The Mystery of The Great Ashot

Abstract

The study provides a detailed discussion of the identity of Ashot the Great, also known as Ashot I Kuropalates, as well as issues related to the investigation of the location of his burial site. Ashot the Great, considered the founder of the Georgian Bagratid Dynasty, came under the protection of Byzantium against Muslim Arab expansion in the historical lands of Tao-Klarjeti and was awarded the title of Kuropalat. „He has been canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church, as he was a defender of the preservation and strengthening of the Christian faith, as well as a protector and supporter of the Church. It is known that Ashot the Great took possession of the fortress of Artanugi (Ardanutsik/Gevhernik), located in the present-day Artanuji district of Artvin Province, along with the surrounding territory, and made it an administrative center. At the beginning of the 9th century, in order to save central Iberia (Inner Kartli) from the Muslim Arabs, he had to relocate and settle in what is now the Artvin region, where the natural conditions offered greater defensive advantages. He tried to maintain his kingdom from here by repairing the Ardanuç Castle, which was built by the Iberian King Vakhtang Gorgasali in the 5th century, and establishing the area at its foot (Adakale) as a city. During the reign of Ashot the Great, under the leadership of Grigol Handzeli (759-861), great importance was given to the preservation of Georgian culture by building various monasteries in the region in line with Orthodox Christianity. However, one day, when Great Ashot went to the Nigala Valley (Seyitler Village) within the borders of the central district of Artvin to obtain military support from the local notables, he was probably assassinated in the Sveti Church (826/830). It is stated in historical sources that his body was taken by his soldiers and buried in the church building in Ardanuç Castle. Within the scope of this declaration, the archaeological findings regarding the tomb of Ashot the Great obtained during the 2025 excavation season of the „Ardanuç-Gevhernik Castle Excavation”, which is being carried out by us on behalf of Van Yüzüncü Yıl University with the permission and support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey, are being shared with the scientific community.