Garni Geghard Armenia how to get from Yerevan. Garni, Armenia. What to see in Garni. Temple of Mithras

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

Garni Temple, 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 installed a stone stele 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 Pharasmanes I conquered these regions and appointed his son Mithridates as king in Armenia, then this Miridates was arrested by the emperor Caligula, and the emperor Claudius later released him, but then the relationship between Mithridates and Pharasmanes deteriorated, Pharasmanes sent his son Rodamistus to war against Armenia, and Mithridates retreated to this very place, Garni, where his Roman allies betrayed him and he 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 remain.

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 7th century temple.

Fortress

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

The exact time of its construction is not known, but it is something very old, dating back to the first century AD. Apparently, it was built simultaneously with the temple or even earlier.

Temple of Mithras

The Temple of Mithra is the most famous in Garni. Once upon a time it was the only ancient temple in the entire territory of the USSR, if we take into account 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 latter dating is proposed by those who consider the temple to be the mausoleum of King Sochemos (140 - 185).

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

This is an Ionic column on an Attic base

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

Garni differs from other ancient temples in its material - it was built from basalt, not limestone. It 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 temples throughout Armenia, and the Temple of Mithra in particular, perished. 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, excavations were resumed, and then the temple was reconstructed - reconstruction took place in 1969 and 1975. At that time, only the foundation with steps remained 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. It's probably very nice here at night under the big moon. Or early at dawn.

Temple of Mithras
foundation of the temple	entrance	backside	Interior

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

Castle

A little to the side of the seiyas temple you can see the rectangular foundation, which is considered to be the royal palace of the 1st century. It was destroyed very early, and already in the 7th century a Christian rotunda was built on top of its ruins. On the territory of the palace there is now a stele of King Argishti and a stand with a decipherment of the Urartian cuneiform: " With the help of Khaldi, he conquered Giarniani, the country of King Siluni. Returning from the enemy mountains, he drove out the men, women".

Surb Zion

However, the most interesting thing in this complex is not the Garni temple, which, for all its external spectacularity, is just a simple temple without any secrets. The interesting thing is the foundation on the western side of the temple. On the stands and on the Internet they only write that this is the Surb Zion Temple and that it was built in the 7th century. Meanwhile, this temple is round, essentially a rotunda, of which there are practically no such things in Armenia (another one exactly the same, but in worse condition, is located on the territory of the Marmashen monastery). It is tetraconch in plan and resembles Zvartnots, but is more primitive in its structure: for example, its external shape 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 Church of St. Hripsime. It is interesting that the two eastern chambers are not strictly square, but are rounded, which is not observed in all tetraconchs of this type.

Infrastructure

Cost for foreigners - 1000 drams

Cost for Armenians - 250

Cost for Armenian children - 100

Cost on the last Saturday of the month - free

(In practice, the ticket office can be easily navigated 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. On the territory of the complex, everything is equipped with signs and inscriptions, and there is even a lengthy discussion about ancient symbolism. They write something there about sacred numbers and their display in the temple. The text is accompanied by 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 on the Internet. (It must be said that almost 90% of what was written about this temple was copied from the signs on the stands).

In the village of Garni there are two or three guest houses of unknown quality, so spending the night here is quite possible. There is a restaurant near the reception with Yerevan prices, but the food there is mainly kebabs and kebabs. If you come to Garni, you will probably go to the Geghard monastery, but there is already a good restaurant there with a selection and views. So it’s better to get food there.

Around

Garni is interesting not only in itself, but also as an excuse to climb the hills around. The problem is that it can be difficult. Everything on the other side of the Garni gorge is considered the territory of the Khosrov Forest Nature Reserve.

About 10 kilometers up the gorge there is also the famous Geghard Monastery. It’s possible to combine both Garni and Geghard in one day. There is a restaurant near Geghard, but it doesn’t seem to be in Garni yet.

