Smbataberd

Armenia, Armenia

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Smbataberd Fortress, also called Tsakhats Kar (or Tsaghats Qar), is a large medieval fortress in the Vayots Dzor Province of Armenia, situated on a narrow mountain ridge between the villages of Artabuynk and Yeghegis, protected on three sides by the deep Yeghegis and Artabuynk gorges.

The site originally developed from a 5th‑century lookout or defensive post associated with the bloody battles between Armenians and Persians around the Battle of Avarayr, and was later heavily fortified and expanded in the 9th–10th centuries by the princes of Syunik and then in the 13th century by the Orbelian dynasty, reaching its peak as a military base for the region.

The fortress covers about 6.5 hectares, stretches about one kilometer, and is divided into northern and southern sections by an internal wall, with high basalt walls up to 8–10 meters tall and 2–3 meters thick, several round towers, and three main entrances (north‑east, north‑west, and north) built as vaulted halls with guardhouses and observation points.

Inside, the ruins include a citadel, residential buildings, military barracks, and water reservoirs, with water historically supplied from springs near the nearby Tsakhats Kar monastery through a pipeline system, and the fortress is famous for the legend that it was captured only once, by the Seljuk Turks, who discovered the water channels by releasing thirsty horses and then cut off the supply to force the inhabitants to surrender.