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Crossing the bridge over the aptly named Dzoraget (“Gorgeriver”) at
Stepanavan and turning right at the traffic circle, bump along the road
about 1.5 km until just before a cluster of pipe-shaped “temporary” shelters for earthquake victims. The field
on both
sides of the road is full of huge
(10x2x3m) Bronze
Age chamber tombs,
formed
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Backtracking through Lori Berd, the NE fork leads to Lejan,
with
a 19th c. church on 5th c. foundations. Lejan hosted in 1907 the 3rd Conference of Borchalu
Bolsheviks.
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UNDER
CONSTRUCTION
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massive boulders. In
some of them, rich bronze grave goods and horse burials were
found. Continue to the village of
Lori
Berd.
There
a road angles right through the village,
ending at the spectacular fortress
of Lori (“Lori Berd”). This was the capital of David Anhoghin
(989-1049) of the Tashir-Dzoraget Kingdom, and was a feudal center of
the Kyurikian family. It was taken over by the Orbelian lords of Georgia
in the early 12th c, then came under the sway of the Zakarian
brothers Ivane and Zakare. When the Mongols arrived, Lori Berd was the
capital of Shahn shah, Zakare's son.
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