3.5 kilometers from Garni in a straight line to the east are the ruins of the 11th century Havuts Tar monastery. Collapsed in the same year 1679. The central temple appears 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 southeast along the side gorge, there will be a turn to the east and the ruins of the ancient temple of Akhchots. From Garni 7 or 8 kilometers through the reserve. Nice and deserted. If you walk along the gorge all 12 kilometers to the end, you can find the ruins of the Kavkavaberd fortress of the 10th century. But this is already long and difficult.

How to get

Garni is a popular attraction, which is why direct minibuses go here from Yerevan. The distance from Yerevan to the temple in a straight line is 20 kilometers. Getting there by car is also easy, but without a navigator it’s not easy to navigate the outskirts of Yerevan.

Which numbers in the thousands, has an eloquent description - “Museum Country”. Ancient civilizations once flourished in this region, leaving behind pagan temples. But there are also many Christian shrines in Armenia. Traveling around the country can be compared to a pilgrimage - there are so many monasteries and churches with miraculous icons.

The capital of Armenia is Yerevan. This is a very ancient city. But even beyond its borders, the state has countless attractions. One cannot remain silent about the natural beauties of Armenia. The South Caucasus (where, according to legend, Noah's ark landed after the Flood), the Garni Gorge - this is not a complete list of attractions. All of them attract tourists from different countries. In this article we will talk about a landmark that Armenia is rightfully proud of - Garni.

Gorge

There are several objects with this name in the country. Firstly, the village of Garni. It is located just twenty-eight kilometers from Yerevan. Such proximity to the capital makes it the most visited place by tourists. The village is located in Kotai region (Armenia). Garni is also a gorge along the bottom of which the Azat River flows. It is interesting because it contains pentagonal and hexagonal tall columns. The gorge is famous for its two temples. They are not connected by any single religion or chronology.

One of them is an ancient pagan temple. It is also called Garni. The second temple is Christian. It is called Geghard. Since both sacred buildings are located close to each other, they can be visited in one excursion. Another plus is the presence of a restaurant near the gorge. As a rule, travel agencies that take tourists to temples make a stop here for lunch. In addition to delicious dishes of Armenian cuisine, here you can enjoy folk songs and dances performed by professional groups.

Garni pagan temple: history

Armenia adopted Christianity very early - in the third century. But, oddly enough, a pagan temple has been preserved in the country. It was dedicated to Mithras, the sun god. The temple was saved from destruction by the fact that it was located in a strategically important place. The temple was fortified in the early ancient (Hellenistic) era. It was used as a fortress throughout the Middle Ages, until the earthquake of 1679 destroyed the powerful walls. During the Soviet period, the citadel was restored and turned into a museum.

According to a tablet with cuneiform writing found in Garni, before the emergence of the Mithras temple there was already a fortress here. King Argishti of Urartu (the same one who built the citadel of Erebuni, future Yerevan) conquered it in the first half of the eighth century BC. And the Garni Temple was erected by the Armenian king Trdat the First in 76 AD. Tacitus mentions its existence. When the temple ceased to serve its intended purpose, it, unlike many pagan temples, was not destroyed or converted into a Christian church. The building was simply included in the fortifications. made Garni their summer residence due to the favorable climate of the gorge and the inaccessibility of this place. For more than a thousand years, the fortress protected its inhabitants from enemy invasions.

Features of the location of the Garni fortress

The Temple of Mithra dominates the area. It is located in the Garni Gorge in Armenia, where the Azat River makes a sharp turn and forms a triangular cape. The temple was built on this raised platform. On both sides, the steep walls of the gorge serve as the most effective protection for the structure. The amazing slopes of this natural attraction, which look like hexagonal prisms made by human hands, are called “Symphony of Stones” by guidebooks to Armenia.

Where the supposed enemy could approach the fortress, an impregnable wall with fourteen defensive towers was built. They were unevenly distributed. Where it was easiest for the enemy to approach the walls, the towers were ten meters apart from each other, and where it was difficult - by 25-30 m. Despite the fact that the fortress garrison was huge in number, it was possible to get inside the citadel only through the only narrow the gate is one chariot wide.

