The Akhuryan () or Arpachay () is a river in the

South Caucasus The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and West Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Armenia, ...

. It originates in

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

and flows from Lake Arpi, along the closed

border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...

with

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, forming part of the geographic border between the two states, until it flows into the Aras as a

left tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...

near

Bagaran Bagaran () was a city in ancient Armenia founded during the reign of the Orontid dynasty. It is one of the historical capitals of ancient Armenia. History Ancient and medieval According to the Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi, Bagaran was ...

. The Akhuryan is long, and has a

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

Gyumri Gyumri (, ) is an urban municipal community and the List of cities and towns in Armenia, second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th centur ...

, the second largest city of Armenia, is located on the east bank of the river.

History

When the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

army arrived in the province of Shirak in 1041, local

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

nobles (

nakharar ''Nakharar'' ( ''naxarar'', from Parthian ''naxvadār'' "holder of the primacy") was a hereditary title of the highest order given to houses of the ancient and medieval Armenian nobility. ''Nakharar'' system Medieval Armenia was divided into l ...

s) assembled together against them under the command of the

Pahlavuni Pahlavuni (; classical orthography: Պահլաւունի) was an Armenian noble family, a branch of the Kamsarakan, that rose to prominence in the late 10th century during the last years of the Bagratuni monarchy. Origins The Pahlavunis (a ...

general

Vahram Pahlavouni Vahram Pahlavuni (; d. 1046) was an Armenian military commander and official in Bagratuni Armenia. He was the head of the noble family of Pahlavuni, who held the hereditary title of (general-in-chief) in the Bagratuni kingdom of Armenia. Biogr ...

. Vahram then selected a body of 30,000 infantry and 20,000 cavalry, forming three divisions, which fought against the Byzantines.History of Armenia by Father Michael Chamich from B.C. 2247 to the Year of Christ 1780, or 1229 of the Armenian era – Page 124 by Mik'ayel Ch'amch'yants' A battle ensued in which the invaders were routed. The fighting was so ferocious that the effusion of blood flowing into the Akhurian River is said to have coloured its waters completely red.History of Armenia by Father Michael Chamich from B.C. 2247 to the Year of Christ 1780, or 1229... – Page 124 by Mik'ayel Ch'amch'yants' The Byzantines left 21,000 dead behind. This victory allowed Vahram along with

Catholicos A catholicos (plural: catholicoi) is the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and, in some cases, it is the title of the head of an autonomous church. The word comes from ancient Greek ( ...

Petros Getadardz to crown

Gagik II Gagik II (; c. 1025 - May 5/November 24, 1079) was the last Armenian king of the Bagratuni dynasty, ruling in Ani from 1042 to 1045. Historical background During the reign of Hovhannes-Smbat (John-Smbat), a feudal lord, David, who owned Taik ...

king of Armenia and subsequently take the fortress of Ani, which had been in the hands of Vest Sarkis.

Bridges

Several medieval bridges once existed over the Akhuryan. The bridge at

Ani Ani (; ; ) is a ruined medieval Armenian city now situated in Turkey's province of Kars, next to the closed border with Armenia. Between 961 and 1045, it was the capital of the Bagratid Armenian kingdom that covered much of present-day Armen ...

may date back to the

Bagratuni dynasty The Bagratuni or Bagratid dynasty (, ) was an Armenian royal dynasty which ruled the medieval Kingdom of Armenia from until 1045. Originating as vassals of the Kingdom of Armenia of antiquity, they rose to become the most prominent Armenian n ...

.A system of geography, popular and scientific: or A physical, political, and statistical account... – Page 143 by James Bell – 1832 More likely it dates to the thirteenth century. An inscription found nearby said that building work on the approach to the bridge was done in the early fourteenth century.VirtualAni: The Bridge Over the Akhurian River
/ref> The bridge's single arch has fallen, leaving only tall abutments that were perhaps part of a fortified gate. Nineteenth-century travelers reported a guardhouse next to the bridge, but this has since disappeared.

History

Bridges

Notes

References

See also