23 SEP 2019
After Breakfast in the Morning, we drove to Garni located about 30 km from Yerevan and visit Hellenistic and Roman cultural centre and former residence of the royal Armenian Arshakuni Dynasty. The Temple of Garni (Armenian: “Garnu tacar”) is located in the village of Garni in Kotayk Province, Armenia, and it was once a pagan temple dedicated to the Armenian sun god Mihr. Built in the middle of the 1st century CE, the Temple of Garni remarkably survived the destruction of pagan temples following Armenia’s conversion to Christianity in the 4th century CE, and countless invasions and earthquakes until its collapse in 1679 CE. After continuous excavations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries CE, the Temple of Garni was reconstructed between 1969-1975 CE. Today, it is the only free-standing Greco-Roman structure in Armenia and seen by many as a potent symbol of Armenia’s classical past as well as its deep historical ties to the civilizations of Greece and Rome.
Then we visited the temple dedicated to the sun God, the remains of the wall of the third century BC and the Roman baths. Continue to the Monastery of Geghard called with the name of the spear that pierced Christ’s body, located in a deep canyon: half-built inside the rock, according to the tradition dating back to the fourth century. Geghard is a medieval monastery in the Kotayk province of Armenia, being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by cliffs. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with enhanced protection status.
We then drove to Lake Sevan which is one of the largest lakes in the world. It stands out with its sweet and astonishingly blue water. Here we can enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the beautiful lake. At the hill top, we visited Sevanavank Monastery which is situated on the Sevan Peninsula. There are 2 monasteries here actually; one of them is destroyed but the other stands still. They have been built in the Middle Ages, around the 10th century. Return to the hotel in Yerevan. Local Dinner.
Return to hotel, collect baggage and transfer to airport, arrive in Sharjah and connecting flight to Mumbai, reached on 24 Sept. 2019.
