Erivan Fortress

Erivan Fortress (Armenian: Երևանի բերդը; Yerevani berdë; Persian: قلعه ایروان‎‎, Ghaleh-ye Iravân; Azerbaijani: İrəvan qalası – ايروان قالاسى; Russian: Эриванская крепость E'rivanskaya krepost' ) was a 16th-century fortress in Yerevan.

History

The fortress was built during the Ottoman rule in 1582–83 by Ferhat Pasha. The fortress was destroyed by an earthquake in 1679. After the earthquake, the ruler of Erivan Zal Khan asked the Shah for help to rebuild Erivan, including the fortress and the Palace of the Sardars.

On 12 July 1679, the vice-regent of the Persian province of Azerbaijan, Mirza Ibrahim, visited Erivan. He was directed to recover the fortress, the seat of the Khan of Erivan. Many villagers from Ganja, Agulis and Dasht (Nakhchivan) were moved to Erivan to rebuild the fortress. The forced labor continued until winter. Later, the Shah allowed everyone to return to their homes. The reconstruction of the Erivan Fortress was not finished. It was continued and finished in the following years. In October 1827, during the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1829, the Russian army by the leadership of Ivan Paskevich captured Erivan and the Erivan Fortress was not used for military purposes since then, until its complete destruction in 1930s.