Garni Fortress

Only approaching this citadel, seeing how it “floats” above the surrounding landscape, one is amazed at the skill of medieval architects. You are even more amazed when you come close to the fortress. Its towers and walls are built from huge blocks of smoothly hewn blue basalt. The blocks were not held together with mortar, but only stapled together and filled with lead at the seams. Moreover, the thickness of the fortress walls is more than two meters! Along the perimeter, the fortifications stretch for three hundred and fourteen meters. This increased defense capability was caused by the high status of the citadel, which served as the summer residence of the kings, as well as by the frequent attacks to which Armenia was subjected at that time. Garni courageously fought off all the claims of her enemies.

Temple of Mithras

This ancient building was built in the Hellenistic style. Garni Temple is a small rectangular building surrounded by a colonnade on the outside. In the middle of the building there is a hall with a portico, in which in the pre-Christian era there was a statue of Mithras. There are small vestibules leading to the temple, the entrance to which is richly ornamented. Wide steps ascend to the façade, each of them thirty centimeters high. Such elevation of the temple gives it solemnity and majesty. As for the small details of decoration, the deviation from the Hellenistic canons of decorating sacred buildings is surprising. Along with the atlases on the reliefs of the pylons and the acanthus leaf entwining the columns, national motifs were introduced: flowers, grapes, hazel leaves, pomegranate fruits.

Palace complex

The Garni Temple is not the only exhibit on the excursion program. After all, next to the sacred building there are other, no less interesting sights. On the opposite side of the citadel from the entrance there is a palace, or rather, what remains of it. From the traces of red and pink paint on the walls one can get an impression of the splendor of the royal chambers. There is a main hall at the cliff. Adjacent to the northern fortress wall are buildings that served as barracks for the garrison and housing for servants. There were baths on the territory of the ancient palace complex. These baths were built no later than the third century and consisted of five rooms. An antique mosaic has been preserved on the floor of the baths.

Geghard

This is one of the most famous monasteries in the Republic of Armenia. Garni and Geghard are located quite close to each other. Therefore, sightseers, having visited the ancient temple, immediately visit it, and it is not for nothing that the Christian temple is taken under the auspices of UNESCO. It arose at the dawn of the adoption of Christianity by Armenia. At that time, in 301, it consisted of several caves carved into the rock for cells in which hermits lived. It is believed that Gregory the Illuminator also lived in the monastery. At the beginning of the thirteenth century, a stone temple was built here at the expense of the princes of Mkhargrdzeli. And a quarter of a century later, three other churches were carved into the rock behind it. The monastery is also famous for the tombs of princes.

Republic of Armenia: attractions

Garni and Geghard are not the only places in the country of interest to tourists. Many attractions of Armenia are concentrated in its capital. In Yerevan you should see the Great Cascade and Erebuni Fortress. By going to the small town of Areni, you will be rewarded with tasting the best. There are many ancient temples and monasteries in the country. Recommended places to visit are Noravank, Haghpat, Geghardavank, Tatev, Sevanavank and Khor Virap.

Where do you think this temple is? Greece, Athens? Or Italy, Rome? Well, maybe at least in Syria? Everything is wrong. It's actually much closer than you think.

Let me tell you his story in more detail...

In the town of Garni (Armenia), on the edge of a fantastically beautiful mountain gorge, at the bottom of which the fast Azat River has been paving its way for many thousands of years, stands an extraordinary monument of Armenian history - a real Hellenistic temple. Strict Ionic columns, amazingly precise proportions, symmetry, rich ornamentation on stone... The temple in Garni is an excellent example of a Greco-Roman peripterus, a kind of simplified Parthenon. It seems surprising that this pagan temple stands on the territory of Armenia, the country that was the first in the world to officially adopt Christianity as a state religion.

