Karmir Blur

Name: Karmir Blur
Monument type: City-dwelling, castle, outer settlement, burial ground, caravanserai
Region: Yerevan
Periods: Urartian

Name: Karmir Blur (Red Hill)

Other nomination: Teishebaini. In the Urartian sources, the ancient site is also mentioned as “city of the thunder god in the land of Vaza”.

Monument type: City-dwelling, castle, outer settlement, burial ground, caravanserai

Region: Yerevan

Community: Yerevan

Residence: Yerevan

Location: The Karmir Blur ancient site is located in the south-western part of Yerevan, on the left bank of the Hrazdan River.

Preservation: Both the stone walls and the brick parts of the Teishebaini fortress have been preserved. The foundation walls of the outer settlement structures were plastered with cement and concrete during the Soviet period. A significant part of the burial ground was excavated during the construction of the North-South highway, after a road was built there. Karmir Blur is considered one of the most well-preserved monuments in the territory of the Republic of Armenia.

Coordinates: 40° 9′ 14″ N, 44° 27′ 12.12″ E

Elevation: 901 m

Era and chronology: The monument dates from the XIII/XII centuries B.C. to at least the XIV-XV centuries B.C.

Karmir Blur: Unearthing the Enigma of the ‘’Red Hill’’

As you journey to the southwestern outskirts of Yerevan, Armenia, you’ll discover a site where history whispers, and the earth itself holds ancient secrets. This place is none other than Karmir Blur, one the most prominent Urartian sites, also fittingly known as the “Red Hill.” Yet, its significance transcends its picturesque name, and it is a site of profound archaeological and historical importance.
With each layer of soil unearthed, this ancient hill will continue to tell you a story that resonates not only with Armenia but with the world, serving as a bridge between the past and the present, where history and myth converge in a captivating tapestry of cultural heritage.

Nestled in the heart of Armenia’s capital city, Yerevan, the Karmir Blur, or “Red Hill,” beckons explorers with its enigmatic history and archaeological riches. This ancient site, also known as Teishebaini in the Urartian sources, holds a unique place in the annals of Armenian heritage.

The sprawling monument complex, comprising a city-dwelling, castle, outer settlement, burial ground, and even a caravanserai, is nothing short of an archaeological wonder. Located on the left bank of the Hrazdan River in the southwest of Yerevan, Karmir Blur’s significance extends beyond Armenia’s borders. It was the central city of the Vaza country during the Urartian period, which covered the vast territory of the Ararat Valley.

The story of Karmir Blur stretches back to the 13th and 12th centuries B.C. and endures until at least the 14th or 15th centuries B.C. As you explore the grounds, you’ll encounter the imposing castle that covers approximately four hectares. This two-story behemoth likely housed administrative structures on its upper floor and featured the Susi temple, dedicated to Khaldi, the supreme god of the Kingdom of Van. The temple’s foundation stones, bearing cuneiform inscriptions, are poignant reminders of a bygone era.

Descending below, you’ll uncover around 150 rooms in the castle’s basement, revealing wine cellars and grain stores that offer a glimpse into the life of its ancient residents. What makes Karmir Blur truly exceptional is the evidence that part of the urban area was established atop the foundations of a pre-Urartian settlement, further enriching our understanding of Urartian history.

Recent excavations near the North-South highway have uncovered approximately 300 tombs, shedding light on ancient burial practices. The Armenian-Austrian archaeological expedition, under the leadership of Dr. Hakob Simonyan, delved deep into Karmir Blur’s secrets in 2013-2016.

Beyond the castle and urban districts, Karmir Blur’s rich stratigraphy spans pre-Urartian and Urartian archaeological layers, artifacts from the post-Urartian and antique periods, and even medieval relics. Ancient pottery, money, and glazed pottery give us a vivid tapestry of history.

The architecture is equally intriguing, with evidence of semi-circular and rectangular structures in the pre-Urartian era, perhaps with earthen walls rising on stone foundations. In the Urartian period, the citadel exhibits regularity, brick walls rising above stone foundations, and monumental two-story structures. The Susi temple, with its tower-like design, featured basalt tower-shaped pediments.

