen is one of the oldest settlements in Armenia. The modern village of Lchashen is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Sevan, on the edge of the Geghama mountain range....
The beautiful city of Gyumri, the second largest and most significant city in Armenia after the capital, is distinguished thanks to its rich historical and cultural heritage, origi...
Halidzor Fortress is located on a small hill, on the bank of the Vokhchi River, near the town of Kapan, Syunik Region. Halidzor was built in the XVII century and served as the fami...
Baghaberd Fortress is located in Syunik Province, on the bank of the Voghji River, near the town of Kapan. Once the fortress was the largest defensive object in Armenia. The unappr...
Mayraberd Fortress (also known as the fortress of Askeran) is located in Askeran village, in Artsakh. It was built by the khan of Panahali in the XVIII century. The eastern walls o...
Smbataberd fortress is located in the Vayots Dzor region, near the village of Artabuinka and is considered one of the largest medieval fortresses in the region. The exact date of c...
The fortress of Proshaberd or Boloraberd is located in the Vayots Dzor region. The fortress was built in the XIII century by duke Prosh, and in his honor the locals named the castl...
On the southern slope of Mount Aragats at an altitude of 2300 m above sea level, sits proudly the fortress of Amberd. The location of the strategically important fortress was chose...
The Lore-Berd fortress was built around 1005-1020 by King David Anokhi, who was the representative of the Bagratuni princely family. Lore-Berd fortress is a valuable monument of th...
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