The Door of Mher in the Akravukar Cliff

The Door of Mher is carved in the Akravukar (“The Crow Stone”) cliff near the city of Van in historical Vaspurakan province.

The Door of Mher is a large wall with a cuneiform inscription carved into the rock. The structure’s form and decorations make it resemble a door.

According to a legend, a shepherd once slept under the door of Mher’s house. He had a dream where a kind spirit told him the secret of the magic door.

Waking up, the shepherd spoke the secret words carved on the door, and it immediately opened. It turned out that it guarded an entrance to a cave. When the shepherd entered the cave, he saw heaps of gold and diamonds there. Stuffing his bag with jewels, the shepherd repeated the words.

The door opened again, but when the shepherd got out, he remembered that he forgot his stick in the cave. The shepherd went back inside and picked up his stick. He was about to go out when he suddenly forgot the secret words.

It is said that he is still in the cave, from where his heartrending screams can be heard.

Mher is the hero of the Armenian epic “David of Sasun.” The epos was shaped in the 9th-11th centuries during the period of the liberation movement against the dominion of the Arab caliphate.

Door of Mher Van Turkey , Mheri dur , Մհերի դուռ