Karahunj

Karahunj is a megalithic site in Armenia’s Syunik region that is regarded, both in Armenia and internationally, as an ancient astronomical observatory. Its name, structure and function have drawn international comparisons that point to the Armenian Highlands as a cradle of early astronomy.

The site is also known by the popular names Tsits Qarer (Upright Stones), Dik-Dik Qarer and Zorats Karer. Zorats Karer means “Stones of the Days”, while another reading renders it as “Powerful Stones”, stressing the strength and magnitude of the megaliths.

The name was given in the 1990s by academician and radiophysicist Parsam Herouni. He noted that the 13th-century historian Stepanos Orbelian mentioned a village called Karunj near Sisian, and he read “kar” (stone) as a sounding or speaking stone, drawing a parallel with Stonehenge, whose name also implies “talking stones”.

In the early 20th century, astronomers Camille Flammarion, William Olcott and Edward Maunder suggested that the first astronomical observations and the division of the constellations may have originated in the Armenian Highlands. Karahunj, together with Portasar, the scientific centre of Metsamor, the astronomical centres at Selim and Sev Sar and medieval Armenian astronomical texts, is cited in support of this view.

In the Syunik region, a large lake basin formed by volcanic eruptions provided a seismically stable foundation. That stable ground allowed key monuments, Karahunj among them, to be preserved over the long term.