Arshakid Mausoleum

Arshakuni Mausoleum is located in the village of Aghdzk (Dzorap) in the Aragatsotn region of Armenia, where the remains of the pagan and Christian Armenian kings Arshakuni were buried. It dates back to the second half of the 4th century. In the 5th century, a basilica was built next to the mausoleum, which was rebuilt in the 19th century. According to the testimony of Pavst Buzand, the Persian king Shapukh II, having captured Ani-kamakh in 364, opened the graves of the Armenian kings buried there and tried to transport the remains to Persia, because, according to the pagan Persians, together with the bones of these kings, their world would have transferred their "glory, luck and courage". However, Sparapet Vasak Mamikonian, after defeating the Persians in the province of Ayrarat, took these relics and buried them in Aghdzk.

Mausoleum

The mausoleum that had once contained the bones of the Ashakid kings was constructed in the mid-late 4th century. The low-vaulted chamber is semi-cruciform in plan, with rectangular ossuary niches centered within the structure to the north and south where the royal remains had been placed. Above each niche is an open arch, and in front of the small hall at the eastern end of the tomb is a semi-circular apse. Only a small amount of light peers into the tomb from the outside through the single portal at the western end. Just beyond the door leading outside is a small porch with stone steps that lead up to the ground level. Some exterior bas relief decoration of hunting scenes may still be faintly seen around the portal upon the half-rounded lintel and columns. Most of the carvings have been obliterated over the years. At the time that it was constructed, the structure was two stories tall (the lower chamber having been built below ground) but now only the lower chamber remains.

Each ossuary box is made of stone and is decorated with bas relief depicting two separate scenes. On one (north), the Biblical story of Daniel in the lions' den and a motif of rams is depicted while on the other (south) there are depictions of a mythical hero alongside astrological imagery of birds, a calf amid a grape vine, a cross within a circle with two birds perched on top and a hunter with two dogs striking a wild boar. According to legend, the ossuary that had the Biblical relief held the bones of the Christian kings while that with the relief of the mythical hero held the bones of the pagan kings.

Basilica

A late-4th to early-5th-century basilica sits adjoined to the north end of the mausoleum. It was constructed with a central nave with four columns that separated it from the aisles to either side. Directly in front of the nave was a semi-circular apse with a single study or “prayer room” to the side. Only the lower walls remain standing today along with some of the larger stones, some of which have relief carved into their surfaces. During the 19th century the church was partially reconstructed.