The social program includes a welcome party, a gala dinner, and two sightseeing tours to choose from. During the registration you will have the possibility to choose one of the tours.
Tour 1: Garni Temple - Symphony of the Stones - Geghard Monastery
The pagan temple of Garni from the 1st century AD, built by Armenian King Tiridates I of the Arsacid dynasty, is dedicated to the pagan god of the sun, Mihra (Mithra). Destroyed by an earthquake in the 17th century, it was restored in the second half of the 20th century. It is the only surviving pagan temple in the Armenian highlands. On the temple's grounds, the ruins of a 7th-century Christian church, the summer residence of Armenian kings, and ancient Roman baths have been preserved.
This natural monument of volcanic origin consists of 50-meter quadrangular, pentagonal and hexagonal basalt columns which ensemble resembles the construction of an organ. It is located in the gorge of the Azat River.
The Geghardavank monastic complex (the monastery of the spear or "cave monastery") was reportedly founded in the early 4th century by Saint Gregory the Illuminator on the site of a pre-Christian holy place. The complex's uniqueness is that half of the buildings and temples are carved out of the rock, and there are many caves around the monastery where the hermit monks lived. Until the 18th century, the church housed one of the claimants for the so-called spear of Longinus (which is why it got its name), allegedly brought to Armenia by the apostle Thaddaeus. In the 18th century, the spear was moved to the Echmiadzin monastic complex for safekeeping.
Tour 2: Metsamor Museum – Ethnographic Museum and Sardarapat Memorial Complex
The museum was founded on the site of the ruins of the Neolithic fortress of Metsamor. Traces of the earliest settlements date back to the turn of the 4th millennium BC (Copper Age). To this day, a well-preserved metal smelting system: smeltery and furnaces built into rocky ground, have survived. The museum has a large collection of ancient gold jewelry, various items from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and other places since the fortress was located on trade routes.
Ethnographic Museum and Sardarapat Memorial Complex
The memorial complex is dedicated to the victory of Armenian militiamen in the Battle of Sardarapat, which stopped the advance of the Turkish army in 1918, thereby creating the opportunity for the emergence of the modern Armenian state. The complex was built near the mass grave by architect Rafael Israelyan in 1968 and consists of a number of unique architectural works: the bell tower on both sides of which stand sculptures in the shape of winged bulls (symbolizing the survivors who keep and guard the memory of the fallen), the alley of eagles leading to the victory wall decorated with basreliefs, and behind it the Ethnographic Museum, and the Sardarapat Battle Museum.
Ethnographic Museum's collections tell about the life and culture of the Armenian highlands from the Stone Age to the present day. They include tools of labor and hunting, unique items made of ceramics, stone, and metal, rock drawings, religious vessels, ornaments, furniture, carpets, and other works of art from different centuries.
