Lori Berd Fortress

Lori Castle, also known as Lori Berd, rises above the confluence of the Dzoraget and Tashir Rivers, hidden deep in a gorge in Armenia’s northern Lori Province. Just 4.5 kilometers from the town of Stepanavan, this medieval stronghold is one of the few castles remaining in a land more often celebrated for its churches and monasteries. It’s a destination for those drawn to places less traveled, where nature and stone share a long and restless history.

Though the region around modern Stepanavan has been inhabited since antiquity, the city as we know it took shape in the 12th century, anchored by Surp Sarkis Church on the Dzoraget’s southern bank. But centuries before that, in the 10th century, this territory belonged to the Kingdom of Lori, also known as Tashir-Dzoraget. Here, one of Armenia’s most ambitious medieval monarchs, King David I Anhoghin, began construction of Lori Fortress between 1005 and 1020.

The fortress soon became a center of political and commercial power. Positioned along the northern trade route, it connected key cities of the region: Ani, Dvin, Dmanisi, and Tbilisi. During its peak between the 11th and 13th centuries, Lori Berd was home to more than 10,000 people. Georgian chronicles also record its prominence.

In 1065, King Kiurike I named Lori the capital of the Kyurikid Kingdom after losing Shamshvilde to the Georgian crown. The castle and the town flourished as a hub for trade and craftsmanship. But this prosperity was fragile. Lori fell to the Seljuks in 1105, then passed through the hands of the Georgian Orbeliani family, and later to the Armenian Zakarian brothers, Ivane and Zakare. In 1236, Mongol forces under Chaghatai Khan stormed the city, leaving it in ruins.

Yet Lori’s strategic importance endured. From the 14th to 17th centuries, under the Armenian Orbelian family—serving as local governors under shifting overlords such as the Jalayirids, Timurids, Karakoyunlu, and Akkoyunlu—the fortress remained militarily vital. Its long defense ended in the 17th century when it was successively overtaken by Ottoman, Persian, and Georgian forces.

In the 18th century, the Armenian noble house of Hasan-Jalalyan, resettled from Karabakh, founded the town of Jalaloghly atop the same land. During the Russian Empire, Jalaloghly was part of the Borchalu district within the Tiflis Governorate. In 1923, the name was changed to Stepanavan in honor of Bolshevik leader Stepan Shaumyan.

Excavations at Lori Berd revealed tools, ornaments, ceramics, and coins, some imported from Georgia, Persia, and Central Asia—proof of the region’s role in long-distance trade. Archaeologists also uncovered remnants of a royal bathhouse and palace from the 10th century.

Perched at 1,490 meters above sea level, the fortress occupies a plateau that drops sharply on three sides, leaving only the northwest accessible. A 214-meter-long wall surrounds the citadel, reaching up to 25 meters high and 20 meters thick in places. Round and square towers once gave guards full view of the perimeter. A trench running along the inside of the wall collected water. Within these fortifications stood palaces, bathhouses, churches, and private residences.

A concealed passage once connected the fortress to the Miskhana River below. This tunnel allowed the city’s residents access to drinking water and communication with the outside world during sieges. Scattered in the gorge around Lori Berd, you’ll still find khachkars—Armenian cross-stones—weathered but enduring.

Not far from the fortress lies a small but elegant medieval bridge, a rare surviving example of 11th–12th century Armenian engineering. Built of polished basalt, it spans the Miskhana River in a single arch. Measuring 9 meters long and just under 3 meters wide, the bridge served travelers and traders for centuries. Though damaged in a 1918 flood, it was rebuilt by local villagers without external aid—a quiet act of devotion to their history.

Lori Berd may be in ruins, but its stones still hold memory. Time has softened its lines, but not its gravity. It stands not as a monument to the past, but as part of the landscape—a fortress that once ruled, now watches.