Ayas Tour
Amberd Fortress
Amberd Fortress
Amberd is the name given to the 7th century Armenian fortress located 2,300 meters (7,500 ft) above sea level, on the slopes of Mount Aragats at the confluence of the Arkashenand Amberd rivers in the province of Aragatsotn, Armenia. The name translates to "fortress in the clouds" in Armenian. It is also the name incorrectly attributed to Vahramashen Church, the 11th century Armenian Church near the castle. The village of Byurakan is located 4 miles (6.4 km) away from the site of Amberd.
Fortress
The castle ruins of Amberd comprised an area of 1,500 square meters. Its walls are constructed of roughly hewn basalt blocks set in place with mortar. Tower walls are inclined to have made it easier to fire on invaders below. The interior of the castle had three-stories, each floor separated from one another by wood planks clinched on logs. There were five rooms in the first and second floor, each arranged in a row where one would enter each room through the previous room. An irregularly shaped hallway was separate from the three internal rooms by an internal wall. On the third floor were the reception areas and private rooms for its royal inhabitants. The structural configuration is thought to have not changed since it was first built in the 7th century. Excavations have shown that the interior of the castle and rooms were quite lavish with elegantly carved decorations in the rooms, oil lamps, incense holders, and walls decorated with silks, brocades, and bronze, gold, and silver ornamentation.
Bath House
The bath house situated to the south of the fortress (10th-11th cc). Its twin bathing rooms each with a single dome are still moderately intact. At one time it had used hypocaust heating as had originated in Roman times, to heat the floors. Pipes that ran through the floors and walls of the structure were heated by a fire built under the floor, which then forced the heat throughout the bathing rooms. Metal pipes supplied hot water to the baths.
Vahramashen Church
The church of St Astvatsatsin also known as Vahramashen Church was built for Prince Vahram Pahlavuni. An inscription on the inside lintel of the north portal to the church date its completion to the year 1026. It sits between the fortress and near a wall along the promontory with the Arkashian River in the canyon below. St. Astvatsatsin is a cruciform type structure with four two-story chambers in the corners. A large circular twelve-faceted drum sits on top of the church with thin corner columns supporting the peaked arches of the umbrella dome above. The exterior of the church is simply decorated with some edging around the portal and windows, layers of cornice work just above the thin columns on the drum and dome, and some cross designs carved into the facades.
Amberd Fortress
Amberd Fortress
Amberd is the name given to the 7th century Armenian fortress located 2,300 meters (7,500 ft) above sea level, on the slopes of Mount Aragats at the confluence of the Arkashenand Amberd rivers in the province of Aragatsotn, Armenia. The name translates to "fortress in the clouds" in Armenian. It is also the name incorrectly attributed to Vahramashen Church, the 11th century Armenian Church near the castle. The village of Byurakan is located 4 miles (6.4 km) away from the site of Amberd.
Fortress
The castle ruins of Amberd comprised an area of 1,500 square meters. Its walls are constructed of roughly hewn basalt blocks set in place with mortar. Tower walls are inclined to have made it easier to fire on invaders below. The interior of the castle had three-stories, each floor separated from one another by wood planks clinched on logs. There were five rooms in the first and second floor, each arranged in a row where one would enter each room through the previous room. An irregularly shaped hallway was separate from the three internal rooms by an internal wall. On the third floor were the reception areas and private rooms for its royal inhabitants. The structural configuration is thought to have not changed since it was first built in the 7th century. Excavations have shown that the interior of the castle and rooms were quite lavish with elegantly carved decorations in the rooms, oil lamps, incense holders, and walls decorated with silks, brocades, and bronze, gold, and silver ornamentation.
Bath House
The bath house situated to the south of the fortress (10th-11th cc). Its twin bathing rooms each with a single dome are still moderately intact. At one time it had used hypocaust heating as had originated in Roman times, to heat the floors. Pipes that ran through the floors and walls of the structure were heated by a fire built under the floor, which then forced the heat throughout the bathing rooms. Metal pipes supplied hot water to the baths.
Vahramashen Church
The church of St Astvatsatsin also known as Vahramashen Church was built for Prince Vahram Pahlavuni. An inscription on the inside lintel of the north portal to the church date its completion to the year 1026. It sits between the fortress and near a wall along the promontory with the Arkashian River in the canyon below. St. Astvatsatsin is a cruciform type structure with four two-story chambers in the corners. A large circular twelve-faceted drum sits on top of the church with thin corner columns supporting the peaked arches of the umbrella dome above. The exterior of the church is simply decorated with some edging around the portal and windows, layers of cornice work just above the thin columns on the drum and dome, and some cross designs carved into the facades.