The ruins of the Tigranakert archaeological site in Artsakh (Source: Raffi Youredjian)

STEPANAKERT (Panorama)—Excavations show that Tigranakert in Artsakh, founded in the 1st century BCE, existed until the 14th century CE. In order to preserve the rich heritage of the Armenian people, a cultural and historical natural reserve has been created in the territories in and around Tigranakert, which has opened its doors to visitors, says a video produced by the State System of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s Department of Tourism and Historical Environment Protection.

The video shows the natural peculiarities of Tigranakert and its surroundings. The makers of the video pay special attention to the Khachen River, whose waters have irrigated the lands on the nearby plains for centuries. The orchards in the territory of the natural reserve are especially singled out and described as, “yielding in nothing to Eden.”

According to the video, the area was chosen to construct the city due to the abundance of springs, called “the Royal springs,” which solved the problem of the city’s drinking water supply.

During excavations lead by doctor of historical sciences Hamlet Petrosyan, archaeologists were able to uncover almost 450-meter-long fortress walls from under the ground, and to show the world one of the most beautiful cities of its time, built with Hellenic technologies, including a laying called “tsitsernakapoch.”

The video also shows a museum where artifacts found during the excavation are kept—a testament to the ancient history of Tigranakert in Artsakh, and the abundance of material culture dating back from prehistoric times till the 17th century CE.

The excavations at Tigranakert were initiated and financed by “Yerkir” UNGO in 2005. In 2007, the government of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic partly financed the project and in 2008, all the expenses were covered by the government of Artsakh.