Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery, Azat Gorge, Sevan Lake, Sevanavank

While passing through the village of Voghjaberd, the architect Rafael Israelyan often noticed that a wonderful view of Mount Ararat opens from the nearby hill. And here, in 1957, Israelyan completed the structure he designed, which is called the Mount Ararat Temple. The last line of Yeghishe Charents's poem is engraved in visible large letters on the front entrance. "Go to the world; there is no white peak like Ararat, like the path of unripe glory; I love my Masis mountain." Very soon the place got its new, popular and more widespread name - The Arch of Charents. We start the tour with the viewpoint of Mount Ararat, the symbol of Armenia.

The temple, built in the first century and had been around for centuries, was destroyed and stood up again. It tells about pre-Christian Armenia and the Armenian people. The temple dedicated to Mithra, the God of the Sun, is the only preserved pagan temple both in Armenia and in the territory of the former USSR. The temple was destroyed by a devastating earthquake in 1679 and was restored for about 8 years, 1968-75.

The next stop is the basalt organ, the Symphony of Stones. The accumulation of naturally cut stones with wonderful symmetry is a true natural wonder and also part of the UNESCO World Heritage. The hexagonal stones, stretched one after the other across the canyon, look like an organ, hence the name.

The ancient name of this rock-hewn monastery was Ayrivank due to the 140 caves in the surrounding mountains, which were inhabited by monks. Later, the holy relic Geghard brought here gave the monastery its current name, Geghardavank. The weapon of the Roman centurion Longianos, the holy relic Geghard, with which Christ was wounded, is now kept in the Holy Mother See of Etchmiatsin.

The familiarization tour ends with a lavash master class, where you will see how the famous Armenian bread, lavash, is baked.

Being 1900 meters above sea level, Sevan is the second-highest lake in the world with a freshwater supply. Sevan, of volcanic origin, is surrounded by mountain ranges divided into two parts and one large peninsula. Lake Sevan enjoys great popularity among tourists for both active and passive recreation. With a maximum depth of 83 meters, Sevan is the only one of the three historical Armenian lakes located on the territory of the Republic of Armenia.

Mariam, the daughter of King Ashot I, promised to build 30 churches in honour of her late husband. She kept her promise throughout her life. One of them, Sevanavank, was built in 874. Founded in the 4th century, Sevanavank experienced its development in the 9th century. Apart from the two standing churches, the unique khachkar of the 17th century, with its many biblical scenes, deserves special attention. The name of the capital, Yerevan, was recorded for the first time on the dome of Sevanavank.