Metsamor Historical and Archaeological Museum-reserve

On the banks of the Metsamor River, near the village of Taronik, is the ancient fortress-settlement of Metsamor. It is one of the unique monuments of world culture. Excavations are being carried out in Metsamor from 1965 to the present day. Here you can see samples of the bronze and iron ages. Metsamor was a flourishing center of culture in the Bronze Age, in the 4th-2nd centuries BC. The entire system of the copper smelter has been preserved here. The most notable specimen can be considered the agate frog-weight of the Babylonian king Ulam Burarshiash, the sardonyx seal in the form of an Egyptian hieroglyph belonging to the Babylonian ruler Kurigalzu from the 16th century BC. Here it can be observed that Metsamor was a crossroads of trade routes. More than 27,000 exhibits can be seen in the museum. The first floor preserves the materials found in the castle and the burial ground, which show the period from the Early Bronze Age to the Late Middle Ages.