Iravan Fortress was built in 1504 on the order of the Safavid ruler Shah Ismayil I, by his vizier Ravangulu Khan on the banks of the Zangi River, in the place of the current city of Iravan. The fortress was named Ravan or Iravan after the vizier who built it.

According to historical sources, there were 800 houses and 8 mosques in the Iravan fortress. According to the scale in the draft of the Iravan fortress drawn after its occupation by the Russians in 1827, it was confirmed that its total length was 850 m and its width was 790 m. The fort, which had a square shape, covered an area of 7 hectares. The height of the double walls of the fortress was 10.5–12 m. The wall of the castle, which consisted of one layer, passed by the Zangi river.

Iravan Fortress had three gates: Tabriz gate in the southern part, Shirvan gate (Meydan gate) and Bridge gate in the north.

After the Russian occupation, Iravan Fortress was declared state property. In the 1850s, repair and construction works were carried out inside the castle. At the same time, Russian military units and a large number of cannons were stored in the fortress.

Iravan Fortress was used as a military fortification until March 12, 1864. After the fortress was officially abandoned, the stones of its walls and towers were removed by local residents. Since the 1880s, the buildings and defense facilities inside the fortress had disappeared. In the 1930s, the castle was completely destroyed.

Sources:
Evliya Çələbi, Səyahatnamə
Ələkbərli Ə., Qərbi Azərbaycan abidələri (Bakı: “Nurlan”, 2007)
Nazim Mustafa, İrəvan şəhəri (Bakı, 2020)
Nazim Mustafa, Erməni vandallarının yox etdiyi Xan sarayı (Bakı, 2016)
Акопян Тадевос, Очерк истории Еревана (Ереван, 1977)