Tigranocerta (also spelled Dikranagerd) was the capital of the Armenian Empire that Tigranes the Great founded (95‑56BC) south of the present city of Dyarbekir, Turkey. In its time, it was the center of Armenian culture. It was founded as a more central capital within the expanding Armenian Empire, which reached as far southwest as Israel, as far west as central Cappadocia, and as far east as the Caspian Sea.