Armenia · 7th century BC
Teishebaini (also Teshebani, modern Karmir Blur (Armenian: Կարմիր Բլուր) referring more to the hill that the fortress is located upon) was the capital of the Transcaucasian provinces of the ancient kingdom of Urartu. It is located near the modern city of Yerevan in Armenia. The site was once a fortress and governmental centre with towered and buttressed perimeter walls, massive gates, a parade ground within its walls, and storage rooms that entirely occupied the ground floor. The site of the city, palace and citadel together measure over 0.45 km2 (110 acres). The name Karmir Blur translates to "Red Hill" because of the hill's reddish hue. It became this color after the city was burned and the upper walls which were made of mudbricks fell and crumbled by the fire.
Teishebaini is situated at a height of 901 metres (2,956 ft).
Text adapted from “Teishebaini” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Teishebaini (Karmir Blur) ranks #1,439 of 9,035 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #6 of the 27 mapped in Armenia. Founded c. 675 BC, it is older than 99% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 9 atlas entries founded in the 7th century BC. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,929 times in the last 60 days, more than 68% of the atlas. 5 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Yerevan, 6 km away. See how Armenia compares in the castle statistics.
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