Shikahogh State Reserve was established in 1958 on the basis of the Kapan forestry enterprise to protect, study, and restore the unique broad-leaved forests of the northern slopes of the Meghri Range. In 1963 it was designated as the Bartas Sanctuary and re-established as a state reserve in 1975. The reserve’s core values include old-growth oak and hornbeam forests, unique plant communities (such as the Georgian oak and Eastern beech groves), and their associated wildlife.
Located in southern Armenia’s Syunik Province near Kapan, the reserve covers 29,505.845 hectares, including 12,137.075 ha of the “Beech Grove” Sanctuary and 17,368.77 ha of the “Zangezur” Sanctuary. The Zangezur peaks—Shakhbuz (2,372 m), Gyumarants (2,366 m), Mazra (2,198 m), and Bartas (2,186 m)—rise within the reserve. Adjacent villages include Shikahogh, Srashen, Tsav, Shishkert, and Nerkin Hand.
The flora is rich in moisture-loving and thermophilic species—oaks, hornbeams, wild fruit trees (pear, wild apple), and numerous endemics. Approximately 94% of the reserve is forested.
Wildlife includes the Armenian viper, water and common frogs, and the Caucasian steppe viper. Birds such as the wild turkey, golden eagle, and white-tailed eagle are common. Mammals include the gray wolf, gray hare, and long-eared hedgehog, with bezoar goats occasionally sighted. Many species are listed in Armenia’s Red Book.
