Symbols of Armenia - Garni and Geghard - a temple and a fortress. Geghard, Garni and Arch of Ararat: beautiful sights of Armenia Temple of the Sun Armenia Garni

Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery and Charents Arch are some of the most. And if the first two will tell travelers about the centuries-old culture and history of the country, then the last one will allow you to enjoy an excellent panoramic view of the sacred Mount Ararat.

Usually a trip (or an organized excursion) to the ancient pagan temple of Garni, the mountain monastery of Geghard and a visit to the Charents arch (with a view of Ararat) are combined, since they are on the same side. And the first stop on the tour is the Charents Arch, which of these three attractions is closest to the capital of Armenia -.

In 1957, according to the design of the Armenian architect R. Israelyan, the Charents arch was erected. The attraction is located east of Yerevan, near the village of Voghchaberd. At first glance, the structure is absolutely ordinary: it rises 5 meters above the ground and is a double arch of concrete and stones, covered with a roof, but the author of the building put a special meaning into it.

The attraction bears the name of the poet Yeghishe Charents (1897−1937). In his works, he sang of the Armenian people, his country, its natural beauties and one of the symbols of the state -. When the mountain was ceded to Turkey in 1921, it was a real blow to him. It is believed that the poet liked to admire the biblical peak from the very place where the Arch now rises. Lines dedicated to the majestic peak are engraved on its walls.

The same poet Charents is depicted on the Armenian banknote of 1000 drams

Lines of Charents' poem imprinted on the arch

There is an opinion that the Arch of Charents is the first unspoken monument in the Soviet Union to the victims of repression: it was built immediately after A. Mikoyan announced in his speech the name of the poet who died in prison.

The official version says that the monument was erected in honor of the 60th anniversary of E. Charents.

The arch is visited for the magnificent view of Ararat. The attraction is located on a hill, to which several steps lead. In clear weather, in front of travelers, with each new step, a snow-covered peak grows more and more. Already at the very top of the hill, the mountain is perfectly inscribed in the arched opening. The panorama that opens on the observation deck of the building is the “highlight” of the place.

Ararat didn’t open to us from this point, here is the view we were able to capture:

Denis and our driver Karen, they should have the famous view of Ararat behind them, but we were not lucky

The pagan temple of Garni

The second stop of the trip is usually the pagan temple of Garni. The distance between it and Yerevan is 30 km.

It is located near the village of the same name, on a triangular cape, rising above the valley of the Azat River.

Steep cliff and mountain river Azat below

Presumably, it was built in the 1st century AD, during the reign of the king Trdat I. Once upon a time there was a powerful fortress here: the Armenian rulers loved it very much for its impregnability and mild climate.

Before us appeared such an epic picture of Garni

With the adoption of Christianity by Armenia in 301, pagan shrines began to be destroyed everywhere, and the only surviving building of that era is Garni, dedicated to the sun god Mithra.

In 1679, there was a major earthquake that scattered the ruins of the temple throughout the river valley. Only in the 30s of the 20th century, the architect N. G. Buniatyan drew up a project for the restoration of the landmark, and thanks to the efforts of volunteers and restorers, even the smallest fragments of the ancient structure were collected. Already in the 60-70s the object was restored.

The Temple of Garni is a building in the classical Greek style with a roof in the form of a triangular pediment. The facade of the building is crowned with 24 columns - 8 each from the sides, and 6 each in front and behind.

At the base of the pagan shrine is a high podium with steep steps. Tourists love to take pictures on these steps:

The walls and ceilings of Garni are decorated with exquisite carvings: the walls depict a sophisticated ornament with pomegranates, vines, flowers and hazels.

Not only the architecture of the Garni temple, but also the landscape surrounding it admires: sheer cliffs, mountains, a brown river, dense greenery.

Near the sights there is another interesting architectural monument - the Roman Baths.

