UNIQUE PLACES

XIII-IX cc., VII-VI cc. BC

State index: 1.11.22

Founder: King of Van Rusa II (685-645 BC)

The ancient city of Karmir Blur is located in the southwestern part of Yerevan, on the southern (left bank) headland of the Hrazdan River, near Upper Charbakh and the existing cemetery. The local pre-Urartian fortress is one of the most important fortresses in Yerevan, where people lived as early as the XIII century BC.

In VII century BC, Rusa II, son of King Argishti I (685-645 BC), named the fortified city Teyshebaini after the god of thunder and war of the Urartian pantheon Teysheba.

Excavations prove that the ancient settlement of the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages in the area of Karmir Blur (Red Hill) was built on the high headlands on the left bank of Hrazdan, where life began in the XIII-XI centuries BC and lasted until the IX century BC. The fortified city was built to replace Erebuni, the Urartian center of the Ararat valley. The Scythians or the Medes destroyed it in 630-600 BC. Later, in the Achaemenid and early Hellenistic periods (VI-III centuries BC), the area of the city was transformed into a burial ground (the end of the VI century BC - III century AD), where the burials found are earthen or slabbed. Masonry stones of Urartian buildings were also used for the construction of tombs. The dead were mostly buried crouched, lying on their sides, or in sitting positions. In the Middle Ages (XII-XIII centuries) a church with its estate was founded on the top of the hill. In one of manuscripts written in XVIII century Karmir Blur is called “Kavakert” (made from clay).

Excavations of the monument commenced in 1939 and have continued intermittently to the present day. The stratigraphic record reveals cultural layers with an approximate thickness of 4 meters. Among the discoveries are various vessels and fragments, bronze and iron weapons (such as spearheads and daggers), bracelets, beads, remains of barley, cow, goat, pig, horse, and donkey bones, as well as coins, among other artifacts. The silver dram of Alexander the Great is a remarkable artifact.

The Karmir Blur ancient site stands out as one of the most renowned and significant monuments in Armenia. It represents the first extensively studied group of monuments from the Late Bronze to Early Iron Ages. This site is of paramount importance for the advancement of Urartian studies.

The residential district (XII-XI, VII-VI centuries BC, state index: 1.11.22.1) extends westward from the citadel. On both sides of the main street (width: 6 meters) the excavations unveiled residential structures constructed in close proximity or independently, dating back to the VII and VI centuries BC. These structures included the residence of a renowned Urartian individual, a section house, and a megaron-style dwelling. These above-ground houses were built using boulders on platforms crafted from gravel and clay. They typically comprised a single spacious room and 5 to 6 smaller rooms. For roofing wood and reed were used. Large rooms contained hearths, large clay pots, and stone human-shaped figurines. Remnants of poor-quality huts have also been discovered, which are from the last period of the rule of the Kingdom of Van, when the city was abandoned.

The fortress dating back to the VII-V centuries BC (state index: 1.11.22.2) is located on the hill, at the edge of a flat plateau. It is a horseshoe-shaped building consisting of 40 small and medium-sized rooms, narrow and long, adjacent to each other, the ends of which are connected by a strong wall that create a courtyard. In valleys, as well as in strategically important locations for defense, fortresses with angular, rectangular towers were built. It had two gates: major (southern) and minor (northwestern). The central and eastern parts of the fortress were surrounded by a double wall. A small part of the upper floor has been preserved. This floor comprises several successive layers of brick and clay plaster. The wine cellars on the lower floor, where vats with capacities ranging from 350 to 1300 liters were stored, were covered with gravel and sand, compacted, and then plastered with clay on the surface.

“Scientific Research Center of Historical and Cultural of Heritage” SNCO

Yerevan Municipality