Dvin — Ancient Capital of Armenia
Դվին · Dabil (Arabic) · Duin · Dwin
Late Antiquity to Medieval (4th–13th century; peak 7th–10th)·Arsacid Armenia → Sasanian marzpan → Arab Dabil emirate → Bagratuni → Seljuk·🇦🇲 Ararat Province, Azat River plain, Armenia
Picture by A. Patrick (based on the sketches of G. Kochoyan). · Public domain
About
About Dvin — Ancient Capital of Armenia
Armenia's super-city (100 ha) from 335 CE when Khosrov III built it to replace burnt Artashat — 7th-century Catholicos palace with trilobed audience hall (now the open-air museum), a 4-vault underground market vault of the Silk Road, and the 21-holed ceramic aqueduct. At its height 100,000+ people lived here, Europe's fourth city after Rome, Constantinople and Córdoba, before Seljuks and 893 earthquake left the citadel's 2 m tufa walls as a 35 ha haunted polygon visible on aerial lidar.
Why it mattersLargest Early Medieval city of Caucasus; benchmark for Armenia's glass and glazed-market archaeology.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Which vault is 7th-c. market vs 10th-c. earthquake granary?
Theories
- 01Dvin's grid shows direct Sasanian Ctesiphon planning transfer — imported architect theory
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 335 CE Khosrov III Arshakuni foundation; palatial phase 5th–7th c.; Abbasid/Arab Dabil emirate 701–890
- Period
- Late Antiquity to Medieval (4th–13th century; peak 7th–10th)
- Culture
- Arsacid Armenia → Sasanian marzpan → Arab Dabil emirate → Bagratuni → Seljuk
- Builders
- King Khosrov III Kotak (founder); Catholicoi palatial engineers; Arab emirs of Dabil
- Purpose
- Throne city of Armenia (royal and catholicosal), Arab caliphate's Caucasian customs capital, Silk Road entrepôt between Dvin and Ani
- Abandoned
- 1236 CE (Mongol sack after 1170–1199 Zakarian reoccupation; final abandonment after Tamerlane)
- Rediscovered
- 1860s Brosset; 1937– Arman Khatchatrian & Korium Kafadarian Soviet systematic
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
335
Khosrov Kotak founds Dvin — aqueduct and palace started
428
Arsacids abolished — Dvin becomes Persian marzpan capital
572
Catholicos palace trilobed hall rebuilt after Chalcedonian earthquake
893
Ashot I earthquake — 70,000 dead reported by Hovhannes Draskhanakerttsi
1236
Mongol sack after siege
On the ground
Structures & features
40.0044° N · 44.5808° E · 937 m · 3 mapped features
Catholicos Palace trilobe
palace40 m trilobed audience hall with mosaic floor and columns
40.0045° N · 44.5808° EUnderground vaulted market
market4-barrel-vault market street 200 m underground
40.0040° N · 44.5815° ECeramic aqueduct piers
aqueductGlazed pipe piers entering citadel from Azat headwaters
40.0052° N · 44.5795° E
Gallery