Important! The temple is open all year round without breaks and weekends. In summer it opens at 10:00 am and sees off the last visitor at 21:00 pm. In winter, the complex closes earlier - at 17:00. Ticket price: approx. 2000 AMD

Entrance fee to Garni: official ticket office at the entrance

In January 2018, the territory of Garni was under partial reconstruction:

Entrance to the territory of the temple of Garni: laying new tiles

Just liked a Chinese tourist boy with a camera in the Garni temple park

Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the unique cave monastery of Geghard (Geghardavank, Ayrivank, Geghard) is located in the Kotayk region, near the gorge of the Goght River.

Already at the entrance to the Geghard monastery, we see a Christian cross set high on a rock:

Our driver Karen said that this cross was installed by this guy selling flower wreaths near the monastery, apparently he is a celebrity here:

Also at the entrance to the monastery you can buy a wide variety of Armenian delicacies and religious souvenirs:

From the Armenian name "Geghard" is translated as "monastery of the spear." It is connected with the fact that the biblical spear of Longinus, brought to the country by the Apostle Thaddeus, was kept here for some time. Now it is exhibited in Etchmiadzin.

Entrance to the territory of the monastery

The exact date of the appearance of the shrine is not known. It is believed that the Ayrivank Monastery, founded by Gregory the Illuminator in the 4th century, was the first to appear in its place.

It existed until the 9th century and was wiped off the face of the Earth. Modern Geghard appeared only in 1215 - this is the date of construction of its main chapel Katoghike.
On two tiers of the monastery there are 7 churches and 40 altars, most of which are hidden in the cliffs.

The architectural ensemble of the monastery is formed by khachkars carved into the rock, cells, chapels, and other premises:

• Katoghike. The main and most revered church. Two-tiered chapels are placed at its corners. The southern facade of the building is decorated with carved wooden gates depicting doves, pomegranates and grapes. The vaulted dome of the building is decorated with reliefs with animals and people;
• Gavit (porch). Partially carved into the rock. Its stone roof is supported by 4 columns. The center of the building is crowned with a magnificent dome with stalactites;
• Rock Church (Avazan) with a spring. The first cave temple appeared in 1240. In its center there is also a stalactite dome, and the main space is occupied by a pulpit and an altar with an apse;
• Zhamatun. The second cave church of Astvatsatsin (Our Lady) and the tomb of the Proshians is located in the east of Avazan. Carved in 1283, it is a square room richly decorated with reliefs;
• Rock church behind zhamatun. Erected in 1283. This is a building with crooked corners and relief images of nature, people and animals;
• Upper Zhamatun. The date of construction is 1288. Here are the princely tombs;
• Chapel of St. Gregory the Illuminator. It is located above the road, not far from the entrance to the monastery. It has a rectangular shape and a horseshoe-shaped apse. There are traces of frescoes on the walls.

The main temple of the Geghard monastery complex

Inside Geghard Monastery:

Attention! The monastery is still active today, so the entrance to its territory is free. You can get here any day of the week at any time. Usually, visitors are accepted here until the end of daylight hours.

The ubiquitous Armenian cats live even in the rocky monastery of Geghard:

You should not limit yourself to visiting the churches inside the complex, we advise you to go outside through the side door on the right side of the fence protecting the Geghard temple:

Leaving the territory, the gaze immediately rests on the gazebo and stumps - ritual killings of rams are carried out here for sacrifices on various holidays:

ribbons:

And this alley of ribbons ends with an improvised rock garden, which, apparently, was created by the tourists themselves:

Every self-respecting tourist considers it his duty to create his own stone pyramid

How to get to Garni, Geghard and Cherents Arch from Yerevan?

All sights are located on the way to Garni, which can be reached in several ways:

• By public transport. Yerevan and Garni are separated by about 30 km. You can get to the temple by taxi No. 284 and bus No. 266, which depart from the bus station behind the Mercedes salon. Minibus No. 51 departs from the city center (Mashtots Avenue) The trip will cost about 300 drams;
• By taxi. The most convenient way, as public transport runs intermittently. We agreed with the driver for all our trips to the sights of Armenia. A trip to Garni-Geghard + Charents arch cost us AMD 15,000 ($31).

