- Type
- Fortress
- Built
- 9th century
- Coordinates
- 40.0576°, 46.5309°
History
The fortress on a summit above the village of Vank was most likely built between the 7th and 9th centuries, when Armenia was under Arab rule; some historians attribute it to the Armenian prince Sahl Smbatean. In the first half of the 13th century Hasan-Jalal Dawla, ruler of the Armenian principality of Khachen and founder of the nearby Gandzasar monastery, rebuilt and enlarged the stronghold, which became one of the seats of his family, the Hasan-Jalalyans. The earliest mention comes from his contemporary, the chronicler Kirakos Gandzaketsi: Hasan-Jalal held out here against the army of the Mongol commander Jula, a brother of Chormaqan. The Mongols failed to take the castle, but the prince had to pay them a yearly tribute, supply troops and give his daughter Ruzan in marriage to Bora, Chormaqan's son. After Güyük became Great Khan in 1246, Bora returned to Khachen for tribute and razed Khokhanaberd along with other fortresses of Hasan-Jalal. The ruins suffered further during Turkic raids in the 15th and 16th centuries; since 2023 the area has been under Azerbaijani control.
What to see
On the summit stand fragments of walls and towers of undressed stone and the remains of rooms associated with the 13th-century palace of the princes of Khachen – hence the ruins' other name, the Palace of Hasan-Jalal. The walls bear fragments of Armenian inscriptions; newly found ones were published in 1996. The village of Vank lies at the foot of the mountain, close to Gandzasar Cathedral, built by Hasan-Jalal in 1216–1238. Access to the area may be restricted, so check the current rules before travelling.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q4500485
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