Amberd Amberd ( , also known as Anberd ) is the name given to the 7th - century Armenian fortress located above sea level , on the slopes of Mount Aragats at the confluence of the Arkashen and Amberd rivers in the province of Aragatsotn , Armenia . The name translates to " fortress in the clouds " in Armenian . It is also the name incorrectly attributed to Vahramashen Church , the 11th - century Armenian church near the castle . The village of Byurakan is located away from the site of Amberd . History . The site where the fortress sits presently started as a Stone Age settlement . During the Bronze Age and Urartian periods , a fortress had been built that is now obsolete . Some sources say that Amberd used to be a summer residence for kings . The castle of Amberd and some sections of walls were constructed in the 7th century as a possession of the noble House of Kamsarakan . Four centuries later the fortress and surrounding lands were purchased by the House of Pahlavuni and rebuilt by Prince Vahram Vachutian Pahlavuni , as is recorded in the manuscripts of Grigor Magistros Pahlavuni . Vahram built the Church of Surb Astvatsatsin in 1026 , fortified the complex with thicker stone walls , and added three bastions along the ridge of the Arkhashen canyon . Despite being unusual for a military installation , a bath house was built in the same period and has remained moderately intact along with the water supply system . Amberd was invaded in the 1070s by the Seljuq Turks who turned it into a military base . In 1197 , a joint - army of Georgians and Armenians led by General Zakareh Zakarian liberated the fortress . Under Zakarian control during the 12th and 13th centuries , the walls were structurally reinforced and the castle and outer buildings were renovated . The noble Vacheh Vachutian purchased Amberd in 1215 , making it a key defensive site in the region . Within a short period of time , the Mongols captured and destroyed the fortress in the year 1236 . The site remained abandoned and untouched until the 20th century , when reconstruction and archaeological excavations began . Architecture . Fortress . The castle ruins of Amberd comprised an area of 1 , 500 square meters . Its walls are constructed of roughly hewn basalt blocks set in place with mortar . Tower walls are inclined to have made it easier to fire on invaders below . The interior of the castle had three - stories , each floor separated from one another by wood planks clinched on logs . There were five rooms in the first and second floor , each arranged in a row where one would enter each room through the previous room . An irregularly shaped hallway was separate from the three internal rooms by an internal wall . On the third floor were the reception areas and private rooms for its royal inhabitants . The structural configuration is thought to have not changed since it was first built in the 7th century . Excavations have shown that the interior of the castle and rooms were quite lavish with elegantly carved decorations in the rooms , oil lamps , incense holders , and walls decorated with silks , brocades , and bronze , gold , and silver ornamentation . Water Supply . At Amberd , a constant water supply was crucial for its inhabitants . The fortress ' primary viaduct was a terra cotta pipeline that had been laid 4 to 5 kilometers from the fortress to damned reservoirs which collected sources of spring water from higher elevations and melting snow . In the event that the fortress was under attack , it was likely that the pipeline would be destroyed . Therefore , another more secret water supply would need to ensure a constant flow of water to its inhabitants to keep them from dying from thirst . A covered passageway that led from the fortifications along a steep pathway descending down a cleft in the rocks to the Arkashen River performed such a task . Bath House . The bath house situated to the south of the fortress was built sometime between the 10th and 11th centuries . Its twin bathing rooms each with a single dome are still moderately intact . At one time it had used hypocaust heating as had originated in Roman times , to heat the floors . Pipes that ran through the floors and walls of the structure were heated by a fire built under the floor , which then forced the heat throughout the bathing rooms . Metal pipes supplied hot water to the baths . Vahramashen Church . The church of Surb Astvatsatsin also known as Vahramashen Church was built for Prince Vahram Pahlavuni . An inscription on the inside lintel of the north portal to the church date its completion to the year 1026 . It sits between the fortress and near a wall along the promontory with the Arkashian River in the canyon below . S . Astvatsatsin is a cruciform type structure with four two - story chambers in the corners . A large circular twelve - faceted drum sits on top of the church with thin corner columns supporting the peaked arches of the umbrella dome above . The exterior of the church is simply decorated with some edging around the portal and windows , layers of cornice work just above the thin columns on the drum and dome , and some cross designs carved into the façades .