Important! The arch is located in front of the village of Voghchaberd. To get to it, you should focus on a large parking lot of tourist buses: the attraction is located 50 meters from it.

Transport to the pagan temple will drop off tourists on the main road, from which you need to turn right and walk for about 500 m.

Geghard is 10 km away from Garni. To go to the monastery, you can catch the minibus number 284: it will reach the village of Goght, from which 4 km. you have to walk or ride. The best option is to arrange a trip with a taxi driver, they stand on the side of the road. The road will cost about 2000 AMD.

Arch of Charents, temples of Garni and Geghard on the map:

If you plan to visit Yerevan, be sure to free up a whole day in your schedule to visit probably the most amazing sights not only in Yerevan, but probably in all of Armenia: Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery and the basalt organ.

Although, of course, there are still many amazing places in Armenia. But those sights that will be discussed below are in close proximity to the capital of Armenia. Only 15-20 km.

So: a map and a description of how to get there by public transport is in mine. It briefly describes where and which minibus to take and where to get off. All major points are on the map. The map is duplicated below, and below I will describe in detail your actions if you decide to go not by taxi, but by minibus.

How to get to the Temple of Garni and the basalt gorge:

We decided to postpone the payment to the territory of the Temple for the time being, and first go to the basalt gorge (basalt organ), which is located right there in 1 kilometer. If you stand facing the entrance to the Temple of Garni, not reaching 30 meters before it, on the left you can see the path down. Here you go. Along the winding path, we quickly went down. And in 30 minutes we reached one of the wonders of the world - the basalt gorge.

There are not so many of them all over the world, and the views are truly mesmerizing. Surprisingly, there are no tourists at all, in general from the word at all. There are very few reports about this gorge, but I strongly recommend adding this point to your visit. You will not regret. On the map above, the gorge is marked.

Life hack: local taxi drivers offer to take you to the basalt gorge and back for 5000 drams on the Niva. Don't get fooled. The road is not difficult and not long, even people who have poor physical fitness will master it.

Life hack: When you climb back to the Temple of Garni, at the last turn, the usual path will go the other way to the top. you there. And after 100 meters you will find yourself on the site in front of the Garni Temple for free. Save $2.5 per person.

The Temple of Garni was built by the Armenian king in the first century AD. When you look at the temple, it seems that you are in Greece.

- Plagiarism?

- No, they didn't.

This is how the Armenians answer the question about the similarity with ancient Greek architecture). Everyone will draw their own conclusions. The views from the temple grounds are simply amazing. A must to visit!

Geghard Monastery is located 6 km from Garni Temple. Public transport does not go there. You can get there in two ways: on foot (doubtful pleasure) and taxi. Taxi can be found near the entrance to Garni Temple. The cost is from 5 to 10 dollars per car.

You will be taken, they will wait there and bring you back to the Temple, and for an additional fee they can take you to Yerevan. Taxi in Armenia is not expensive, and you can always use it without damaging your wallet. Read about prices in Armenia and Yerevan at.

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(arm. Գառնի, Georgian გარნისი) is the most popular tourist attraction in Armenia. People come here to see a real pagan temple of the 1st century AD, which is really quite spectacular and is located on a high mountain, so there are also beautiful scenery. All this is close to Yerevan, only 28 kilometers, so it is not surprising that it is on the first place in the lists of Armenian sights. However, one must still keep in mind that the temple is a creation of Soviet reenactors in 1968, and one can only guess what it looked like initially.

Temple of Garni, view from the southeast

Story

The hill above the Azat River attracted the attention of people a long time ago, so a settlement was founded here in very distant millennia. In the 8th century BC, this settlement was captured by the Urartian king Argishti (786 - 764) and a stone stele was erected here. Around the 3rd century BC, the summer residence of the Armenian kings from the Orontid dynasty was formed here, and around the 1st century AD, Tacitus already wrote something about Garni. In Latin literature, this place was known as Gorneas.

