The fortress of Tsoraberd

The fortress of Tsoraberd

Location

The fortress's position is characterized by high cliffs in the south and, in general, a commanding position from which the entire area, including the surrounding valleys and gorges, was controlled from the fortress (Fig. 1). The Tsor village is currently occupied by Azerbaijan.

Fig. 1 The general view of Tsoraberd Mountain. The photo is provided by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of the Republic of Artsakh.

Historical overview

There is barely any historical information available about the fortress. In his description of Tsor, Makar Barkhudaryants mentions Velijan's fortress on the mountain behind it, but does not specify who Velijan is (Barkhutaryants 1895, 66).

Architectural-compositional examination

Only the ruins of the walls and the earthen pits of the water reservoirs remain of Tsoraberd's main buildings. The fortress's walls are made of unpolished, large rough stones, as well as small and medium-sized stones, and lime mortar. The thickness of the walls in the preserved areas reaches 2 meters (Figs. 2-5). The laying of large semi-finished quadras placed horizontally allows it to be dated to the first centuries CE. The only path to the fortress is quite impassable (Mkrtchyan 1985, 132).

Fig. 2 The general view of Tsoraberd's walls. The photo is provided by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of the Republic of Artsakh.

Fig. 4 A segment from the Tsoraberd's walls. The photo is provided by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of the Republic of Artsakh.

Fig. 3 The laying of the Tsoraberd's walls. The photo is provided by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of the Republic of Artsakh.

Fig. 5 The combination of large and small stones in the laying. The photo is provided by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of the Republic of Artsakh.

The condition before and after the war

The fortress ruins were not damaged during the Artsakh wars.

Bibliography

  1. Barkhutariants 1835 - Barkhutariants M., Artsakh, Baku, Aror.
  2. Mkrtchyan 1985 - Mkrtchyan Sh., Historical and architectural monuments of Nagorno Karabakh, Yerevan.
The fortress of Tsoraberd
The fortress of Tsoraberd
The fortress of Tsoraberd
Artsakh