Historians attribute the construction of the temple to King Trdat I (reigned in the second half of the 1st century), who at one time paid a friendly visit to Rome. In even more ancient times, Garni served as a fortress for the Urartian king Argishti I. And from the 3rd century. BC. Until the 4th century, the summer residence of the Armenian kings (Ervandids, Artashesids and Arsacids) was located here. The fortress was also affected by the devastating campaigns of the Roman legions across Armenia in the 1st century. For some time there was even an opinion that the French word “garrison” was born here: supposedly Mark Antony wrote a letter to Cleopatra saying that he had built a military camp near Garni - a garrison. But this is just a beautiful “etymological illusion”.

The Garni fortress is mentioned by Tacitus in connection with events in Armenia in the first half of the 1st century. n. e. It was built by the Armenian king Trdat I in 76, as evidenced by his inscription in Greek discovered there:

“Helios! Trdat the Great, sovereign of Great Armenia, when the ruler built this impregnable fortress for the queen in the eleventh year of his reign...”

This inscription is mentioned by Movses Khorenatsi, who attributed it, as well as the reconstruction of the fortress, to Trdat III the Great. The Garni fortress is one of the clearest evidence of the centuries-old culture of the pre-Christian period of Armenia. Garni fortress began to be built in the 2nd century BC and continued to be built during the ancient era and partly in the Middle Ages. Ultimately, the Armenian rulers made it impregnable. The citadel protected residents from foreign invasions for more than 1000 years.

The Armenian kings loved this place very much - not only because of its inaccessibility, but also because of the amazing climate - and turned it into their summer residence. The Garni fortress is located 28 km from the capital of Armenia - Yerevan. Strategically, the location of Garni was chosen extremely well. According to the Urartian cuneiform found on the territory of Garni, this fortress was conquered by the Urartian king Argishti in the first half of the 8th century BC, after which he gathered the population of Garni as a workforce and headed towards modern Yerevan, where he built the Erebuni fortress, which later became Yerevan.

The Garni fortress was erected in the village of the same name in the Kotayk region. It was a powerful fortification, well known from chronicle sources (Cornelius Tacitus, Movses Khorenatsi and others). The buildings of Garni uniquely combine elements of Hellenistic and national culture, clearly demonstrating both ancient influences and the original building traditions of the Armenian people. The artistic merits and uniqueness of the monuments place Garni among the outstanding works of world significance.

The structures of the Garni fortress are successfully integrated into the surrounding nature. The fortress is located in a picturesque mountainous area, from where there is a wide view of the vast expanses of orchards, fields and mountain slopes covered with colorful carpets of multi-colored grasses, and the bizarre steep stone cliffs of the Azat River canyon.

Strategically, the location of Garni was also extremely well chosen. Even in ancient times, there was a Cyclopean fortress here - Berdshen (III millennium BC). According to cuneiform writing found on the territory of Garni, this fortress was conquered in the first half of the 8th century BC. Urartian king Argishti I. During the era of the Armenian rulers from the dynasty of Ervandids, Artashesids and Arsacids (from the 3rd century BC to the 4th century AD), Garni served as the residence of the kings and the location of their troops.

The Garni fortress occupies a triangular cape, dominating the surrounding area, surrounded by the river on both sides. The deep gorge and steep slopes serve as a natural impregnable boundary, so the fortress wall was erected only on the plain side. It is built from large basalt squares, laid flat dry and fastened with iron clamps filled with lead. Rhythmically placed, rectangular in plan towers and, increasing the efficiency of flanking fire, the concave shape of the middle of the northern wall, the most vulnerable to the enemy, significantly strengthened the defensive capability of the fortress and at the same time enriched its architectural and artistic appearance.

The palace complex included several separately located buildings: a temple, a front and columned hall, a residential building, a bathhouse, etc. They were located around the vast main square of the fortress, in its southern part, remote from the entrance gate, where they formed a unique ensemble. In the northern part, obviously, there were quarters for service personnel, the royal guard and the garrison.

The top of the cape was occupied by a temple, facing the square with its main northern façade. The temple is the artistic center of the complex, located on the main axis passing through the gates of the fortress.

