One of the oldest settlements in Armenia Ashtarak, the administrative center of the Aragatsotn region, is spread over the canyon of the Kasakh River, on both abrupt banks. Ashtarak is famous for plantations of various varieties of amber grapes, apricot and peach orchards. A beautiful modern bridge is thrown across the gorge, along which the Yerevan-Gyumri highway passes. The old bridge, three-arched, located just upstream of the river, built in the 13th and reconstructed in the 17th century, is a monument of medieval engineering art.
On the cliff above the Kasakh River, there is a dilapidated church of Tsiranavor dating from the 5th century. Nearby there is also the dilapidated church of Spitakavor. The unique cross-domed church of the late 6th century Karmravor is the only one in Armenia that has preserved its original tiled roof. The slender silhouette of the functioning church of St. Marine stands out.
Mount Aragats is an extinct volcano, the highest mountain in the South Caucasus (the highest point is the northern peak 4090 m). The dome of Aragats is crowned with a crown of four peaks, between which there is a volcano crater. The slopes and foothills of Aragats have been inhabited since ancient times. A Lower Paleolithic arrowhead and a primitive man's site were discovered here. Some traces of Quaternary glaciation have been preserved at the top of the mountain. Aragats is rich in underground waters. Numerous springs of Aragats provide excellent drinking water. On the summit plateau of Aragats at an altitude of 3185 m there is a small lake Kari-lich. The cosmic ray station of the Yerevan Physics Institute is located on the shore of the lake. A beautiful landscape, numerous monuments make Aragats attractive for travelers and alpine climbers. There are cones on the slopes of Aragats: Arteni, Sharailer, Arailer.
Amberd fortress is located at an altitude of about 2300 m above sea level. The original buildings of the fortress - palace utility rooms, a bathhouse, two reservoirs, a water supply system, underground secret tunnels - were built back in the 7th century under the princes of Kamsarakans. The castle was surrounded by powerful walls. The only dated monument to Amberd - one of the finest churches in Armenia in terms of elegance - still stands today. The inscription on the inside above the door says that the church was erected in 1026 by the famous military leader Vahram Pahlavuny. Amberd was bought by the rulers of Armenia, the princes of the Bagratuny clan, who turned the fortress into the main outpost of their kingdom. The fortress was destroyed in the XIII century by the Mongol-Tatars, who burned everything that could burn. Bronze lamps, incense burners and mortars, fragments of earthenware dishes, toilet bottles made of painted Egyptian glass and even a piece of a broken celadon bowl brought from distant China were discovered in the 1930s during excavations led by Academician Joseph Orbeli. Many exhibits are in the Hermitage.

On the southern slope of Mount Aragats, near the village of Byurakan, at an altitude of 1500 m above sea level, the world famous Byurakan Observatory is located. Construction began in 1946. The founder was the famous astrophysicist Viktor Hambardzumyan. Thanks to the labors of Hambartsumyan and his students, Byurakan Observatory became one of the main astronomical centers of the former Soviet Union.

Ashtarak

One of the oldest settlements in Armenia Ashtarak, the administrative center of the Aragatsotn region, is spread over the canyon of the Kasakh River, on both abrupt banks. Ashtarak is famous for plantations of various varieties of amber grapes, apricot and peach orchards. A beautiful modern bridge is thrown across the gorge, along which the Yerevan-Gyumri highway passes. The old bridge, three-arched, located just upstream of the river, built in the 13th and reconstructed in the 17th century, is a monument of medieval engineering art.

Ashtarak

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