Duration of presentation-15minutes
Discassion-5 minutes
23.10.2025-The Sessions will be held in the Round hall of the National Academy of Science.
Address 24 Marshal Baghramyan Ave.
24-25.10.2025-The Sessions will be held in the Reading room of the Institute of Archaeology
and Ethnography of NAS RA. Adress 15 Charents Street.
23.10.2025
10:30-11:00 Registration
11:00-11։30 Greeting speech
Arsen Bobokhyan, Doctor of History
Director of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, NAS RA
Dianna Mirijanyan, PHD
Head of department of Medieval Archaeology
Session 1
11:30-12:30
Chair: Dianna Mirijanyan
Hakob Simonyan, Doctor of Art (SRCHCH), The oldest defensive systems of Armenia
Mkrtich Zardaryan, PHD (IAE), Armavir-Artashat-Garni: The fortification of Classical Armenia and its staged transformation
Hamlet Petrosyan, Doctor of History (IAE, YSU)
Lyuba Kirakosyan, Doctor of Architecture (NUACA), The fortification system of Tigranakert of Artsakh
Coffee Break 12:30-13:00
Session 2
13:00-14:00
Chair: Hamlet Petrosyan
Ara Zaryan (independent researcher), The defensive system of the capital city of Kapan of the Syunik Kingdom (970-1170)
Avetis Grigoryan, PHD (IAE, SPHECMR), Levon Vasiljan (SPHECMR), Hayk Danielyan (SPHECMR), Levon Mkrtchyan (SPHECMR), Vahe Mesropyan (SPHECMR), Aram Stepanyan (CGT), The role of Baghaberd Fortress in the defense system of medieval Syunik
Aleksan Hakobyan, Doctor of History (IOS), Karnakash and other Fortresses of the Berdzor District in Artsakh in the 9th Century
LUNCH 14:00-14:30
Session 3
14:30-15:50
Chair: Hasmik Hovhannisyan
Armen Kazaryan, Doctor of Art (MGSU), Smbat’s walls of Ani. New research of Architectural-archaeological Stratigraphy
Arman Nalbandyan, PHD, (IAE, SRCHCH), The defense wall of the Lori fortress as an independent part of the fortification system
Artak Hakhverdyan (IAE), Tigran Aleksanyan (IAE), Harutyun Badalyan (IAE), Three-dimensional reconstruction of Tavush Fortress according to construction stages
Arev Samuelyan, PHD, (NUACA), Astghik Babajanyan, PHD, (IAE), Sose Aghaian (IAE), Anna Barseghyan, (independent researcher), From Ruins to Museum: The Challenges of Restoring Dashtadem Fortress and Creating a Museum
24.10.2025
Session 1
11։00-12:40
Chair: Garegin Tumanyan
Mikayel Badalyan, PHD, (IH), Henrik Danielyan, (independent researcher), The ramparts of Odzaberd and Karmir Blur
Levon Mkrtchyan (SPHECMR, SCAS), The Towered Castles of Shirak
Levon Asryan (IH), The role of the Chmin fortress in the Urartian fortification system
Saak Tarontsi (YSU, IAE), Urartian fortress architecture in Assyrian and Urartian reliefs and iconography of metalwork artefacts
Inessa Karapetyan, PHD, (IAE), The fortification systems of the Armavir fortress
Coffee Break 12:40-13:00
Session 2
13։00-14:20
Chair: Astghik Babajanyan
Yishu Deng (UC), Hayk Azizbekyan (UHK), Peter J. Cobb (UHK), An Evolving Defensive landscape: The Vedi Valley and The Vedi Fortress though a Diachronic Perspective
Amin Moradi, PHD, (BU), Imported Walls, Local Realities: Abbās Mīrzā’s reforms and the failure of Europea-style fortifications in Northwest Iran
Christian Fuchs, PHD, (BU), The Fortress on the Rab’-e Rashidi Site in Tabriz-A Monument between Demarcation and Interchange
Tatyana Vardanesova, PHD, (IAE, YSU), «Desert castles» Umayyads
LUNCH 14:30-15:00
Session 3
15։00-16:50
Chair: Avetis Grigoryan
Hamlet Petrosyan, Doctor of History (IAE,YSU), Hamazasp Abrahamyan (IAE, HMA), The fortification systems and sanctuaries of Tsitsar
Hamazasp Abrahamyan (IAE, HMA), The defensive systems of the Arakelots and Getakitsk monastic complexes in the context of Armenian medieval architecture
Gohar Mardyan, PHD, (NU), The historical heritage and peculiarities of the food of the people of Artsakh according to the ethnographic materials of the Shushi fortress
Arman Maloyan, PHD, «Vache and Tamar Manukyan Matenadaran», About the location of Matsnaberd
25.10.2025
Session 1
11։00-12:20
Chair: Mikayel Badalyan
Garegin Tumanyan, Doctor of History (IAE), The fortress of Agarak
Lilit Ter-Minasyan (IAE), The architecture of the Gegharot Early Bronze Age fortress-settlement
Artur Petrosyan, (IAE), Roberto Dan, (ISMEO) Onofrio Gasparro, (CFU), Newly Identified Defensive and Sheltering Systems in the light of the Kotayk Survay Project Data
Benik Vardanyan PHD, (SCAS, IAE), Levon Mkrtchyan, (SCAS), Ivan Semian PHD, (IAE), The fortress of Jradzor during the Bronze and Iron Ages
Coffee Break 12:20-13:00
Session 2
13։00-14:00
Chair: Lilit Ter-Minasyan
Gor Khazaryan (IGS), The importance of Geoarchaeological Research in the study of Armenian fortresses
Davit Nahatakyan, PHD, (NUACA, SCAS), Hasmik Matikyan, PHD, (SCAS, SSY), An interdisciplinary study of the castle (in the context of folklore and architecture)
Naira Nalbandyan (AIT), Armenia's castles and fortresses as an important factor in the development of cultural and cognitive tourism
Discussion
Lunch
14:00-15:00
ABBREVIATIONS
AIT- Armenian Institute for Tourism
BU- Bamberg University
CGT-Centre of Geospatial technologies
HMA-History Museum of Armenia
IAE-Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, NAS RA
IGS-Institute of Geological Sciences
IH- Institute of History, NAS RA
IOS-Institute of Oriental Studies, NAS RA
ISMEO- International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies
CFU- Ca’ Foscari University
MGSU- Moscow State University of Civil Engineering
NU-Northern University
NUACA- National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia
SCAS-Shirak Centre for Armenological Studies, NAS RA
SSY-Shirak State University
SPHECMR- Service for protection of historical environment and historical-cultural museum-reserves, Ministry of Education, Science, and Sports of the Republic of Armenia
SRCHCH-Research Center for Historical and Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Education, Science, and
Sports of the Republic of Armenia
UHK-University of Hong Kong
UC- University of Cambridge
YSU- Yerevan State University
On the front of the program The Citadel of Tavush fortress.
Organizer of the Conference: IAE Medieval archaeology department.
Financial support: All Armenian Foundation Financing Armenological Studies
