Kakavaberd
Encyclopedia
Kakavaberd or Kaqavaberd is a fortress located upon a ridge overlooking the Azat River
Azat River
The Azat is a river in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. Its source is on the western slope of the Geghama mountains. It flows through Garni, Lanjazat and Arevshat. It flows into the Aras near Artashat.-See also:*Rivers and lakes in Armenia...

 gorge at the Khosrov Reserve in the Ararat Province of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

.

Site

The fortified walls of Kakavaberd are well preserved and crown a ridge within the Khosrov Reserve. It is inaccessible from three of its sides because of the steep terrain. Towers at the northeastern side are 8 to 10 meters tall. Within the fortress are the ruins of a church and other structures.

History

The fortress was first mentioned by Hovhannes Draskhanakerttsi (John V the Historian) in the 9th-10th centuries in his History of Armenia as being controlled by the Armenian noble Bagratuni
Bagratuni Dynasty
The Bagratuni, Bagratid or alternatively Pakradouni royal dynasty of Armenia was a royal family whose branches formerly ruled many regional polities, including the Armenian lands of Sper|presently Ispir in Tayk Province of the Armenian Kingdom, Bagrevand in Ayrarat Province of the Armenian...

 family. He wrote that in 924, after losing a battle at the island of Sevan
Lake Sevan
Lake Sevan is the largest lake in Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest high-altitude lakes in the world.Lake Sevan is situated in the central part of the Republic of Armenia, inside the Gegharkunik Province, at the altitude of 1,900m above sea level...

, the commander and chief Beshir went on to attack the fortress of Kakavaberd. He was later beaten by Gevorg Marzpetuni. The same event is recorded in the book "Armenia and the Armenians" (1874) by James Issaverdens where he writes,
In the 11th c. it passed over to the Pahlavuni
Pahlavuni
Pahlavuni was an Armenian noble family that rose to prominence in the late 10th century during the last years of the Bagratuni monarchy.-Origins:...

 family, and in the 12th-13th c. to the Proshyan family for whom the nearby town is named after. Kakavaberd was last mentioned in the year 1224 when after losing a battle that took place near Garni
Garni
Garni is a village in the Kotayk Province of Armenia, situated approximately 28 km southeast from Yerevan.- History :...

, Ivane Zakarian
Orbelian Dynasty
The Orbelian lords of Syunik were a noble family, documented in inscriptions throughout Vayots Dzor and Syunik, and recorded by the family bishop Stepanos in his 1297 History of Syunik....

 found shelter there.

Muratsan
Muratsan
Muratsan December 1, 1854, Shusha - September 12, 1908 , Tbilisi was an Armenian prolific writer, most famously known for his work "Gevorg Marzpetuni" , a historical novel set in Armenia in the 10th century.- Biography :Muratsan was born in the city of Shushi, Artsakh to a...

has also mentioned the fortress in Gevorg Marzpetuni (1896), a historical novel set in Armenia in the 10th century.

External links

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