Fortress Lori Berd

The fortress Lori Berd is located near Stepanavan, surrounded with wonderful mountain landscapes.

Capital of the the Tashir-Dzoraget kingdom
David Anhoghin of Kyurikid's branch of Ani's Bagratid dynasty founded Lori Berd as an inaccessible fortress town in the northern Armenia in 989-1048, and moved here the capital of the the Tashir-Dzoraget kingdom.

Fortified town
The fortress town Lori Berd stretched on a mountain plateau of almost triangle shape, bordered by deep ravines of Miskhan and Dzoraget rivers.
The uptown was situated in the pointed part of the cape and occupied a territory of 9 ha. It was reliably protected by the strong defensive which was rather tall, averaging 21.4m high, stretching from one ravine to another and fastened more than once (in some places its width came up to 20m). The vaulted gates of uptown were situated in the east-west wall along which, from the outside there had been a ditch which filled up with water through the underground channel.
Ruins of various buildings including a church, two bath- houses are preserved in the territory of uptown.