Bagaran

Bagaran (Armenian: Բագարան) was a city in ancient Armenia founded during the reign of the Orontid dynasty. It is one of the historical capitals of ancient Armenia. Throughout various historical periods, it served as the primary religious center of Urartu.

Geographical Location and Toponyms

The fortress-city of Bagaran (also referred to in historical sources as a fortress, town, castle, or city) was located in the Arsharunik canton of the Ayrarat province of Greater Armenia, near the confluence of the Akhuryan and Aras rivers (on the right bank of the Akhuryan). It was situated south of the village of Mren and approximately 8–9 kilometers (according to Movses Khorenatsi, about forty asparameters or stadia) north of the historical capital city of Yervandashat.

The city was surrounded on three sides by the steep gorge of the Akhuryan River. This topographical feature provided a strategic advantage for robust defense against enemy incursions.

In later periods, the waters from the springs located within the territory of Bagaran were utilized to operate watermills. The city featured orchards and an artificial forest-park. Furthermore, the natural and artificial caves in the surrounding valleys and gorges were also utilized for military and defensive purposes.

Founding and pagan period

According to the Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi, Bagaran was founded during the third century BC by King Orontes IV of Armenia. The city was founded simultaneously with the construction of the new capital, Yervandashat. It quickly became the religious centre of Armenia, replacing Armavir as the main spiritual site of the Orontid pagan temples.

King Orontes IV constructed pagan temples in Bagaran and appointed his brother, Yervaz, as the High Priest. By royal decree, an artificial oak forest-park was planted, which was subsequently enclosed by walls and converted into a royal hunting ground named "Tsnndots" ("Forest of Genesis"). Following the completion of the enclosure, the park was populated with various animals, including roe deer, red deer, fallow deer, and wild boars. This grove held profound cultic significance, closely resembling the sacred "Sosyats" (Plane tree) forest of Armavir, where priests historically performed divinations based on the rustling of the leaves. Vestiges of the "Tsnndots" forest have survived to the present day in the form of dense shrublands.

The Campaign of Artaxias I and the Decline of the City

Artaxias I, the founder of the Artaxiad dynasty, overthrew Orontes IV and brought an end to the Orontid dynasty. He plundered the treasures from the pagan temples of Bagaran and ordered the High Priest Yervaz to be executed by drowning in the river with a stone tied around his neck. The pagan idols were subsequently transferred to the newly established capital of Artashat.

Artaxias I granted the High Priest's 500 servants to Smbat Bagratuni, who subsequently settled them in the Kogovit canton. This new settlement was also named Bagaran and later developed into a prominent feudal estate. After losing its status as a religious center, Bagaran declined in prominence and was not mentioned in historical sources for nearly a thousand years. During the second half of the sixth century, Bagaran, along with the entire canton of Arsharunik, became the property of the Kamsarakan princes.

The Bagratid Period (As Capital City)

The Bagratunis took over the city during the eighth century. In 895, after the establishment of the Kingdom of Armenia, Bagaran became the capital of an independent Armenian kingdom under Ashot I. His successor, Smbat I, moved the capital Bagaran to Shirakavan in 890. Under Bagratid rule, Bagaran remained one of the prosperous centers of the Armenian kingdom. Many Bagratuni rulers, including Ashot I, are buried in Bagaran.

Throughout the existence of their dynasty, the Bagratunis held four different capital cities (Bagaran, Shirakavan, Kars, and Ani); however, Bagaran maintained its economic and cultural significance from the 8th to the 11th centuries. During this period, major civil and ecclesiastical construction projects were carried out in the city.

Foreign Incursions and Final Decline

However, in 1045, Bagaran, along with the Armenian capital of Ani, was invaded by the Byzantines. In 1064, the city was attacked and heavily destroyed by the Seljuk Turks. During the twelfth century, the Shah-Armens took over Bagaran.

In 1211, the joint Armeno-Georgian forces led by the Zakarid princes liberated Bagaran. Over the following few decades, the city's prosperity began to recover; however, this resurgence was interrupted in 1236 by the Mongol-Tatar invasions, as a consequence of which the city entered a period of rapid decline.

In 1394, Bagaran was finally destroyed by Tamerlane. Following this invasion, the city was never rebuilt; during the 14th and 15th centuries, it was reduced to a heap of ruins, and the modest settlement that persisted within the area lost its former urban significance.

Architecture and Historical-Cultural Monuments

Traces of the pagan temples and other structures constructed by King Orontes IV were preserved until the early 20th century. At the turn of the century, while digging foundations for new houses on the hill known as "Mijin Gyugh" (Middle Village), the villagers of Bagaran frequently discovered pagan-era graves, small stone idols, and other antiquities. Within the territory of the historical city, various remnants have survived in various states of preservation, including defensive walls, distinct sections of the fortress, a tower, a partially ruined royal balcony, the remains of a bridge and residential dwellings, traces of cemeteries, as well as a secret underground passage leading from the ancient fortress to the Akhuryan․