Karmir Blur’s significance is not solely archaeological. It is also a treasure trove of legends and folklore. The name “Red Hill” is derived from the reddish appearance of the soil, possibly due to the presence of burnt bricks. Local legends and tales contribute to the site’s mystique, blending history with folklore and connecting the past to the present.

FACTS:
❈ Karmir Blur, also known as “Red Hill,” is a captivating archaeological site in Yerevan, Armenia, with a rich history dating back to the 13th and 12th centuries B.C.

❈ This sprawling complex includes a city, castle, outer settlement, burial ground, and caravanserai, shedding light on ancient Armenian heritage and Urartian history.

❈ Notable features include the imposing castle with a Susi temple dedicated to Khaldi, the supreme god of the Kingdom of Van, as well as 150 basement rooms revealing ancient wine cellars and grain stores.

❈ Recent excavations near the North-South highway uncovered around 300 tombs, enriching our understanding of ancient burial practices.

❈ Karmir Blur’s unique architecture, rich stratigraphy, and legends make it a treasure trove of history, folklore, and archaeological wonders.

🔍 Research history

The ancient site of Karmir Blur was known within the scientific framework back in 1927 due to the medieval chapel on top of the hill, and not as a monument of the Urartian period. Local school children found a fragment of a cuneiform inscription on the hillside in 1936 and gave it to the famous geologist Demyokhin. The hill was covered with soil and had a reddish appearance. Such tints were probably the result of the burnt bricks of the hill. It caused the local residents to call the area Red Hill. Taking into account the results of the exploration works, systematic excavations began at the Red Hill by three expeditions in 1939: the State Hermitage (B. Piotrovsky), the Committee for the Preservation of Historical Monuments of Armenia (K. Ghafadaryan) and the Armenian branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences (S. Ter-Avetisyan). During the Great Patriotic War, the excavations were interrupted and resumed in 1945 under the leadership of the famous archaeologist B. Piotrowski, and continued until 1971. Almost the entire process of the excavation was led by the famous archaeologist Boris Piotrovsky. The excavations revealed a fortress built on the hill by one of the last powerful Urartian monarchs, Rusa II (685-645 BC), who made it one of the most important centers of his principality. In addition, the city section was built south-west of the castle.

Due to the inscription on the bronze door lock found near the 11th room of the castle, it became clear that King Rusa II named the settlement Teishebaini, dedicating it to Teisheba, the Urartian god of storms and thunder. A bronze statuette of the same Teisheba god was also found in the excavations of the Red Hill.

Excavations revealed that the Red Hill site consisted of a fort, an outer settlement, and a burial ground.

The castle covers an area of about 4 hectares. It is a two-story monumental building. Probably, there were administrative structures on the upper floor, as well as the susi temple dedicated to Khaldi, the supreme god of the Kingdom of Van. This is evidenced by the cuneiform inscriptions found on the territory of the Red Hill fortress, which were the foundation stones of the susi temple. About 150 rooms were excavated in the basement floor of the castle, several pottery halls were opened to be served as wine cellars and grain stores.

As a result of the excavations, at least part of the urban area was revealed to be raised on the foundations of the settlement of the pre-Urartian period. The so-called multi-section structure of the urban area is of exceptional importance for the archeology of Urartu. Within the framework of the “North-South” highway construction project, about three hundred tombs were excavated in that section in 2013-2016 (head of the expedition: Dr. Hakob Simonyan).

The Armenian-Austrian archaeological expedition (co-leaders M. Badalyan, V. Kuntner) carried out excavations at the Karmir Blur archaeological site in 2019. During this period, the open area in the Red Hill citadel and the one located south of the citadel were scanned and studied due to the geo-radar.

🧱 Archaeological description

The Karmir Blur ancient site is located in the south-western part of Yerevan, on the left bank of the Hrazdan River. The Red Hill is a monument group consisting of the castle, the urban districts to the south-west of it, the burial ground extending south of the castle, and the caravanserai located to the south-east of the castle. The current excavations at the monument could greatly change this picture.

Stratigraphy
The excavations carried out in the monument mainly present pre-Urartian, as well as Urartian archaeological layers related to the VII century B.C. Post-Urartian and antique tombs, as well as medieval money, especially Georgian and Ottoman, were also found in the monument area. A variety of medieval glazed pottery was found in the monument area as well.

