Baghaberd
Encyclopedia
Baghaberd is a 4th-12th century Armenian fortress located along a ridge
overlooking the Voghji River, 14 kilometers northwest from the village of Kapan
in the Syunik Province of Armenia
.
's History of the Province of Syunik (Patmutyun Nahangin Sisakan), in the mid-4th century PrinceAndovk, the hereditary lord of Syunik, attacked and plundered one of the cities of the Persian
Sassanid
King Shapur II
(309-379) while the king was at war with the Huns
. King Shapur II was furious about the incident and took his armies to Syunik to defeat the prince. Andovk and his troops went to Baghaberd with a large supply of provisions and waited. Once the king's forces arrived at the fortress, Andovk and his men defeated three of Shapur's military units by rolling rocks down the cliffside upon them.
Prince Andovk soon fled to Constantinople
and his subjects scattered. When he arrived, he was given honors by the Emperor Theodosius I
showered him with great honors.
Baghaberd became the last capital of the Syunik kingdom after the destruction of the nearby village of Kapan in the year 1103. In 1170, the fortress was captured by the Seljuq Turks
.
Ridge
A ridge is a geological feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size. There are several main types of ridges:...
overlooking the Voghji River, 14 kilometers northwest from the village of Kapan
Kapan
-Notable landmarks:*Vahanavank monastery*Baghaberd and Halidzor Fortresses.*Tatev Monastery - This monastery, situated northwest of Kapan was founded in the ninth century in the place of an ancient tabernacle well-known in ancient times...
in the Syunik Province of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
.
History
Baghaberd is thought to have been built in the 4th century by Baghak of Sisak Nahapet. According to Stepanos OrbelianStepanos Orbelian
Stepanos Orbelian was a thirteenth century Armenian historian and the Metropolitan of the province of Syunik. He is known for writing his well-researched Patmut'yun Nahangin Sisakan, or History of the Province of Syunik.-Biography:...
's History of the Province of Syunik (Patmutyun Nahangin Sisakan), in the mid-4th century PrinceAndovk, the hereditary lord of Syunik, attacked and plundered one of the cities of the Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
Sassanid
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
King 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...
(309-379) while the king was at war with the Huns
Huns
The Huns were a group of nomadic people who, appearing from east of the Volga River, migrated into Europe c. AD 370 and established the vast Hunnic Empire there. Since de Guignes linked them with the Xiongnu, who had been northern neighbours of China 300 years prior to the emergence of the Huns,...
. King Shapur II was furious about the incident and took his armies to Syunik to defeat the prince. Andovk and his troops went to Baghaberd with a large supply of provisions and waited. Once the king's forces arrived at the fortress, Andovk and his men defeated three of Shapur's military units by rolling rocks down the cliffside upon them.
Prince Andovk soon fled to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
and his subjects scattered. When he arrived, he was given honors by the Emperor Theodosius I
Theodosius I
Theodosius I , also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Theodosius was the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire. During his reign, the Goths secured control of Illyricum after the Gothic War, establishing their homeland...
showered him with great honors.
Baghaberd became the last capital of the Syunik kingdom after the destruction of the nearby village of Kapan in the year 1103. In 1170, the fortress was captured by the Seljuq Turks
Seljuq dynasty
The Seljuq ; were a Turco-Persian Sunni Muslim dynasty that ruled parts of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to 14th centuries...
.