Kachaghakaberd ( hy, Կաչաղակաբերդ, az, Qaxaç qalası) is a mountain-top fortress located between the villages of

Kolatak Kolatak ( hy, Քոլատակ; az, Kolatağ) is a village ''de facto'' in the Martakert Province of the Political status of Nagorno-Karabakh, breakaway Republic of Artsakh, ''de jure'' in the Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan, in the disputed region ...

and Khndzristan, in the disputed region of

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh ( ) is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik, and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains. The region is m ...

, ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' in the Askeran Province of the

Republic of Artsakh Artsakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh () or the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (),, is a breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Artsakh controls a part of the former ...

, ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...

'' in the

Khojaly District Khojaly District ( az, Xocalı rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the west of the country and belongs to the Karabakh Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Kalbajar, Lachin, Shusha, Agdam and Khoj ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

. The Janapar Trail runs very near to the fortress. A short side trail takes to the top of the fortress.

Etymology

Khachaghakaberd fortress between Kolatag and Patara

''Kachaghakaberd'' is translated from Armenian as ''magpie's fortress'', a combination of the words կաչաղաք (''kachaghak'', designating the bird magpie) and բերդ (''berd'', meaning fortress).

Architecture

The fortress was an important fortification of the medieval Armenian

Principality of Khachen The Principality of Khachen ( hy, Խաչենի իշխանություն, Khacheni ishkhanutyun) was a medieval Armenian principality on the territory of historical Artsakh (present-day Nagorno-Karabakh). The provinces of Artsakh and Utik wer ...

that thrived in the High Middle Ages, and is located at a height of more than 1700 meters, surrounded by vertical limestone cliffs with the heights of 50–60 meters, has a hard-to-reach entrance from the southern side of the fortress. During its history no one could ever storm the fortress. Parts of the defensive walls remain standing. The territory of the fortress occupies a large area, though it seems small. Many rooms, secret passages cut into the cliffs, and special loopholes for throwing stones at enemies are inside its territory. The water supply problem was solved by a unique method: two rock-cut reservoirs to store rain and melt-water are in the center of the fortress. Fresh water was brought from a spring at the foot of the mountain.Brady Kiesling (Author), Raffi Kojian (Author, Editor). Rediscovering Armenia. Publisher: Matit; 2nd edition (June 1, 2005), ;

Gallery

Artsakh Kachaghakaberd 13.JPG, View of the tower Вид на крепость Качахакаберд.JPG, View from the tower Вид на крепость Качахакаберд2.JPG Вид на крепость Качахакаберд из селения Колатак,.jpg Вид на крепость Качахакаберд из селения Колатак,2.JPG, View of

village from the tower Вид на крепость Качахакаберд3.JPG

References

{{Castles and fortresses in Azerbaijan Buildings and structures in the Republic of Artsakh Tourist attractions in the Republic of Artsakh Castles and fortresses in Azerbaijan

Etymology

Architecture

Gallery

See also

References