The Gorgeous Forest of the Armenian King – Khosrov Forest State Reserve

Let’s go back to the times when Armenian kings planted beautiful forests and built wonderful reserves that would house many unique animals and plants, many of which presently are under the threat of extinction. In theory, those animal and plant species should be protected by law.

That’s right, in theory. Because in reality, the Armenian flora and fauna aren’t protected. Unfortunately, the modern “kinglets” care more about the destruction of the cultural and natural heritage of ancient Armenia to build their hotels or casinos. Those people only have one thing in common with other Armenians, which is the ending “yan” in their surnames.

The people who had played a part in the extermination of vast forests and hunting of nearly extinct animals haven’t yet been punished. In fact, taking into account the current tendencies in the country, we probably won’t see those people paying for their crimes in the near future.

Enough about the bad things. Let’s return to the heroic times of Armenian King Khosrov III Kotak’s (Khosrov the Small, ruled 330 – 339 AD) reign.

In the basins of the Vedi and Azat Rivers in the southern foothills of Gegham Mountains lie the forests of the expansive Khosrov Forest State Reserve. The reserve’s history goes back to the 4th century and, as you could have guessed, is connected with the Armenian King Khosrov Kotak, nicknamed so for his short height.

In 335, Khosrov founded the city of Dvin, the capital city of Armenia for the upcoming centuries. With time, Dvin became a major cultural-economic center of Armenia. This wealthy and populated city was renowned for its production of fabrics, carpets, tableware, and porcelain.

By the order of Khosrov, in the vicinity of Dvin were planted forests and wild animals were released into it. The flora of the Khosrov Forest State Reserve comprises of about 1,800 species, including apple and pear trees, willows, maples, elms, rowans, oaks, and many others. The fauna of the state reserve is also versatile and includes the Armenian mouflon, wolf, fox, wild boar, lynx, Syrian brown bear, and many other species.

Khosrov Forest State Preserve, Armenia

Night life in Khosrov reserve 🙂

Վահագնի ջրվեժը / Խոսրովի արգելոց Vahagni waterfall / Khosrov reserve

Khosrov Forest State Reserve