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Loriberd |
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Lori Fortress
Not far from the town of Stepanavan on the Dzoraget river, the ruins of the medieval fortress and town of Lore (meaning Lore fortress) have been preserved. In the period of feudal fragmentation of Armenia between the 10th and 13th centuries, it was the capital of the Lori kingdom. It was founded by David Anhoghin (989-1048 A.D.) who was the representative of Ani's Bagratouni Kyurikyan branch in Tashir-Dzoraget kingdom. Vardan Bardzereberdtsi informs us about it. Kyurike I made it the capital of Tashir-Dzoraget kingdom. The fortress was impregnable thanks to its remparts, which were built between the canyons of Dzoraget and Mskhina. The forts are built from semi-cultivated basalt. |
On the northern edge of the rampart, near the canyon of Miskhana, is the only entrance of the citadal, which had inner and outer gates, and only the outer gate remains. The fortress had a secret passage, which leads towards the canyon of Miskhana. In the area of the fortress, the ruins of two baths remain and its construction goes back to the 11th-13th centuries, the flourishing period of Lore fortress. In the area of the fortress stands the only church which consists of six sections. |
The roads connecting with the Lore fortress pass over the bridges which are built on the rivers of Dzoraget and Miskhana, one of which is standing on Miskhana. In 1238 A.D. the fortress was seized by the Mongols and razed to the ground. In the course of subsequent centuries, the town and the fortress were more than once hit and plundered by foreign invaders, eventually they were abandoned by the inhabitants. Archaeological excavations began on the site of the fortress and the town since 1960.
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