Bjni Fortress

Bjni Fortress
Բջնի բերդ
Kotayk Province, Armenia
Remains of the fortification walls at Bjni, October 2009.
Bjni Fortress Բջնի բերդ is located in Armenia
Bjni Fortress Բջնի բերդ
Bjni Fortress
Բջնի բերդ
Coordinates40°27′39″N 44°39′16″E / 40.4607°N 44.6544°E / 40.4607; 44.6544
TypeFortress
Site information
Controlled byPahlavuni family from the 11th to 13th century; Zakharyan family from the 13th to late 14th century
Open to
the public
Yes; ask a local near the hill to show the easiest route up (there are two routes).
ConditionSome of the exterior fortress walls survive in relatively poor condition.
Site history
BuiltFrom the 9th to 10th century
Built byPahlavuni family of the Bagratuni dynasty
In useAs a fortress by the Pahlavuni family and possibly the Zakharyan family as well
MaterialsStone
DemolishedQuite possibly during the destruction of the village of Bjni by the Turko-Mongol conqueror Timur Lenk in 1387–1388

Bjni Fortress (Armenian: Բջնի բերդ) is a medieval Armenian fortress located in the village of Bjni in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. It sits upon the top and along the sides of a mesa that divides the village nearly in half. The larger portion of which is located west of the mesa and curves south, while a smaller portion is east. The walls of the fortress may only be seen from the western side of the village, and are easiest reached via a narrow dirt road that forks (take the left fork) and goes up the side of the hill past some residences. Bjni Fortress is 1,504 metres (4,934 ft) above sea level.[1]

  1. ^ "Bjni Fortress Altitude and Location". Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2014-09-13.