Meghri

Meghri (Arm: Մեղրի), Syunik Marz

Meghri Town - general view

The town of Meghri (4514 p) boasts a dilapidated hotel, lots of places for thirsty truckers to buy vodka for the road, and amazing lush fruits and vegetables. The figs are particularly famous, while the yellow pomegranates, if in season, are not to be missed. The setting is striking, with green gardens in the rocky desert. There is a fortress on the hills on the N and E of town, known from the 10th century but rebuilt in the early 18th c. by Davit Bek. It had four 2-story circular towers and two rectangular, but no circuit wall between them. This was the only Armenian fortress specifically designed for firearms. In 1727, 400 of Davit Bek's men held off many times their number of Turkish troops for 5 days, till relief troops arrived. In the Mets Tagh district below the fortress is a 17th c. Astvatsatsin church with interesting 19th c. wall paintings. In the Pokr Tagh district SW is a 17th c. S. Sargis basilica church, with battered 17th c. frescoes. Also in the SW part of town up the slope is Meghru Vank with a S. Hovhannes church (15-17th c.), also covered in wall paintings. From the roof there is an excellent view of the entire district. This area has crumbling remains of 18-19th c. houses, giving a taste of the much more beautiful pre-Soviet architecture.

Source: Rediscovering Armenia Guidebook