Lchashen, on the northwestern shore of Lake Sevan, is one of the most important prehistoric sites in Armenia. It lies in the Gegharkunik region.
Here you will find a huge “cyclopean” fortress (built from massive rough stones) and a large ancient cemetery. People lived and were buried here over a very long time — through the Bronze Age and into the time of the kingdom of Urartu.
When the level of Lake Sevan dropped in the 20th century, archaeologists uncovered amazing finds: wooden ox-carts and chariots, bronze weapons, and richly filled tombs. Many of these are now on show in the History Museum of Armenia in Yerevan. At the site itself, the old hillfort and surrounding fields still hold traces of this deep past — a window into life around Lake Sevan thousands of years ago.
Want to explore more of this area? Discover our tours of the Gegharkunik region.
