Mount Kotuts

Kotuts Mountains

Length: 13 km

Highest summit: Mount Kotuts (2,061 m)

Coordinates: 39°58’33.32, 44°50’37.90

The Kotuts mountains are located in Ararat province. These mountains are the eastern branch of the Yeranos mountains. They start from Handasar and from the south-west continue till Salqar summit, from where they change direction to the south-east and reach the valley of the river Vedi. The length is 13 km. The Kotuts mountains are a watershed between mountains Khosrov and Kotuts. The highest peak is Mount Kotuts (2061 m).

“Khosrov forest” state reserve

Mount Kotuts is located 2 km north-west from Urtsadzor village on the bank of Khosrov river. The summit of Kotuts is a part of “Khosrov forest” state reserve.

Tapi castle / Gevorg Marzpetuni fortress

Urts township, Tap village and fortress or Gevorg Marzpetuni castle

The famous medieval town of Urts, a fortress, the province named Urts, a river, a mountain range, and a residency was all considered as one township. The ministerial house that dominated the same province was also called Urts. It was especially prosperous in the 4th-7th and 12th-15th centuries. It had four churches, four districts, a citadel and a castle.

Tapi fortress or Gevorg Marzpetuni castle being surrounded by mountains was founded on a hill in the north-western part of the town of Urts and was considered to be a great architectural and fortification building. It was built in the 10th century. It was surrounded by fortified walls with a rectangular layout, four corners of which were reinforced by rounded towers. There was also a church which itself was a vaulted hall building and was built with white felsite stones dating back to the 13th century.

In 1256, an engraved record on the northern wall of the church named the fortress “Tapi”. In 1496 the church of Tapi was said to be a script center. In the mentioned area between Khosrov and Vedi rivers, in the triangular valley, remnants and traces of walls of numerous unknown buildings are preserved – except for the castle fort, the aforementioned four churches, and the four cemeteries.