The temple was built in the second half of the 1st century AD. and dedicated to a pagan deity, possibly the sun god Mithras, whose figure stood in the depths of the sanctuary - naos. After the proclamation of the state religion in Armenia in 301 - Christianity, the temple was probably used as a summer room for the kings, called in the chronicle the “house of coolness”.

In style, the temple, which is a six-column peripterum, is close to similar monuments in Asia Minor (Termes, Sagala, Pergamon), Lebanon () and Rome. It is mainly made in Hellenistic architectural forms, but local traditions are also reflected in it. It should be noted that the type of rectangular religious building with columns and pediment was known on the territory of the Armenian Highlands back in the era of the Urartians.

Another structure of significant artistic merit and size (about 15x40m) was a two-story palace located to the west of the temple.

A garrison was stationed to the north of the buildings. There were also quarters for servants. A unique monument of the fortress is an ancient pagan temple dedicated to the Sun God, built in the 1st century AD in the highest part of the fortress. But it was not destroyed, like many pagan temples, after the adoption of Christianity in Armenia.
The temple dominates the rest of the buildings. It is visible from all sides, striking with its proportionality and harmony of its parts. The temple was erected on a high platform, the dimensions of which are 15x11 meters. From the north side, a wide staircase consisting of 9 powerful steps rises to the building. The roof of the building rests on 24 majestic columns. The temple has rich architectural decoration. The arrays protruding from the sides of the staircase are decorated with bas-reliefs of kneeling Atlases with raised arms. The capitals of the columns are decorated with openwork foliage patterns with low relief. The cornices of the side facades are topped with lion heads. The doorway was decorated with a carved frame. An idol representing the Sun, which was the object of worship of the ancient Armenians, was installed inside the temple.

On the northern side of the square there is a bathhouse built in the 3rd century, which included at least five rooms for various purposes: the first apsidal room from the east served as a dressing room, the second as a bathhouse with cold water, the third with warm water and the fourth with hot water. There was a water tank with a firebox in the basement. The floors were made of baked bricks, covered with a layer of polished knock, supported by round pillars and heated from below by hot air with smoke coming into the underground from the firebox.

Excavations of the fortress

An idea of ​​the interior decoration is given by fragments of two-layer plaster that survived in some rooms: the lower one is white and the upper one is light pink, as well as floors with the remains of stone mosaics in fifteen shades. Particularly interesting is the soft-colored mosaic of the dressing room floor, dating back to the 3rd-4th centuries, an outstanding example of monumental painting in Armenia. The subject of the mosaic (area 2.91x3.14 m) is borrowed from Greek mythology.

When the remains of large structures were discovered near the temple, in one of them, during the cleaning of 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 mosaic contains inscriptions written in Greek.

On a light green background of the sea there are images of the gods of the Ocean and the Sea surrounded by fish, Nereids and ichthyocentaurs. A wide pink stripe runs along the perimeter of the mosaic. Tonal transitions of the water surface create the impression of wave movement. Greek inscriptions introduce the names of deities and Nereids, masterfully executed with knowledge of the anatomical structures of the figures. The interpretation of human figures depicted with oriental-type faces is peculiar. The Greek inscription above the heads of the gods is interesting: “Work hard without getting anything.”

Clickable, panorama

Now the Garni complex represents the ruins of a fortress with once powerful walls, the remains of a palace complex, typical Roman baths with miraculously preserved ancient mosaics on the floor and, of course, a temple in which the sun god Mithras was worshiped. The statue of Mithra stood in the interior of the temple on the elevation of the altar, so that those who came to worship the god could see it from the street in front of the building. Periodically (probably on the days of the solstice), the priests staged a kind of mystical performance for the parishioners. At certain times, the rays of the sun fell at an angle through a square hole in the roof of the temple onto a well-polished large rectangular stone fixed above the entrance to the sanctuary. Reflecting from the smooth surface of the stone, the sun's rays fell on a square hole filled with water or oil in the floor in the center of the room. The rays also reflected from the water surface and, this time, illuminated the statue of the god Mithras with bright light. This is how the priests showed people the miracle of the divine Sun.

