Lchashen
Foundation date: V millennium BC e.
Height:/strong> 1925
Population: 4182
From Yerevan: 62km/50min.
Lchashen village is situated on the Northern slope of Geghama Mountains; it has high location in comparison with the surroundings. Settlement Lchashen is on the Eastern part of the village; it is one of the most important monuments in the territory of the Republic of Armenia and post-Soviet countries.
Lchashen is a complex of archaeological monuments of different periods. The village is a museum under open sky. It is a pre-Urartian settlement, surrounded by enclosures. During the excavations, held in the territory, prehistoric castle-fortresses, cemeteries and separate obelisks were found. Military chariot, carriages as well as lots of archaeological materials are the rare treasures of the History Museum of Armenia.
Today constructions of Urartian period (a kingdom in Armenia), ruins of cyclopean fortress and Ishtikuni city, located 2 km South of the village, are preserved, as well as cuneiform of Argishti the First about the capture of Ishtikuni city, found in the center of the settlement.
Famous cyclopean fortress and the surrounding settlement are located on the hill rising in the Southern part of Lchashen village. The settlement occupies a territory of 55 ha and stretches on 15 hills, their slopes and canyons. The fortress had 2 acropolises, 22 small and huge stone hills and towers. The fortress is covered by great number of ruins. The fortress doors were built on the highest slopes of the hills, including inaccessible cliffs.
42 families lived in the territory of the settlement. The deserted location was gradually widening and in the end of the 19th century it became one of the biggest villages of Sevan basin. According to historians, it was attacked for many times; approximately every invader, being in Armenia, tried to capture the location. The hardest attack was held by Shah Abas. The village was deserted, so different Muslim tribes inhabited it. After Russian-Turkish and Russian-Persian war the village was inhabited again. Comers were mostly from Baku, Bazrgyan village and Diaden.
The settlement got its modern name in 1946.
