Water Reservoirs of Medieval Fortresses

This article is dedicated to the water reservoirs of the High Middle Age fortresses of Armenia, which are located outside the walls and are examples of civil architecture of the given period.

Ancient and Early Medieval fortresses were usually built near water outlets (rivers, lakes or springs), from which water was brought to the fortress through pipes or culverts. However, the situation changed when in the High Middle Ages, with the deepening feudal fragmentation, the fortresses began to be located in the most isolated and inaccessible places, which soon led to the problem of water supply. Being built on the tops of rocky hills, it was even a problem to dig a deep well. Although some of the hills with fortresses were located near water sources, it was very necessary to store water for a long siege.

Since the 10^th century, buildings called “water reservoirs” appeared in fortresses. These buildings are made of stone or are rock-cut, the interior of which is plastered to ensure water resistance.

Thus, we are dealing with a very important monument of medieval Armenia, which can actually become not only an architectural, but also a rich engineering and technical source for specialists investigating this period. Therefore, giving these structures the status of a separate monument or sub-monument becomes a priority. Due to it, by separating a special category of “fortress”, a new unit of Armenian civil monument will be added. In this regard, the works carried out by our team using modern methods (modeling, GIS) within the framework of the “Study of Syunik and Artsakh Fortresses” program, are of particular importance. As a result, nearly two dozen fortresses were attested.