Daranali or Daranaghi () was a district (''gavar'') of the province of
Upper Armenia of
Greater Armenia. It was located in the basin of the
Western Euphrates (Karasu), near modern-day
Kemah (Kamakh, Kamacha,
Camachus),
Turkey.
Its center was the fortified settlement of Ani (not to be confused with the
medieval Armenian capital), which was located on the right bank of the Western Euphrates, across from Kemah. It was famous for its fertile lands, plentiful waters and salt mines.
It likely fell into the region of
Acilisene (later Ekegheatsʻ) mentioned in
Strabo's ''Geography''.
It is first mentioned in Armenian sources by
Faustus of Byzantium, who describes it and the district of Ekegheatsʻ as the property of
Gregory the Illuminator's family. Daranali is most famous for having contained the burial-place of the
Arsacid Armenian kings at Ani. It was also a major religious center in pagan times, as it was home to a temple to
Aramazd at Ani and a temple to
Mihr at
Bagayarichʻ built by
Tigranes the Great.
The entire district may have belonged to the temple of Mihr. Following the adoption of Christianity as the state religion of Armenia in the 4th century, the temple at Bagayarichʻ was destroyed by Gregory the Illuminator and Daranali became the property of the Armenian church.
See also
*
List of regions of old Armenia
References
Early medieval Armenian regions
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