Erebuni Museum of History stands below the Urartian fortress that anchors Yerevan's ancient origin story. Its inscriptions, models, ceramics, and excavated objects explain the 8th-century BC fortress city founded by King Argishti I, long before modern Yerevan spread across the plain.
The museum and hilltop ruins are best visited together. Climb for the view after seeing the exhibits, because the city below makes the age of the site more striking: modern apartment blocks, Ararat on the horizon, and the remains of a much older kingdom underfoot.