Amberd

Amberd, the fortress in the clouds, crowns a rocky spur on the southern slope of Mount Aragats. Deep ravines defend the site on either side, while stone walls and towers guarded its approaches. The stronghold belonged to the Pahlavuni princes, whose commander Vahram built the church beside it in 1026. Its dome rises above the fortifications, near the remains of a bath supplied by a system of pipes and heated beneath its floor.

The fortress passed through several hands during the struggles for control of the Armenian highlands. The Zakarian princes recovered and reinforced it, and Vache Vachutian purchased it in 1215. Mongol forces captured and devastated Amberd in 1236. The castle thereafter stood deserted, its walls and church overlooking the gorges below.