WATERFALL AND WINE

The Arch of Charents, Arch of Mount Ararat, and Ararat Temple are located in the village of Voghjaberd, Kotayk region, on the right side of the Yerevan-Garni road, at an altitude of 1500 meters. It is included in the list of immovable monuments of the history and culture of Voghjaberd.

The memorial named “Arch of Mount Ararat” was erected in 1957 by architect Rafael Israelyan. From here, the biblical mountain, Ararat, is visible at all hours of the day. Along the arch, lines from the poem “I Love My Sweet Armenia's..” by the great Armenian poet Yeghishe Charents are engraved.

Pass the whole world, there's no summit as white as that of Ararat,
Like glory road, unreachable, I love as well my Mount Massis.

For this reason, the memorial is better known to the people as “The Arch of Charents”.

Geghard Monastery, also known as Geghardavank or Ayrivank, is a medieval monastic complex located in Armenia. The name 'Geghard' is derived from the fact that for 500 years, the holy Geghard, a type of weapon, was kept there. This sacred spear is believed to be the same one with which the Roman centurion pierced the crucified Christ at Golgotha.

There is a traditional view, according to which a brother and sister from a noble family decide to leave the worldly life and with hard work gradually open a temple in the cliff.

In the Matenadaran, Yerevan, as well as in the French National Library and the Berlin State Library, manuscripts and autographs are stored, including gospels, psalms, collections of sermons, writings of Mesrop Mashtots, canticles and lectionaries of the lives of saints, which were compiled, flourished, written and imitated in Geghardavank. The “Tonapatchar” composed by the priest Philipos of Ayrivank, dates back to the 12th century, the composition of which is one of the oldest compositions kept in Matenadaran.

On December 7, 2018, a decision was made at the UNESCO headquarters to give the "Geghard Monastery and the Upper Azat River Valley" an enhanced protection status.

Ancient Armenian sun worshiping temple in the village of Garni. The Garni Temple is the only pagan and Greco-Roman structure preserved in the territory of Armenia.

By combining lithographic, bibliographic and archaeological materials, it was found that the temple was built in 77 AD..

The temple is a peripteral type structure typical of Hellenistic period architecture. The temple was dedicated to God Mihr, the god of light and sun in the Armenian theology.

In 2011, the “Garni” Historical - Cultural Museum-Reservation was awarded the UNESCO-Greece Cultural Landscape Preservation and Management Award by the “Melina Mercuri” International Foundation.

Symphony of stones or “Basalt organ”, a natural monument in the basin of the Azat River, in the territory of Garni village. It is included in the list of natural monuments of Armenia.

The symphony is represented by huge pentagonal and hexagonal basalt columns (about 50 m high), which look handmade due to their amazing symmetry. Created by nature, the string of pillars hanging over the river resembles a musical instrument, "Basalt organ". Azat River flows through the gorge, filling the stone splendor with the sound of water. These amazing cliffs were formed under high pressure conditions as a result of the cooling and crystallization of volcanic lava.

In the 2013 United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) "Vettor Giusti" tourism poster competition in the Europe category, Armenia was recognized as the winner with the "Symphony of Stones" poster among 44 member countries.

Azat reservoir. Reservoir in the Ararat region of Armenia, in the middle stream of the Azat River, near the village of Lanjazat. It was put into usage in 1976. The area is 2.85 km2, the total volume is 70 million m3. The maximum depth of the reservoir: 72.4 m. It is also connected by springs.