Geghard – Garni Temple
$70 per person
Explore UNESCO World Heritage sites of Armenia with our day tour of Geghard – Garni Temple. Visit the iconic Garni temple, the most important symbol of pre-Christian times of Armenia. On the route to another UNESCO heritage site – the Monastery complex of Geghard, enjoy the view of Mt. Ararat. our tour will include visits to:
- Garni Temple
- Geghard Monastery Complex
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Destination
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Departure
Please arrive by 9:15 AM for a prompt departure at 9:30 AM. -
Departure Time
Approximately 8:30 PM. -
Dress Code
Casual. Comfortable athletic clothing, hiking shoes, hat and warm jacket. -
Included
1 Bottle of Water during the tripPrivate TransportationProfessional Driver Guide -
Not Included
AccommondationEntry TicketsFood
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Day 1: Departure
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Day 2: Adventure Beggins
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Day 8: Historical Tour
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Day 10: Return
Tour Location
- 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. While the main chapel was built in 1215, the monastery complex was founded in the 4th century by Gregory the Illuminator at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave. The monastery had thus been originally named Ayrivank, meaning "the Monastery of the Cave". The name commonly used for the monastery today, Geghard, or more fully Geghardavank meaning "the Monastery of the Spear", originates from the spear which had wounded Jesus at the Crucifixion, allegedly brought to Armenia by Apostle Jude, called here Thaddeus, and stored amongst many other relics. Now it is displayed in the Echmiadzin treasury.
- Our one-day tour will also include a visit to the pagan Temple of Garni, located further down the Azat River. Visiting both sites in one trip is so common that they are often referred to in unison as Garni-Geghard.
- The Temple of Garni: The Temple of Garni is the only standing Greco-Roman colonnaded building in Armenia and the former Soviet Union. Built in the Ionic order, it is located in the village of Garni, in central Armenia. It is the best-known structure and symbol of pre-Christian Armenia. The precise construction date of the temple is unknown .The structure was probably built by king Tiridates I in the first century AD as a temple to the sun god Mihr. After Armenia's conversion to Christianity in the early fourth century, it was converted into a royal summer house of Khosrovidukht, the sister of Tiridates III. According to some scholars it was not a temple but a tomb and thus survived the destruction of pagan structures. It collapsed in a 1679 earthquake. Renewed interest in the 19th century led to excavations at the site in early and mid-20th century, and its eventual reconstruction between 1969 and 1975, using the anastylosis method. It is one of the main tourist attractions in Armenia and the central shrine of Hetanism (Armenian neopaganism).