History

Tapi was a fortress of the village of the same name in the Urts province of medieval Armenia. The first mention of the Urts province dates back to the early Middle Ages. According to Armenian historians Yeghishe and Ghazar Parpetsi, the Urts province belonged to the Urts princely dynasty in the 5th century, and the Urts prince Nerses participated in the Vardanants war and was an ally of Vasak Mamikonyan.

There is no exact information about the construction of the Tapi fortress. The preserved inscriptions refer to the 13th century and later. It is noteworthy that the Book of Psalms was written in the church of the fortress in 1496.

The origin of the fortress is associated with the famous Armenian prince and military leader Gevorg Marzpetuni of the 10th century and it is assumed that the fortress was built in the 10th century. It is often called the Gevorg Marzpetuni Fortress.

The fortress was built on the edge of the medieval settlement of Urts, on a hill, and the settlement itself was spread out below the fortress, on a plain. Ruins of a small number of buildings of the settlement of Urts have been preserved nearby. Fortunately, the fortress has been preserved in relatively good condition and is one of the few standing fortresses in Armenia. In 2008-2009, the fortress was partially excavated, the damaged walls and the church were restored. In 2024, excavations resumed.

Architecture

The Tapi Fortress is surrounded by the Kotuts Mountains on three sides and is in amazing harmony with the surrounding nature. It is built of adobe and rough stones brought from the surrounding rocks. The fortress is surrounded by walls with a rectangular plan, and the four corners of the walls are reinforced with circular towers. Along the walls, buildings of various purposes were built, serving as barracks, warehouses, stables, etc. for the fortress garrison.

Church

Inside the castle there is a small church with a gable roof, built in the 13th century. It is built of white felsite stones. On the wall of the church there is an inscription from 1256, which mentions the place name "Tap". This is where the name of the castle comes from.