Aghtsk is a town on the slopes of Mount Aragats

Mount Aragats

Mount Aragats , Alagoz - is a large andesitic-to-dacitic stratovolcano in NW Armenia about 40 km NW of the capital city of Yerevan. It is the highest point in Armenia, located in the province of Aragatsotn, northwest from Yerevan. Located on its slopes are the Byurakan Observatory and the...

 in the Aragatsotn Province

Aragatsotn

Aragatsotn is a province of Armenia. It is in the west of the country, and its capital is Ashtarak. The name means "a foot of Aragats" . During the Arsacid Dynasty of the Kingdom of Armenia, the region was part of the Ayrarat province...

 of Armenia

Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

. The town contains a large 4th century grave monument complex. According to Armenian lore, Shapur II

Shapur II

Shapur II the Great was the ninth King of the Persian Sassanid Empire from 309 to 379 and son of Hormizd II. During his long reign, the Sassanid Empire saw its first golden era since the reign of Shapur I...

 of Persia exhumed the bones of the Armenian kings and took them to Persia symbolically taking Armenia's power. When Vassak Mamikonian

Vassak Mamikonian

Vassak Mamikonian was the Armenian sparapet for King Arshak II . He was known to be a great general who had many victories against the Persian king Shapur II, but was finally captured along with Arshak and flayed, his body displayed at the gates of the castle where Arshak was kept captive....

 defeated the Persians and reclaimed the bones of the Arshakuni monarchs, he buried them at Aghtsk. Remains of the monuments and a 4th century basilica are still to be seen.

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