Pagan temple in Garni

It seems that in Armenia you can find any historical and cultural attractions to suit your discerning taste. Therefore, you just need to book a flight with Uzbekistan Airways to Yerevan, choose one or several hotels in Armenia for your stay and set off on a journey to get to know this amazing country. Charming small churches, ancient fortresses, monasteries cut into the thickness of the rocks, monuments of the Bronze Age – this is by no means a complete list of attractions. There is also an ancient temple here, which is located near the village of Garni, famous for its amazing attractions. However, this temple is usually called pagan in Armenia. The structure is absolutely unique, despite the fact that before the arrival of Christianity in these lands, Armenians professed various cults, including worshiping Greek gods, the sanctuary in Garni is the only one that has survived to this day. Perhaps, such a structure will not be found during a vacation in Uzbekistan.

Now there is a beautiful temple and ruins of other buildings, and once on the hill there was a proud fortress, the residence of the Armenian kings of ancient times. The temple itself was dedicated to the god of the sun Helios or Mithra, and it was founded along with the rest of the ensemble by King Trdat I. Having created this architectural composition, King Trdat, according to the good tradition of these lands, also left a corresponding inscription carved on a stone slab, which made life much easier for archaeologists. Translated from Greek, the message to descendants sounded something like this: “Helios! The Great Trdat, the ruler of no less great Armenia, built this fortress, impregnable to enemies, in the 11th year of his reign. Unfortunately, many buildings have fallen into disrepair over the centuries, and the remains, forlornly whitening under the hot Armenian sun, tell only of their former greatness. But the temple has survived to this day, despite the adoption of Christianity almost two centuries after its construction.

King Trdat I was a bit disingenuous – the first fortress appeared on these lands 3 centuries before his reign (in the second century BC). The ruler only made the fortifications even more impregnable. Subsequently, other kings followed his example – this defensive structure occupied a very advantageous place. Ultimately, thanks to numerous reinforcements over several generations, Garni became a magnificently fortified citadel. Powerful walls and towers protected the inhabitants of Garni from destructive raids of warlike enemy tribes for a whole millennium.

Armenian secular rulers had a special affection for the Garni fortress, and even chose it as a place to stay during the summer months. The reason for this was not only the impregnable walls, but also the magnificent nature, and at the same time the exceptionally mild climate. In the summer, it is so pleasant to hide from the stupefying Yerevan heat here. Although the distance between these two cities is very small – a little less than 30 kilometers, Garni is located in the foothills, which affects the climate.

People lived here even during the heyday of the Urartian kingdom in the eighth century BC. When King Argishti decided to build the Erebuni fortress on the site of the future Yerevan, he first conquered the settlement of Garni. Having captured the locals as free labor, he set out to build his citadel. This fact is evidenced by a small tablet decorated with cuneiform that was found in Garni. So this place always seemed attractive to the people living on these lands. The fortifications were not always perfect.

The location for the fortress and the temple was ideal. A triangular cape, which is braided by a ribbon of a mountain river, shining far below, a gorge, grinning with sharp rocks and frightening steep cliffs, and so well protected the hill from evil intentions. The slopes running down to the river are so smooth that it seems that they were paved with slabs by people. In fact, these creations were created by nature, and people only gave them the name “Symphony of Stones”. The part of the hill that did not receive natural protection was fenced with almost impregnable walls, where a large number of defensive towers were installed. Although the towers and walls were also erected on the side of the gorge. No mortar was used in the construction, the blocks were fastened together with iron clamps, and lead was poured into the corners.

Inside, everything was done with an exceptional sense of comfort and elegance. Of course, because the king of Armenia himself was housed here. There were many buildings inside the fortress. The palace was located on the southern side, and the north was given to the army and the outbuildings, the ceremonial hall was erected near the cliff, and residential buildings were located near it. There were also baths here. Judging by the surviving decorative elements: the floors in the ceremonial buildings were laid out with intricate mosaics, drawing Hellenic patterns. Traces of rich and colorful paintings remained on the walls. And it is best to preserve an ancient temple was built in the middle of the Garni complex.

The temple itself is small, rectangular in shape and built of lovingly hewn basalt blocks. High and massive steps lead into the temple, and the facades are decorated with beautiful slender clones. The reliefs, which serve as one of the temple decorations, depict Atlanteans, who in all their naked power are clutching altars in their raised hands. Although the temple is made in the classical Hellenic style, there are also some original details inherent only to this building. For example, the ornament uses images of woven hazel leaves, flower stems, generously framed with pomegranates and grapes, truly sunny plants, which are not typical for buildings of this era. All the works are done with amazing skill, although basalt is not one of the easiest materials for such processing. The interior is surprising in its relatively modest size – from the outside the temple looks quite impressive. It’s just that the sanctuary was decorated with only one statue of the deity, and the sacred rites held here were attended exclusively by the royal family.

The temple in its full and original appearance is a recreated structure. Unfortunately, a powerful earthquake that shook this land in 1679 did what mere mortals did not dare to do, almost completely destroyed the beauty of the ancient structure.

The ancient ruins aroused curiosity and admiration among many researchers of the 19th century. Excavations and archaeological research were carried out here. One of the learned men even had a strange idea – to collect all the elements of the temple and transport them to Tiflis, in order to pile the artifacts in a picturesque pile in front of the palace of the viceroy of the Russian Emperor. If this truly brilliant sycophant had been able to find suitable transport to transport this composition at that time, we would most likely never have seen the ancient temple in Garni. The first projects to restore the pagan monument in all its original beauty appeared back in the 1910s. The skeleton of the structure and scattered parts were studied for a long time by various scientists. Thus, N.G. Buniatyan, who served as the chief architect of the capital of Armenia in the 1930s, was the first to create a project that recreated the original appearance of this architectural monument. But another 30 years passed before the architect Sainyan began work. And in 1976, the pagan temple again shone in all its splendor amidst the fragments of the Garni fortress.

Getting to the village of Garni with all its unique sights is not particularly difficult, it is only 28 kilometers from Yerevan. The easiest way is to rent a car or hire a taxi for the whole day. If you are so fascinated by the temple and other attractions of the charming city that you stay here until late at night, do not worry. You can always rent a room for one night in one of the hotels in Armenia, located in Garni.