HISTORICAL BUILDINGS
BIAYNIAN (URARTIAN) TOMB OF YEREVAN
VIII-VII centuries BC
State index: 1.11. 8
The Biaynian (Urartian) tomb of Yerevan is located at 34 Arshakunyats Avenue, within the premises of the former “Autoaggregate” factory, now part of the “Yerevan Mall” shopping center. Its discovery dates back to 1984 during construction activities. The excavation and study of this site were conducted by the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, led by archaeologist Leonid Biyagov and architect Armine Kanetsyan.
To
preserve this historical monument, a restoration project was initiated in 1984
under the supervision of architect Vladimir Chagharyan, followed by meticulous
construction efforts.
Remarkably,
the mausoleum has been well-preserved, maintaining its original condition. It
spans an area of 12 square meters and is an underground rectangular structure
oriented in a north-south direction. The tomb's floor is adorned with finely
crafted black, red, and dark brown tuff slabs, beneath covered with crypts. The
walls, constructed of hewn tuff, stand five rows tall. The entrance from the
north, measuring 1.29 x 0.75 x 0.54 meters, was sealed by a massive tufa slab
(as depicted in the tomb). The ceiling consists of tuff with a substantial
coverage.
Inside
the tomb, niches are carved into the walls (3 on the west, 1 on the south, and
1 on the east), containing cremated urns filled with crushed human, animal, and
avian bones, alongside a large urn adorned with bull- headed figurines, a jar,
a lamp, bowls, and other artifacts. Among the findings are bronze snakehead
bracelets, pottery fragments, parts of horse bridles, rivets, an iron sword, a
knife, daggers, agate beads, a satyr seal depicting a griffin and a crescent
moon, and a bronze chalice embellished with a ram's head, as well as three
bronze belts, among other items.
The
discovered artifacts possess significant historical, cultural, and artistic
value, representing one of the most opulent burials identified so far from the
Kingdom of Van. The collection indicates that the mausoleum likely belonged to
the Urartian elite.
Adjacent
to the tomb, an Early Bronze Age stone box burial was also discovered. Pottery
from the early 1st millennium BC was found in the surrounding area.
These materials are currently housed in the Erebuni Museum in Yerevan.
Presently,
the preservation of the mausoleum is overseen by the management of “Yerevan
Mall.”
"The Scientific Research Center of Historical and Cultural of Heritage” SNCO
Yerevan Municipality
