Artashat is an ancient city located in the Ararat Province of modern-day Armenia. Situated on the left bank of the Araks River at the site of the Khor Virap monastery, it served as a major commercial center and the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia from its founding in 176 BC until approximately 120 AD.
The city was established during the reign of King Artaxias I, who founded the Artaxiad dynasty. Known by the Hellenized names Artaxata and Artaxiasata, the settlement underwent several periods of destruction and reconstruction between the 1st and 5th centuries AD before it was eventually abandoned.