It captivates Armenia not only with its ancient history, but also with its picturesque landscape and mysterious structures. Sputnik Armenia presents the top 10 sights of the country, which surprise the tourists the most.
Laura Sargsyan, Sputnik Armenia
Armenia attracts tourists not only with its capital, Yerevan, which is older than Rome, with its national dishes, fresh and quality water. The first country in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion is most amazed by its unusual, in some cases mysterious, sights.
Sputnik Armenia
presents the top 10 remarkable places for tourists in Armenia, which can make you breathless. Here you can lose the ability to speak, feel incredible energy և enjoy the beautiful scenery.
TATS:
For lovers of extreme adventures, one of the longest ropeways in the world, “Tat”, is just a find. Tat, which is 4-5 hours by car from the capital, attracts foreigners like a magnet. You can get incredible energy charges from the first minutes of sitting on a reversible ropeway. It passes through Vorotan gorge, from Halidzor village to Tat monastery. Its length is 5752 meters, and its height is 320 meters.
Here is the ancient monastic complex, the largest of the monastic complexes in the country. It is surrounded by beautiful forests. The air route to the monastery takes about 12 minutes, and the winding road through Vorotan gorge takes about 40 minutes. Each cabin accommodates about 30 passengers and one attendant. The length of the last section is 2.7 km, from here the monastery trembles in all its majesty.
Matenadaran
To wish not to visit the Matenadaran, a depository of ancient manuscripts, means not to reveal the wisdom of the Armenian people. It was founded at the beginning of the 20th century on the basis of the collection of Etchmiadzin Monastery, which dates back to the 5th century. Many foreigners are surprised that so many old books are collected in Yerevan.
The Matenadaran’s funds hold more than 17,000 ancient manuscripts and more than 100,000 ancient archival documents. In them you can find texts in different languages, from Hebrew to Greek and Arabic.
Garni
The only surviving pre-Christian temple in Armenia, the Garni pagan complex, also surprises many. The temple dates back to the 1st century վել was built in Greco-Roman style with beautiful mosaics.
In the distance, in Azat gorge, there is a well-known natural monument – “Symphony of Stones”. Many basalt columns are reminiscent of organ money. They hang from the ground for 50 meters. They are considered to be of volcanic origin. The appearance of the symphony literally enchants everyone.
This:
When foreigners arrive in Armenia, they first visit Lake Sanaa. It can not be boring, each time, depending on the season, it is different. Foreigners are also attracted to the delicious fish – trout, which can be tasted with any egg, boiled, grilled, marinated.
Lake Sanaa is the largest high mountain lake in the CIS, the highest of the large freshwater lakes. The surroundings of the lake are very beautiful, the air is fresh and clean. In summer, Sean saves the residents and guests of Armenia from the unbearable heat. In winter you can visit the lake for wonderful views.
Karahunj
The ancient Karahunj Observatory is reminiscent of the famous Stonehenge. Lovers of mysterious feelings usually come here. The local Armenians gather here on the day of the autumnal equinox to admire the sunrise. Karahunj consists of more than 200 basalt stones, each of which weighs more than 8 tons. Here you can find stones with holes 4-5 cm in diameter.
Areni
Armenia is famous for its winemaking, and in that sense the village of Areni attracts all the lovers of this drink.
In 2007, a significant event took place in the world of wine. An ancient wine mill was discovered in Areni, which proves that Armenia can be considered the cradle of wine production.
During the excavations of Areni caves, several cultural layers were discovered, the oldest of which dates back to BC. In the 4th-5th centuries. Pots with the remains of vines and stones were found. In other words, there was an ancient wine production complex in the region. It is more than 6 thousand years old.
Shikahogh Reserve
Shikahogh reserve attracts foreigners not only with its beauty, but also with its size. It is the second largest forest reserve in Armenia, with a total area of about 29,000 hectares. It is compared to paradise.
Rare plants and animals can be seen in the reserve, including those registered in the Red Book. In fact, the reserve was created in the 50s of the 20th century to preserve these species. It is located 300 km from Yerevan at an altitude of 2,000 meters above sea level.
Khndzoresk
The “Old Khndzoresk” historical and cultural reserve, which is located in Syunik region, wins the heart of everyone who sees it at least once. Here time stops. Nature, the cave city cut off from civilization, inspires thousands of people.
The cave city contains many secrets. According to one of the hypotheses, the place was named after being in Khor Dzor gorge. According to another version, Khndzoresk got its name due to the large number of apples.
Khndzoresk is one of the few places in Armenia where the foreign enemy has never been able to win.
Geghard
There are two Geghards in Armenia. One is the 4th century Geghard Monastery, which is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List due to the exceptional preservation of the Armenian medieval monastic complex հար a rich collection of khachkars.
The second is Longin’s spear. The holy spear was brought to Armenia in the 1st century by one of Christ’s disciples, Thaddeus. It was kept in Ayrivank (Geghard Monastery) for centuries, only in 1760 it was moved to Etchmiadzin.
Petroglyphs
Armenia is a unique country not only because of its unusual landscape, flora and fauna, but also because of its mysterious petroglyphs. Many scientists and lovers of antiquities come to Armenia to see those ancient images engraved on stones and rocks.
Well-known historians claim that they are evidence of ancient sources of astronomical knowledge. The petroglyphs found in Armenia depict hunting scenes, compositions, mythical heroes, animals. There are petroglyphs with images of fantastic animals and people, as well as those dedicated to the worship of the Moon, Ar, Snake and Dragon.
