RUINS OF POST-URARTIAN FORTRESS DISCOVERED IN TSAKHKADZOR
By Melania Badalian

AZG Armenian Daily
04/07/2006

As the tradition has it, once upon a time the surroundings of Berdi
Glugh settlement were covered with flower gardens, and the wind
would scatter the flowers all over valleys thus giving birth to the
name of Tsakhkadzor (valley of flowers). Old-timers tell that there
used to be shabby houses that were crumbled later on. According to
historiography, during the rule of the Arsacid (Arshakuni) Dynasty
the royal family used to spend holidays in this region. These facts
made the Forests For the Next Generations NGO embark on the study
of the lands stretching southwest from the Writers’ Home. The group
of enthusiasts was looking for the trace of the famous palace of
prince Prosh who settled in Tsakhkadzor. Having discovered 5-6 lines
of stone walls, the NGO applied to the Ministry of Culture asking
to come and take a professional look at the findings. As a result
of a survey by the specialists of the Agency for Preservation of
Historic and Cultural Monuments and the Institute of Ethnography,
ruins of a post-Urartian fortress built of huge basalt stones. The
archeological finding is dated back to 6-5 centuries BC. "The walls
of the inner fortress have preserved and only northeastern part is
damaged as a result of a road constructed by Viva Cell to erect
its cell-phone tower. The inner fortress has a surface of 5.000
sq. m. The fortress was used in the middle ages too. It has a great
historic-archeological value. It’s a subject to serious scientific
research and therefore no construction works should be carried out
here," reads the experts’ conclusion.

NGO member Movses Manukian told daily Azg: "I think serious excavation
should be carried out. Tsakhkadzor is developing today as a resort
city and the fact of an ancient sight can add to its attractiveness. We
will clearly pursue that the government does not allot these lands."