It is assumed that it was here that the dramatic history of the forties of our era unfolded: the Iberian king Farasman I conquered these regions and appointed his son Mithridates king in Armenia, then this Miridat was arrested by the emperor Caligula, and the emperor Claudius then released, but then the relationship between Mithridates and Farasman deteriorated, Farasmans sent his son Rodamistus to wage war on Armenia, and Mithridates retreated to this very place, Garni, where he was betrayed by the Roman allies and surrendered to Rodamistus in 51 AD. Then he was either executed or sent to Rome.

From those eras, the ruins of the royal palace and baths remained.

Garni is famous for its temple, but in addition to the temple there are also the ruins of a fortress, the ruins of a palace, an Urartian stele and the foundation of a temple of the 7th century.

Fortress

The entire hill on which the Garni complex is built is now surrounded by the remains of walls. Once it was something very serious, built of huge stone blocks. Now the wall is best preserved from the side of the entrance and the ticket office, and even fragments of the towers can be seen there. If you go around the hill along the path on the left, this monumental wall will also be visible there.

The time of its construction is not exactly known, but it is something very old, even the first century of our era. Apparently, it was built simultaneously with the temple or even earlier.

Temple of Mithras

Temple of Mitra is the most famous in Garni. Once it was the only ancient temple in the entire territory of the USSR, if we take into account the completely reconstructed temples. It was built by the Armenian king Tiridates - either the First (63 -?) or the Third (287 - 330). There are other dates - for example, 115 or 175. The latest dating is proposed by those who consider the temple to be the mausoleum of King Sokhemos (140 - 185).

Outwardly, this is a classic Greek peripter(roughly the same as the Parthenon), where the main building is surrounded by 24 Ionic columns on Attic bases.

This is the Ionic column on the Attic base

If this chronology is correct, then it was built at about the same time as the Zoroastrian temple in the Kvareli region of Georgia, or a little earlier. But between these temples there is nothing in common at all.

Garni differs from other ancient temples in its material - it is built of basalt, not limestone. He survived both the advent of Christianity and the advent of Islam, while in unknown eras, Muslims left inscriptions on it - either in Arabic or Farsi. In 1679, the temple was at the epicenter of an earthquake called Garni. Then many churches perished throughout Armenia, and the temple of Mitra in particular. One can imagine the joy of local Muslims when this pagan structure collapsed before their eyes.

This is what it looked like in Soviet times

In 1909 - 1910, archaeologists began research, which was published only in 1933. Later, the excavations were resumed, and then the temple was reconstructed - the reconstruction took place in 1969 and in 1975. At that time, only the foundation with steps was preserved from the temple.

It is worth recognizing that, together with the landscapes, the temple makes a strong, bewitching impression. There is something of ancient simplicity and epicness in it, something Homeric. Navenyaka is very nice here at night with a big moon. Or early dawn.

Temple of Mithras
temple foundation	entrance	backside	Interior

In esoteric literature, it is sometimes written that Garni is oriented not to the Pole, but somewhere in the other direction. For example, to Greenland. Because the North Pole moved and so on. But alas, it is oriented by the entrance strictly to the north. Accordingly, the priests stood facing south. But the famous Parthenon is oriented with the entrance to the east. Theoretically, the Zoroastrians oriented their temples to the north, but they should not have been in these parts at the time of the foundation of the temple.

Castle

A little to the side of the seias temple, you can see the rectangle of the foundation, which is considered the royal palace of the 1st century. It was destroyed very early, and already in the 7th century a Christian rotunda was built over its ruins. On the territory of the palace now stands the stele of King Argishti and a stand with the decoding of the Urartian cuneiform: " With the help of Khaldi, he conquered Giarniani, the country of the king of Siluni. Returning from the enemy mountains, expelled men, women".

