| Amberd, is a 7th century fortress and an 11th century | | | | residential ruins and buildings of large basalt stone |
| church located on the slopes of Mount Aragats in the | | | | blocs. There are information referring to Kosh in |
| province of Aragatsotn, Armenia. | | | | Armenian scripts from the 4th century. |
| Amberd translates to fortress in the clouds in | | | | Churches |
| Armenian. It is located 2,300 meters above sea level | | | | The churches of St Grigor (13th-14th centuries) and St. |
| on the slopes of the Mount Aragats. The village of | | | | Gevork (19th century) are protected within Kosh, and |
| Byurakan not to be confused with the Byurakan | | | | an oil refinery (18th century). The fortress of Kosh (13th |
| Observatory is located four miles away from Amberd. | | | | century) is located in the northern part, top of a hill with |
| The fortress was founded in the 7th century AD as a | | | | right-angled corners and circular towers, built with clear |
| possession of the noble House of Kamsarakan. Four | | | | cut large tuff stone blocks, with the lower part |
| centuries later it was purchased by the House of | | | | consisting of rough-cut basalt blocks. The entrances |
| Pahlavuni and rebuilt by Prince Vahram Vachutian | | | | are situated in the north and south with ceiling-covered |
| Pahlavuni. Vahram fortified the complex with thicker | | | | corridors. South of Kosh, stands a large |
| stone walls and added three bastions along the ridge | | | | khatchkar-monument of red tuff from 1195 (6.8m tall). |
| of the Arkhashyan canyon. The domed church was | | | | According to inscriptions, it is dedicated to the liberation |
| built in 1026 as testified by the inscriptions made on it, | | | | of Aragatzotn from Seljuk Turks. |
| it's located between the castle and the edge of hill, | | | | Shirak is one of the provinces (marz) of Armenia. It is |
| looking down on the Arkhashyan river. A bathouse built | | | | in the north-west of the country, bordering Turkey in |
| in the same period and quite unusual for a military | | | | the west and Georgia in the north. Its capital is Gyumri. |
| installation has also remained moderately intact along | | | | Shirak is known as the homeland of khash. It is as |
| with the water supply system. Amberd was overrun in | | | | much semi-desert as it is mountain meadow or high |
| the 11th century by the Seljuk Turks and destroyed by | | | | alpine. In the south, the high steppes crash into |
| Mongols in the 13th century. | | | | mountain terrain, verdant green in the spring, hues of |
| Namrun Kalesi is a castle near the town of | | | | reddish brown in the summer. |
| Çamliyayla in Mersin Province, Turkey. While part | | | | History |
| of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in the Middle Ages, | | | | The ancient history of Shirak is similar to its cousin the |
| the castle was known as Lampron and was the | | | | Ararat Valley, steeped in legend to some, but found by |
| ancestral home of the Armenian Hethumid princes. | | | | archaeologists to have been inhabited 250,000 years |
| Situated in the Taurus Mountains, the fortress guarded | | | | ago, with settlements popping up along the Akhurian |
| passes to Tarsus and the Cilician plain. | | | | Valley beginning around 9000 BC. Agriculturally based, |
| The village of Kosh is located in the Ashtarak district, | | | | the region has few of the metallurgical centers found |
| about 18 km south-west of the district centre. There | | | | South, but still had sophisticated settlements. |
| are numreous remainings from early Iron Age | | | | |