Lori Fortress

Lori is a Medieval impregnable fortress, which is located in the Lori marz (region), 5 km from Stepanavan, at the intersection of the Dzoraget and Urut gorges. The fortress is included in the List of Architectural Monuments of Armenia.

Historical review

The fortress was founded by David Ankhoh (David the Landless), most likely in 1005-1020. After the city of Shamshulde passed to the Georgian king Bagrat IV in 1065, the Armenian king  Kiurike I declared the fortress-city of Lori as the capital of the Kiurikian dynasty (1049-1089).

The northern trade route passed through Lori, thanks to which the city became a central hub for development of trades and crafts. Lori had trade relations with Ani, Dvin, Dmanis, Tphis and other cities of Medieval Armenia. The population of the fortress-city Lori numbered about 10 thousand people in the XI-XIII centuries. The most fortified part of the city, surrounded by fortress gates, was an acropolis.

Lori was captured by the Seljuk Turks in 1105 , and became part of the Georgian Empire in 1118. It was granted to the princely family of Orbeli (Orbelian). Lori came into the possession of the Georgian general of Armenian origin Sarkis Zakarian in 1185, and after his death – to his sons Ivane and Zakare Zakarian.

In June 1236, Mongol troops under the command of Chagatai Nayan captured and destroyed the city, taking Zakarian’s treasures and destroying the crypt chapel that had been erected in honor of David Ankhoh’s wife. Lori was restored and was under the rule of the Armenian princes Orbelian from 1430.

The military fortress of particular importance Lori repeatedly passed from the Turks to the Persians, and sometimes to the Georgians from 1562 to 1734. However, by the end of the 18th century, the Lori fortress lost its strategic importance and became a refuge for people from various regions. A village named Lori Berd was founded on the territory of the former acropolis,  2 km from Lori.

Architecture

The ​​square of the fortress-city of Lori was 33 hectares. From the northwest, where the city was most vulnerable, a 214-meter-long stone wall was built, equipped with both round and square towers. The only entrance to the fortress was in the northwestern corner. The thickness of the walls in some places reached 20 meters, and the height – from 20 to 25 meters. There was a moat along the wall. At a distance of 500 meters from the walls of the citadel there was a city wall, which was almost not preserved.

In the gorge of the citadel, in addition to natural barriers, artificial barriers were built. Initially, the Kyurikians, and later the Zakharids and their descendants, erected palaces, churches, baths in Lori, installed khachkars and built bridges over the gorges dividing the city outskirts. An underground passage leading to the Mishkana River was created.

Archaeological research

Excavation campaigns at Lori Bird have been conducted by explorers from Yerevan State University since 1966. As a result of the research, two buildings of the 11th-13th centuries, presumably baths, were discovered. The baths used double floors through which smoke from the firebox passed, heating the room. Clay pipes ran along the walls.

A two-story palace building, two pools with fountains were also discovered, and the tomb of the wife of David Ankhoh, the founder of the fortress, was excavated. One of the residential buildings with its frescoes, which were made in an unusual manner for that era and depict scenes from everyday life, rather than religious subjects attracted special attention from scientists. The city was supplied with drinking water from underground sources, which were located 5 km from the city through the special system, while industrial water came through artificial streams flowing above the pipeline.

Bridge

The bridge over the Mishkana River, which is located near the fortress, is an outstanding example of Medieval Armenian architecture of the 11th-12th centuries. The length of the bridge is 9 meters, its width is 2.8 meters. Hewn basalt stones were used in the construction of the bridge. The bridge was badly damaged by the 1918 flood, but local residents restored it on their own.

The copyright of this article is owned by armgeo.am. The content of the article may be cited or used on other websites only with an active link to the source.

Fortresses and castles of Armenia