Surb Sion

However, the most interesting thing in this complex is not the temple of Garni, which, for all its outward showiness, is just a temple without any secrets. Interesting is the foundation on the western side of the temple. On the stands and on the Internet they only write that this is the Church of St. Sion and that it was built in the 7th century. Meanwhile, this temple is round, in fact a rotunda, which are practically non-existent in Armenia (still exactly the same, but in worse condition, located on the territory of the Marmashen monastery). It is in terms of tetraconchs and resembles Zvartnots, but is more primitive in its structure: for example, its external form does not reflect the internal one, just like in the Avan Cathedral. Perhaps this was the first experiment that preceded Zvartnots. However, this temple has four corner square chambers, which first appeared in the Avan Cathedral, and then were present at the temple of St. Hripsime. Interestingly, the two eastern chambers are not strictly square, but rounded, which is not observed in all tetraconchs of this type.

Infrastructure

Cost for foreigners - 1000 AMD

Cost for Armenians - 250

Cost for Armenian children - 100

Cost on the last Saturday of the month - free of charge

(In practice, the ticket office is easily bypassed along the path on the left, no one is guarding anything there.)

Garni is a densely visited place, so there is a parking lot, a ticket office, a few souvenirs and grandmothers selling various jams. Everything on the territory of the complex is equipped with tablets and inscriptions, and there is even a lengthy discussion about ancient symbolism. There they write something about sacred numbers and their display in the temple. The text is provided with a picture on which a temple and some mysterious lines are drawn. Everyone who wrote about Garni copied this text, so it is easy to find it on the Internet. (I must say that almost 90% of what was written about this temple was written off from the plates on the stands).

In the village of Garni there are two or three guesthouses of incomprehensible quality, so spending the night here is quite possible. Near the reception there is a restaurant with Yerevan prices, but the food there is mostly shish kebabs and kebabs. If you come to Garni, then you will surely go to Geghard monastery, but already there there is a good restaurant with an assortment and views. So it's better to get food there.

Around

Garni is interesting not only in itself, but also as a reason to climb the hills around. The problem is that it can be difficult. Everything that is on the other side of the Garni gorge is considered the territory of the Khosrov forest reserve.

About 10 kilometers up the gorge is also the famous monastery of Geghard. It is possible to combine both Garni and Geghard in one day. There is a restaurant under Geghard, but there seems to be none in Garni yet.

3.5 kilometers from the garni in a straight line to the east are the ruins of the monastery of Havuts-Tar of the XI century. Collapsed in the same 1679. The central temple seems to be a triconch. The path to the monastery is beautiful, with views of Garni and fragments of khachkars in the thickets.

If you go to the southeast along the side gorge, then there will be a turn to the east and the ruins of the ancient temple of Akhchots. From Garni 7 or 8 kilometers along the territory of the reserve. Cute and deserted. If you walk along the gorge to the end of all 12 kilometers, you can find the ruins of the Kavkavaberd fortress of the 10th century. But this is long and difficult.

How to get

Garni is a popular attraction, so there are direct minibuses from Yerevan. The distance from Yerevan to the temple in a straight line is 20 kilometers. It is also easy to get there by your own car, but it is not easy to find your way around the outskirts of Yerevan without a navigator.

To the southeast of Yerevan, on the territory of the Abovyan region, above the gorge of the Azat River, there is a fortress of the same name. You can come here by car along the road Yerevan-Avan-Jrvezh-Voghchaberd-Garni (about 30 kilometers), which in steep zigzags after the pass through the Voghchaberd spur of the Geghama Range descends into the picturesque Garni valley. At the pass, in the sheer cliffs hanging over the village, ancient caves gape, which have now become inaccessible.

Cars heading to Garni usually make a short stop at a high hill, on which a stone arch-tent of a spring-monument to the poet Yeghishe Charents was erected. From here you can clearly see the vast Ararat valley with the snowy peaks of Ararat sparkling in the blue heights. The words of the poet are carved on the wall of the spring-monument:

"Masis, as glory is a difficult path In my wandering, I love!"

There is a pedestrian path to the Garni fortress, starting from the Komsomol park: Nor-Aresh-Shorbulag-Atsavan (about 20 kilometers). Thus, depending on the degree of preparedness and training of tourist groups, one should opt for one or another route option. The first (in the presence of vehicles) will require one day, and the second - two.