In 1679, a strong earthquake swept through Armenia, destroying many buildings. The temple in Garni was also damaged. Its debris scattered across the Azat River gorge. In 1966-1976, the temple was restored thanks to experienced restorers and local residents, who for several years collected pieces of the destroyed building from the surrounding slopes. Today, the sanctuary of the Sun God looks a little patched up: some of its parts were never found or were too badly destroyed, they were replaced with new ones that no longer have that “ancient antiquity”, but these modern “inserts” made it possible to preserve the integrity of the temple. And this is another illusion of Garni - a pagan temple, which should no longer exist, still rises above a deep gorge against the backdrop of a necklace of snow-capped mountains.

On April 28, 2011, it became known that the historical and cultural complex “Garni” was awarded the 2011 UNESCO-Greece Prize. Melina Mercury

Bath

But for example,

Visit Garni Temple and Geghard Monastery- this is the first thing that comes to mind when interesting places in Yerevan have already been explored. They are located east of the capital, and a trip here will take half a day or a day.

Garni Temple

This temple is the only monument in Armenia dating back to the era of paganism and Hellenism. That is, it was built even before the country adopted Christianity (the first in the world). That is why Garni is radically different from all other religious buildings, more like a piece of ancient Greece right in the middle of the Armenian hills.

The temple is dedicated to the pagan sun god Mithra and was built in the 1st century AD. This is such an antiquity! It is even more surprising how exactly he was able to survive, because after the adoption of Christianity, all pagan temples were destroyed.

The construction of the Garni fortress began even BC. in an inaccessible place on a rocky ledge on the banks of the Azat River. It was from here that the Urartian king moved towards Yerevan, where he founded another fortress - Erebuni, which later became the capital.

Azat River Gorge

The base of the temple is a high basalt podium, which can only be reached by a steep staircase. Externally, Garni is very reminiscent of the temple in Athens: a triangular roof and 24 giant columns.

Garni Armenia

It is noteworthy that the walls and ceilings are very skillfully decorated - even then the Armenian sculpture masters were at their best.

In the 17th century, a strong earthquake occurred here and the pagan temple of Garni was severely destroyed, its pieces scattered along the river gorge. But thanks to the painstaking work of the scientist and local residents, the structure was restored.

Near the sanctuary you can see the remains of a bathhouse, a royal palace and a fortress, and if you go down to the river - unusual hexagonal prisms of regular shape in the rocks.

Entrance fee to Garni:

1200 drams per person (1500 evening visit). Excursion in a foreign language 2500 drams. On every last Saturday of the month, admission is free for everyone.

For citizens of Armenia: 250 drams per adult/100 drams per child under 18 years old.

Garni Museum opening hours:

Sunday: from 09:00 to 15:00

After Garni, we caught a local bus to the nearest village, from where it was a 4 km walk to the Geghard Monastery. I didn’t want to take a taxi - the places are beautiful! But while we were walking along the road along the villages, we ate mulberries, apples, and cherry plums. It’s a pity the grapes haven’t ripened yet, they would have killed them too ;-) The places are really cool.

Geghard is one of the most popular attractions in Armenia, and is included in the UNESCO heritage list. The name translates as “spear”, because, as legend says, the spear with which Jesus Christ was pierced during the crucifixion was kept here.

The first monastery on this site was founded in the 4th century, but it was later destroyed by the Arabs. Now there are several churches in the monastery complex, including a cave with a spring. Armenian churches are all distinguished by their ascetic decoration, in contrast to Russian Orthodox churches. But in Geghard it’s just like a man’s harshness, especially in the rock with a spring: subdued light and twilight, somewhere in the darkness a spring with cold water gurgles….

People stand in line to get water, you have to use your phone to highlight it - you can’t see anything.

The main church is called Katoghike

Geghard Monastery Armenia

And the extension on the west, attached to the rock, is Gavit. It was used for gathering, teaching and receiving pilgrims.

We were very impressed by the stone carvings inside - very skillfully and beautifully carved.

