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The
fortress and church
of Amberd are occupying a rugged
promontory between the Amberd
river and its main tributary. The
fortress reached its zenith as the seat of the Pahlavuni feudal
family in the 11th c. Prince
Vahram Pahlavuni built the church
in 1026, as the inscription on the inside lintel of the N doorway
documents. Conquered by the
Turks, reacquired by the Byzantines, lost again to the Seljuks,
reconquered in 1196 by Ivane and Zakare Zakarian, and purchased
by Vache Vachutian in 1215, the fortress was a key defensive site
for centuries. Besides
the citadel, bath, church, and extensive house fortifications,
there are outer defensive works and, descending a perilous track
on the SW corner, a covered passageway leading to the river.
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