The fortress is located near the village of Garni, located on a plateau among collective farm fields, orchards and vineyards. The diversified economy of the artel is mechanized on the basis of electricity received from a rural hydroelectric power station. A winding path leads through the gardens to a triangular rocky promontory, sharply protruding into the Azat Gorge. Already from a distance, under the shady crowns of trees, the outlines of stone walls made of huge basalt blocks are visible. These are the remains of the ancient fortress of Garni.

The fortress has the shape of an irregular triangle, with a sharp end facing the gorge. In the northern part of the cape, adjacent to the plateau, excavations unearthed massive steppes with 14 powerful rectangular towers from under the centuries-old alluvial stratum of the earth. From the south and southeast, the fortress is protected by sheer 80 - 100-meter cliffs hanging over the river.

The excavations that have been carried out here systematically since 1949 by the archaeological expedition of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR have provided interesting material. It has been established that the surroundings of the current village of Garni, due to the fruitfulness of local lands, the abundance of water and natural protection, have been inhabited since ancient times.

The remains of a Cyclopean fortress from the Bronze Age were found in the foundation of the wall. This is followed by later masonry (the first half of the 3rd century BC) from cleanly hewn basalt blocks weighing up to 6 tons, without the use of lime mortar. Heavy plates are fastened with iron brackets filled with lead. The upper row of the wall consists of the same masonry and belongs to the 1st century AD.

On a hill surrounded by vineyards, the remains of a pagan temple (I century) rise. The pagan temple of Garni is the only monument of the Hellenistic era in Armenia. The temple dedicated to the sun god Mithra was built in the second half of the 1st century, under Tsar Trdat I.

The temple collapsed in 1679 due to an earthquake, but was rebuilt in 1970, using the fragments that remained on site, and the missing ones were made anew. The temple was built from basalt. The wall of the main room and 24 columns of the portico were erected on the podium. A wide staircase leads to the main entrance. Details of the building: basalt columns, cornices, capitals, are decorated with well-preserved carvings depicting vines, pomegranate fruits and other elements of ancient Armenian ornamentation.

Behind the temple, the platform narrows and abruptly breaks off to the river. From here, from a height of 100 meters, a wonderful view of the gorge of the Azat River opens, to which the pink rocky spurs of the Geghama Range come close to the left.

Remains of large structures were found near the temple. In one of them, when cleaning a small room in 1953, a mosaic floor measuring 2.9x2.9 meters was discovered, which is a unique monument of ancient Armenian culture.

The head of the archaeological expedition, B. Arakelyan, made the following report about this remarkable find: “The mosaic is laid out on lime mortar from the smallest gemstones. On a light green background of the sea with great skill, with amazingly subtle transitions of tones (stones of 15 shades were used), deities, mythological creatures are depicted ... "

The inscriptions made in Greek have been preserved on the mosaic.

From Sevan to Yerevan

Which of you has traveled around Armenia with a bicycle? Raise a hand!
Our partners from Arara Tour complain that so far there are few cyclists in Armenia, and in vain! From our past, you know about the beautiful landscapes, interesting mountain routes and the oldest architectural monuments of this country. And yet, they say, here are hospitable and good-natured locals.
There are many interesting cycling routes here, and it is important to note that most of them pass through mountainous terrain. Here are our options for cycling in Armenia!

On the road to Gerard

Yerevan - Garni - Geghard - Yerevan

Distance– 80 km (round trip)
Daily climb– 1000 m
Season– May-September

This fascinating route will allow you to visit a number of popular attractions in Armenia. From Yerevan, you need to go to the highway leading to Geghard. Somewhere after 27 km you will find yourself in the village of Garni (Kotayk region). Here you can stop for a rest, have a bite to eat in some restaurant and, most importantly, visit unique historical places. For example, you can see the only surviving Hellenistic temple of the 1st century AD, where tourists flock in droves (entrance ticket price is 1000 drams ($2)).

It gets dark quickly in the mountains, so it’s best to try to get back to the city before evening, as it’s not so pleasant to return in the dark. You can stay overnight in Garni and continue your journey in the morning.

But whatever you decide, the main thing - do not forget to enjoy the gorgeous views along the way!