Garni somehow didn’t particularly impress us, but Geghard is stern, but beautiful. A very atmospheric place, be sure to go to these places.

How to get to Garni and Geghard?

Minibuses (No. 266) and buses (No. 284) go to the Garni Temple from Yerevan. They depart from a small bus station behind the Mercedes dealership. From Mashtots Avenue in the center you can get there by city minibus 51. The cost of buses to Garni is 250 drams, the journey takes half an hour, and they leave every hour.

In the village itself you will be dropped off on the main road, from where you will need to go right about 500 meters to the entrance to the complex.

There is no public transport to the Geghard monastery, and from Garni to Geghard it is about 10 km. Taxi drivers will catch you on the main road, offering to go to the monastery and back for 2000 drams - a good price. Or you can catch bus number 284 there to the village of Gokht, from where you can walk another 4 km or hitchhike.

The most comfortable option is to negotiate with a taxi in Yerevan. There and back they will charge about 10 thousand drams per car (only 80 km of travel).

The pagan temple of Garni is located in an idyllic landscape on a spur of a cliff and looks exactly like in a school history textbook. A row of six strict columns, nine steps, a triangular tympanum above the entrance, and inside - a cold, lonely room. If bloody rituals were once carried out here, then more than 20 people inside the temple were not present. Probably only priests were allowed inside the cramped room.

The temple in Garni (Garni is the name of the village next to which the temple is located) was built in 76. The steep cliff was occupied by the fortress of King Trdat the First, part of which was a temple that has survived to this day.



The Garni temple was the only one that survived the period of destruction of pagan temples, which came after Armenia adopted Christianity in 301. The earthquake of 1679 destroyed the temple, but in the 1960s and 70s the fallen columns were put back in place by Armenian archaeologists.

Garni Temple stands above the cliff. The Azat mountain river meanders below, with grass-covered mountains rising on both sides of it.
Once upon a time there was a settlement around the fortress. There is a legend, based on a found cuneiform tablet, according to which King Argishti of Urartu conquered this rock in the 7th century BC. and forcibly resettled the inhabitants to the Erebuni fortress he founded, which later became Yerevan.



Mountain road to Garni Temple and Geghard Monastery.
A little further along the road from Yerevan inland, upstream the Azat River, one monastery is hidden among the mountains in a narrow gorge. As if for greater camouflage, the stone walls of the monastery merge with the surrounding rocks. I'm talking about the Geghard monastery.


Geghard is one of the oldest monasteries in Armenia. Its structures are partially carved into the rock. It is very dark inside the main temple: the only lighting is a narrow hole in the dome and candles. The main volume of the temple was attached to those vestibules that are located in the rock. The same ancient Armenian symbols are carved on the walls of the rock as on the khachkars - large painted tombstones.



In ancient times, Geghard was called Ayrivank, that is, " cave monastery". The spear was kept here, which, according to legend, was used to pierce Jesus Christ on the Cross. The sacred spear is now kept in the Etchmiadzin Monastery.



In 2000, UNESCO included the Geghard Monastery on the list of World Cultural Heritage for the exceptional preservation of the Armenian medieval monastic complex and the rich collection of khachkars.
Geghard was founded in the 4th century on the site of a sacred spring flowing from a rock. The main church was built in the 13th century. The mountain river Azat flows next to the monastery. A picturesque stone bridge spans the river.


At the entrance to the Geghard Monastery, sellers of sujuk, egg bread and various sweets stand under bright umbrellas. If you bargain, you can buy goodies here at a price two or three times lower than at the market in Yerevan.


Since Geghard is located on the same road as Garni, it is convenient to see both of these attractions in one day. Garni is easily accessible by bus. It will be hard not to find a free taxi driver on the spot who is willing to drop half the price for the pleasure of taking you to Geghard and bringing you back. On the way back, the taxi driver will persuade you to go with him to Yerevan for a small surcharge. There is no alternative to a taxi on this route; the bus does not go to Geghard. Garni and Geghard are another of those attractions in Armenia that are within a one-day tour distance from Yerevan.

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