The castle of Halidzor, a magnificent ancient building, hides in the woods five kilometers away from Kapan. Its story is truly fascinating. At the very beginning, in the 10th century, it was a monastery well-known to all the neighbour communities. The monastery had a functioning school, it housed ancient manuscripts and a lot of pilgrims travelled there. 700 years after, in 1723, having seen its impenetrable walls, Davit Bek turned it into a fortress. He considered the war against the Ottoman Empire and protecting people from the Turks and the Persians more important than their education. 

Of course, in order to make the outpost much safer, Davit Bek ordered to put up high walls, improve on the security, and work out a water supply system in case of a siege. That is how within a few years the former monastery became the most impenetrable fortress in the neighbourhood. 

However, Davit Bek hadn’t destroyed the monastery. In addition to that, it was the monks who would often help in challenging sieges and fighting, as they showed great endurance and unpretentiousness. 

Halidzor fortress was growing bigger and stronger every year. Gradually, a lot of noble families moved to the inapproachable citadel. Halidzor was granted the status of the main city of the region and all the state matters were brought to resolve there.

As the ancient records tell, the Persian shah was laying siege to this fortress for a few weeks. His four horses died from heat while he was standing under the wall of the citadel. It was animals, who helped to take Davit Bek’s fortress, not people. The horses found cleverly hidden clay pipes that supplied water to the besieged city. Only after these secret channels were broken and shut off, the troops inside the city had to surrender. 

Today the only thing left from the past greatness of Halidzor fortress is its picturesque ruins. And even they are able to show how safe and grand the building used to be. The fortress, whose story started in the 10th long-ago century, endured so many sieges, the golden age of the region and its downfall, which at the end led to the destruction of this landmark.