THE RISE

Written by Gevork Nazaryan

A multitudinous commercial city, Dvin remained a significant center from the Arsacid period well into the XIIIth century when it was overran and destroyed by the nomadic Turks. The city's wonderful topographical terrain and pleasant climate were mentioned in numerous historical accounts (for maps, see Robert H. Hewsen, 1987; idem, 1988a; idem, 1988b; idem, 1989). At its zenith, during the era of Marzpanate Armenia [between the Vth and IXth centuries AD], the city had a population of about 100,000 citizens who were in various professions including arts and crafts, trade, fishing, etc. In one of the southern districts of the city, an international trade center was opened to accommodate the extensive import-export network that connected Dvin with other important center's during the Middle Ages. A number of irrigational canals were built that pumped water from the Azat river into the city, including the citadel. An important place in the city was occupied by the iron foundry that produced weaponry as well as economic commodities and items such as pots, jars, plates, cups, rods,

FEW OF THE MANY UNEARTHED BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLES OF
ARMENIAN COLORFUL DECORATED POTTERY [CLAY AND FAÏENCE]
FROM MIDDLE AGES DVIN. UPPER LEFT. GREEN GLAZED DISH WITH TWO PENTAGONS
[ONE WITHIN THE OTHER] IN THE CORE CENTER WITH THE ARMENIAN SYMBOL OF
LUSNT‛AG [EA-HAYA] IN THE FORM OF SWASTIKA OR TWO VERTICAL
AND HORIZONTAL 8 [INFINITY] FIVE PERIPHERAL CIRCLES WITH
UP AND DOWN FACING TAUs...NOTCHES AT THE BORDER INDICATE
MOVEMENT/MOTION/REVOLUTION [SAME AS THE DISH FROM ARMAVIR
MADE MORE THAN MILLENNIUM EARLIER]. UPPER RIGHT: STORK HOLDING
A SERPENT IN ITS BEAK WITH SACRED TRIUNE DOTS AND GREEN FERTILITY
BRANCHES. LOWER LEFT: INTERWOVEN ETERNITY KNOT.
LOWER RIGHT: HURI PERI MYTHICAL [HUMAN HEADED] BIRDS
UPON BLUE GLAZED [SYMB. SKY] BACKGROUND.

MORE FOUND SAMPLES OF THE FANCY ARMENIAN DECORATED
MIDDLE AGE POTTERY FROM DVIN.

GLASS BOWL FROM DVIN. X-XITH CENTURIES.
ON DISPLAY IN THE MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF ARMENIA,
REPUBLIC SQUARE, YEREVAN.

COSMOLOGICAL MANUSCRIPT FROM LATE MIDDLE AGES BY ELI OF KARIN.

SYMBOLS OF ARMENIAN ALCHEMISTS. NOTE THE
SEVENTH SACRED LETTER AS THE SYMBOL OF LUSNT‛AG-JUPITER.

EIGHT PHASES OF THE MOON CORRESPONDING TO THE LUNAR INFLUENCE
UPON PLANET EARTH. BY THE BRILLIANT SEVENTH CENTURY
ARMENIAN MATHEMATICIAN AND ASTRONOMER ANANIA OF ŠIRAK.
THE SOLAR ZODIAC [12 HOUSES AROUND THE SOLAR EQUAL ARM
CROSS/COSMIC CRUX/GALACTIC CENTER] FROM THE SURVIVING MANUSCRIPT
WORKS OF ANANIA OF ŠIRAK.

PERSONAL MARKINGS AND SEALS OF ARMENIAN MASTER CRAFTSMEN FROM THE
MIDDLE AGES SHOWING THROUGH THE SUBLIME SYMBOLISM THE CONNECTION
WITH THE ARMENIAN MASTER BUILDERS AND ALCHEMISTS.

THE SYMBOL OF MACROCOSM/ETERNITY [SEVEN RAYS OF LIGHT].
ANCIENT SEAL [FIVE IN A SPHERE] OF AN ARMENIAN MASTER CRAFTSMAN.

THE EVOLUTION OF ARMENIAN MITHRÆVM INTO THE CHRISTIAN BASILICA.
ABOVE: THE FLOOR PLAN OF TEKOR BASILICA [VTH CENTURY...DESTROYED IN THE
XXTH CENTURY BY TURKISH MILITARY]. NOTE THE SACRED OCTAGONAL DOME
[WITH AN OPEN SHAFT/ENTRY POINT OF LIGHT] CORRESPONDING TO THE LUNAR AND
SOLAR INFLUENCE UPON EARTH. BELOW: TRI-NAVE BASILICAS. 1. K‛ASAX, 2 AND 3
EREROYK‛, WITH WOODEN [NO. 2] AND STONE [NO. 3] DOMES RESPECTIVELY.

KHACHKAR [1023] FROM HAŁPAT. UPON THE COSMIC HIERARCHY -- FOUR STEP
PYRAMID LEADING TO THE FIFTH POLE/ AXIS MUNDI  -- FLANKED BY TWO
EYES [EACH CONTAINING TWO OUTER LEADING TO THE THIRD INNER
CIRCLES WITHIN]. 4 + 4 BRANCHES IN AN M-SHAPE EXTENDING DOWN
WHILE 4 + 4 BRACHES IN AN W-SHAPE EXTENDING UP [TO THE COSMIC CRUX WITH
 FOUR POINTS LEADING TO THE MARKED QUINTESSENTIAL GALACTIC CENTER POINT...]
NOTE THE DIAMOND IN THE CENTER. THE AXIS-CROSS WITH SPIRALING LEFT AND
 RIGHT RINGS [ ∞ INFINITY] AT THE TIP...ALL WITHIN THE ARCH OF HEAVEN
WITH 'HORNED' CONIC TIPS POINTING EAST AND WEST...

SEVENTH CENTURY MANUSCRIPT OF BRILLIANT SHIRAKATSI. THE 12-FOLD
DIVISION OF COSMIC HEAVEN ALONG WITH DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF
SOLAR, LUNAR AND STELLAR INFLUENCES UPON PLANET EARTH.

SHIRAKATSI'S TRI-FOLD COSMIC HIERARCHY WITH THE OMEGA (Ω) POINT IN
THE FORM OF SCALES [KŠIR]...THE UNIVERSE [SOLAR ORDER] IN BALANCE/
HARMONY. ALT. THE SUN ABOVE HORIZON EMERGING HIERARCHY OUT OF
THE COSMIC [QUANTUM] OCEAN...TWIN PARALLEL HORIZ. LINES.
THE THREE RAYS EMERGE OUT OF 3 'JĒ's [NUM. VAL. 900].

THE RENOWNED FIFTH CENTURY SCHOLAR-CATHOLICOS SAHAK PART‛EV.

pipes, scissors, axes, construction bars. Many utilitarian items such as plates and cups were beautifully decorated with traditional Armenian motifs of birds, flowers, and other geometric symbols of fertility and Life. The city's military garrison was stationed in the citadel, which among other things contained a camp for military training. In the outskirts of the city, a number of defensive towers were erected in order to serve as preliminary outposts guarding the four main entries of the city. Almost all of the major buildings throughout the city were built in the traditional Armenian style of masonry, out of stone.

THE CATHOLICOSAL QUARTERS

The remnants of the Palace of the Arsacid royalty was unearthed during the 1940s. The Mother Church of Dvin was erected in the IVth century upon the remnants of the city's Grand Fire Temple. In the center of the city was the business district, where a number of shops, hotels and hospices were built to accommodate the hustle and bustle of the busy trade.

FLOOR PLAN OF THE CATHOLICOSAL QUARTERS