Not far from Etchmiadzin, Catholicos Nerses III sponsored the construction of the “Celestial Angels Cathedral” in the 7th century. Destroyed in the 10th century, its evocative ruins (🎫1300 AMD) now stand in a semi-industrial landscape. It was initially dedicated to – and housed relics of...
We made overnight in the 4th-largest city in Armenia, Vagharshapat (known as Etchmiadzin), located on the plain of the Aras River about 18 km west of the capital Yerevan. It is the seat of the primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is the place where Surp Grigor Lusavorich saw a...
Our first stop in the beautiful World Heritage-listed Azat Valley was Gerhard Monastery. Named after the lance that pierced Christ’s side at the crucifixion, this monastery is carved out of a cliff alongside the Azat River Gorge. Founded in the 4th century, the monastery’s...
Sanahin is another famous monastery listed by UNESCO, packed with ancient graves, darkened chapels, and medieval study halls. The inner sanctum of the cross-shaped Surp Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God Church) is the oldest structure, dating back to 934. Its adjoining gavit was built in...
Our first stop in Armenia was a beautiful monastery occupying a commanding position overlooking the Debed gorge. Founded around 976 by Queen Khosrvanuch, who funded the construction of the domed Church of the Holy Cross (Surp Nishan) at the center of the complex, it saw a building boom in...
We did overnight in one of the oldest settlements of Transcaucasia, Mtskheta, a town located at the confluence of the Kura and Aragvi rivers, just northwest of Tbilisi. Mtskheta was the capital of Georgia from the 2nd to the 5th century AD. We visited the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, the...
We arrived late, so we parked in front of Hotel Aşıkoğlu in Boğazkale, where we took dinner (Tomato soup – 30 TRY, French fries – 60 TRY, Chicken skewer – 110 TRY, Tea – 10 TRY). The following day we visited remainings of the Hittite capital of Hattuşa (🎫 20 TRY). In the Bronze Age, the...
Surrounded by epic sweeps of golden, moonscape valley, this remarkable touristic village hollowed out of the hills with the central “downtown” strip full of restaurants and travel agencies surrounded by boutique cave hotels. After we arrived in little Göreme, we walked to the viewpoint (🎫...
Another famous ancient multi-level underground city is located in Derinkuyu (🎫 100 TRY). It has cavernous rooms spread on seven levels reached by long skinny tunnels extending to a depth of approximately 85 meters. It is large enough to have sheltered as many as 20,000 people together...
We parked in the southwest Cappadocia next to a canyon rimmed by high cliffs that hide rock-cut churches. The 15 km long and up to 150 m deep canyon was formed in prehistoric times by the Melendiz River. From the 7th century AD, the valley was settled by Byzantine monks who dug their...