While planting trees in the vicinity of the former museum of the monument in 2015, Kura-Araxes era pottery dating back to the XXVII-XXVI centuries B.C. were discovered. The excavations carried out by the Armenian-Austrian archaeological expedition in the monument area in 2019-2022, both inside and outside the citadel, recorded the post-Urartian layers and artifacts referring to the late VII-V century B.C. period.

Architecture
The pre-Urartian period of the Red Hill is mainly characterized by semi-circular and/ or rectangular structures. Most likely, the earthen walls rose on their stone foundations.

In the Urartian period, the citadel of the monument stood out for its regular architecture, walls with several rows and bricks layers rising above them. Moreover, the stone foundation stones mainly ended with flat stones with the brick walls raised on them. Masons are typical to the castle walls. The castle was two-storied. On the first floor, the structures of economic importance were located: wine cellars, grain storages, and on the second floor, there were probably administrative structures and the Susi temple. During the excavations, the foundation stones of the temple of Susi were found. Recent research shows that the tower-shaped Susi temple had a courtyard and was surrounded by basalt tower-shaped pediments. The fort had at least two entrances: one for pedestrians and the other for vehicles. The Armenian-Austrian archaeological expedition, conducted in 2021-2022, found a three-part monumental structure in the area south-east of the Red Hill citadel, resembling the medieval Armenian three-ship caravanserais with its architectural plan.

🔨 Findings

Karmir Blur is considered to be one of the most abundant and luxurious monuments of the Urartian period. Bronze figurines, clay cuneiform tablets of great importance were found from here. They were probably the letters and administrative documents of the time. More than 100 inscribed bronze bowls, hundreds of jars, inscribed bronze shields, metal jewelry, burned remains of grain and cloth, beer vessels, thousands of jugs, etc. were found from the Red Hill.

🌍 Significance

The Red Hill is considered one of the most famous Urartian monuments and provides important information not only for the archeology of the Armenian Highlands, but also for the one of the Ancient Near East. In the Urartian period, it was the central city of the Vaza country occupying the territory of the Ararat Valley.

📜 Traditional legends

The hill was covered with soil and had a reddish appearance. Such tints were probably the result of the burnt bricks of the hill. It caused the local residents to call the area Red Hill.

📚 Sources

Literature

Badalyan M. 2020, from Erebuni to Karmir Blur. Some observations on the reasons for the Teishebaini city construction, Countries and Peoples of the Near and Middle East, XXXIII (I), Yerevan, p. 131-140.
Yesayan S. 1982., Karmir Blur, Hayastan Publishing House.
Martirosyan A.A. 1961, City of Teishebaini according to the excavations in 1947-1958. Yerevan: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR
Oganesyan K.L. 1955, Karmir Blur IV. Teishebaini architecture. Yerevan: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR.
Piotrovsky B. B. 1950: Karmir Blur I. Results of the excavations 1939-1949, Yerevan, Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR, 100 p. +16 tab.
Piotrovsky B. B. 1952: Karmir Blur II. The results of the excavations 1949-1950, Yerevan 1952, Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR, 88 pp. + 24 tab.
Piotrovsky B. B. 1955: Karmir Blur III., Results of the excavations 1951-1953, Yerevan, Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR, 74 p. +XVI.
Piotrovsky B. B. 1970: Karmir Blur. Catalogue, Leningrad, Avrora Publishing House.
Badalyan M. 2020, Karmir Blur Historical & Archaeological Museum-Reserve and the Community: a Successful Practice in Revitalization of the Historical Site, Cultural Heritage. Experience and Perspectives in International Context. Proceedings of the Rochemp center International Conference 23rd -24th of January 2020, Yerevan, pp., 98-106.
Dan R. 2010: A Hypothesis of Reconstruction of the ‘Susi-temple’ at Karmir-blur, in A. Kosyan, A, Petrosyan, Y. Grekyan (eds.), Urartu and its Neighbors. Festschrift in Honor of Nicolay Harutyunyan in Occasion of His 90th Birthday (Yerevan), Aramazd: Armenian Journal of Near Eastern Studies. V/2, 44-52.

🕰️ Archive

Archive of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of the Republic of Armenia, the archive of the Armenian National Museum of History, the archive of the History Museum of Armenia, the archive of the “Erebuni” National Academy of Sciences, the archive of the State Hermitage of St. Petersburg.