Round walls
Thick and black.
Armineaghayan — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Armenak Margarian — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Armenak Margarian — CC BY-SA 4.0
A huge round fortress of black tuff on a hill west of Gyumri, built by the Russian Empire in the 1830s to guard its southern frontier, whose Armenian name means the black fortress, for the dark colour of its stone. The fortress's thick walls run in a full circle around a broad courtyard, with narrow firing slits and vaulted inner passages. After decades of neglect parts of it have been restored and now host art exhibitions and cultural events. The hill gives a wide view over the city and the surrounding plain, and on a neighbouring hill stands the Mother Armenia statue watching over the city. The best time to visit is just before sunset, when the light softens on the black stone. Walking around the fortress is free, and exhibitions inside may charge a small fee. It is a short drive from the Kumayri historic district.
Thick and black.
Over the city.
Inside the fort.
Hill west of central Gyumri
The Russian Empire, in the 1830s, to guard its southern frontier.
