Kakavaberd: the fortress on the ridge above the Azat canyon

From the temple of Garni, the canyon of the Azat river climbs towards the Geghama mountains, and on a ridge at 1,500 metres, with cliffs on three sides, there is a wall with towers that almost nobody sees up close. This is Kakavaberd, "the partridge fortress", also called Geghi Berd after the village below it. There is no road: you walk up, two or three hours, and that is why it is as it is, intact and empty, with the wall standing and grass growing inside.

What it was

Armenian historians of the 10th century mention it as a fortress of the Bagratuni princes and later of the Pahlavuni, in the years when Armenia was a mosaic of small kingdoms and every family had an inaccessible castle to retreat to. It served as a refuge during the Seljuk and Mongol invasions and was abandoned afterwards. What remains, the walls with eight towers on the accessible side, a small church and the remains of cisterns and houses, dates from the 9th and 10th centuries, with later repairs.

What you see

The wall comes first: stretches up to ten metres high, in basalt ashlar, closing off the only side from which you can approach. Inside, the plan of a single-nave church, the walls of buildings and the bare ridge with views over the canyon, the Geghama massif on one side and, on clear days, Ararat on the other. There are no signs and no restoration. It is a place for those who like to climb and have the top to themselves.

How to climb up

The classic route starts from the village of Geghi, reached by car from Garni along a track, and climbs the ridge in two or three hours of steep going. You can also come up from the bottom of the Azat canyon, along the valley, somewhat longer. You need boots, water and a guide or a GPS track, because the path disappears in places. Best from May to October and never in a storm: there is nowhere to shelter at the top.

How to fit it in

It is a mountain day from Yerevan, with Garni and Geghard on the way in the morning or afternoon. On an ordinary trip it does not fit; on one with a hiking day, it is one of the best climbs near the capital. To see medieval Armenia without the climb, the monastery of Khor Virap, down on the plain, takes an hour.

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