Tavush Fortress

Not far from the town of Berd, atop a hill, stands the Tavush Fortress—one of Armenia’s least studied medieval monuments. According to the writings of Catholicos and historian Hovhannes Draskhanakerttsi, it was built by King Smbat I Bagratuni. The fortress is first mentioned in written records in the early 10th century as a residence of the governors serving under King Ashot II Yerkat. In the 10th and 11th centuries, it belonged to a branch of the Bagratuni dynasty known as the Kyurikids, and in the 12th and 13th centuries, it was under the control of the Vagramyan-Gagetzi princes—descendants of the Zakaryans.

By the 14th century, the fortress had been abandoned and gradually fell into ruin.

In his historical novel Gevorg Marzpetuni, writer Muratsan associates the Tavush Fortress with the rebellious prince Tsilick Amram. During an uprising against King Ashot Yerkat, Amram attempted to seize the stronghold. Although it never belonged to him, locals often refer to the site as the Fortress of Tsilick Amram—a name that persists despite conflicting historical records.

A legend recalls the Arab invasion of these lands. Ashot Yerkat, defending the region, sought refuge within the fortress. As the Arab forces besieged it, the defenders faced dwindling food supplies but refused to surrender. One day, an elderly woman attempted to leave the fortress in secret to bring food, but she was captured by the enemy and forced to reveal the location of the water source, which was then cut off. Even so, Ashot Yerkat did not yield. With his troops, he managed to break through the siege and retreat toward Lake Sevan.

The Tavush Fortress was composed of two main sections: the citadel and the lower fortress. The citadel crowns a steep rocky summit, where the original walls once reached a height of 12 meters. The lower fortress extended down the eastern slope of the hill, where remnants of cyclopean walls, a single-nave church, and fragments of residential and service buildings still remain.

At the foot of the fortress lie the ruins of a 12th-century church. A hidden tunnel once connected this church to the citadel above.

Excavations took place in the 1980s but were never completed. Even today, fragments of ancient pottery and other small artifacts continue to surface across the site. The Tavush Fortress was one of the few medieval Armenian fortifications equipped with a coordinated water supply system.