The Amberd fortress-castle (2300 m above sea level), situated 7 km to the north of the village of Byurakan, on the southern slopes of Mount Aragats, is a vivid example of Armenian medieval architecture and one of the rare feudal castles that have survived in Armenia.

Amberd is built on a cape surrounded from three sides with deep gorges. The choice of this site wasn’t made by chance: almost all Armenian churches and fortresses were built in hard-to-reach places and the features of mountainous areas were used as additional natural protection during foreign invasions. The Amberd castle was the ancestral estate of the Pahlavuni princes (10th-13th cc). The fortress walls, the castle, the water supply systems, the baths, the church, as well as the secret passage to the gorge and some other constructions are still standing. The church, in particular, was built in 1026 by Prince Vahram Pahlavuni and is considered to be one of the most beautiful Armenian churches of the cross-dome type.