page_title: Akhtala
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Akhtala / History
caption_attribution_description: English: French Bond for the Akhtala mines issued in 1887, depicting the fortress and the monastery
context_page_description: Akhtala, is a town and municipal community in the Lori Province of Armenia, located along the Shamlugh river, on the slopes of Lalvar mountain, at a distance of 186 km north of the capital Yerevan and 62 km north of provincial centre Vanadzor.
  As per the 2011 census, Akhtala had a population of 2,092. Based on the 2016 official estimate, Akhtala's current population is around 1,300.
context_section_description: Archeological excavations showed that the area of Akhtala has been occupied by human since the early Bronze Age. During the 1887-89 excavations conducted by French archaeologist Jacques de Morgan, the site of a historical cemetery was unveiled with some bronze and iron objects, weapons, and ornaments dating back to the 8th century BC. The ancient settlement of Akhtala is situated on the same territory of the present-day mining area of Akhtala. It is associated with the Dzobopor canton of ancient Gugark; the 13th province of the historic Greater Armenia. The settlement of modern-day Akhtala was known as Agarak during the 5th century.
  The partially-ruined Akhtala Fortress was built on top of Bronze and Iron Age foundations, in the late 10th century by the Kyurikids, a branch of the Bagratunis originated from Gurgen (pronounced Kyurikeh in the local dialect of Gugark). He was the son of the patrons of Sanahin and Haghpat monasteries located not far from Akhtala, King Ashot III the Merciful and Queen Khosrovanush. Gurgen's brothers were King Smbat II the Conqueror and Gagik I Bagratuni, under whom the Bagratuni Kingdom of Armenia reached the peak of its prosperity.
  The Bagratuni King Smbat II of Armenia founded the Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget in Gugark for strategic reasons and enthroned his brother Kiurike I in 979. Gurgen along with his brother Smbat are depicted on the sculptures of the patrons in both Sanahin and Haghpat. When the Tashir-Dzoraget kingdom fell in 1118 as a result of the Seljuk raids, the Kyurikids migrated to Tavush and Matsnaberd, yet they maintained ties with their ancestral fortress and compound in Akhtala.
  In 1118-1122, the Georgian king David the Builder conquered Lori and granted the region's rule to the Georgian-Armenian Orbelian Dynasty. The Orbelians revolted unsuccessfully in 1177, after which a Kipchak named K'ubasari was appointed spasalari of Lori. Later in 1185, Lori became ruled by the Mkhargrdzeli family after Queen Tamar of Georgia appointed the Zakarid prince Sarkis as its governor.
  With its unique architectural style, the impressive Akhtala Monastery was reconstructed during the 13th century by prince Ivane Mkhargrdzeli. This medieval Christian complex which is located inside the fortress, was one of the important educational centres in the historical province of Gugark.
  However, the region was devastated by the Mongol invasion of 1236, and the Mkhargrdzeli dynasty declined by the 2nd half of the 14th century. After the fall of the Kingdom of Georgia in 1490, Lori -including Akhtala- remained part of Kingdom of Kartli until the 16th century.
  As a result of the 1555 Peace of Amasya, Lori was annexed by Safavid Persia to become part of Persia's Kartli-Kakheti province. After Nader Shah's murder in 1747, the Georgian kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti became independent and united into a single kingdom by 1762.
  Starting from 1763, Greek experts from Gümüşhane arrived in Akhtala by the request of King Erekle II of Georgia, to utilize the copper and silver mines and establish the copper and silver factory in Akhtala region. Therefore, the village was sometimes called "Pghindzahank" (copper mine) and "Artsatahank" (silver mine).
  In 1801, together with the Georgian provinces of Kartli and Kakheti, Lori was annexed by the Russian Empire to become part of the Georgia Governorate. The region became officially part of the Russian Empire at the Treaty of Gulistan signed on 1 January 1813 between Imperial Russia and Qajar Persia. As part of the region of Lori, the village of Akhtala became part of the Borchali uyezd in 1880, within the Tiflis Governorate of the Russian Empire. Between 1887 and 1914, the Akhtala copper mine along with the mine of Shamlugh were exploited by the Compagnie Française des Mines d'Akhtala.
  In late 1918, Armenia and Georgia fought a border war over Lori. With the British intervention the Lori "neutral zone" was created including the region of Akhtala, only to be reoccupied by Georgia after the fall of the Armenian Republic at the end of 1920. Following the sovietization of Armen
caption: A French bond for the Akhtala mines issued in 1887, depicting the fortress and the monastery
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