Another busy week has started. And it started in a very, very fun way. Travelling through the many locations I have already visited in the past but during winter. As well as checking out a few additional locations I have long known about but never really found the chance to visit. One of these new locations was the Garni Temple. Armenia is riddled with rich history. Not just history that pertains to the past century and the rise and fall of communism through the Soviet Union. Nor is it just the rise and fall of the Persian Empire that saw the nation's continued Eastern traditions. From discoveries of Before Christ leading into the Anno Domini scattered throughout the now shrunken lands. Armenia, alongside its existing language and culture, was even a pivotal part of the spread within the Roman Empire. A leading part of the famous Silk Road.
The Temple has had much speculation around it regarding its purpose, though the general belief is that it was built in dedication to the Sun God. Now, if you've ever been to Armenia during the summer months, you'd know that the sun is insanely intense. It's not much surprise that upon a large hill and cliff side, overlooking vast canyons, that people would dedicate such a beautiful building to the God of the Sun: Mithra. The building collapsed during an earthquake which is relatively common for the region. Not too far away in the 1980s the second largest city in Armenia was almost levelled by an earthquake, to which the town never really recovered. Only now is it seeing the funds to rebuild. To walk through the city of Gyumri is to witness much devastation. Back to the Temple of Garni, however: the Soviets chose to reconstruct the building with the debris. Some excavations beneath the foundations supposedly imply another building that predates the Romans by afar. Even predating the Armenian language, where another once stood in its place by the previous settlers within the region.
To add to the complexity of this region and its history, the Temple even holds many details that speak of how the region was conquered during the Persian Empire. Arabic writing visible on its walls in some areas that tell of that story. Just by the entrance are also Armenian inscriptions which do hold connection to the nation's strong belief in Christianity.
The Temple still remains in incredible condition considering the prior earthquake. And you can freely walk on and inside. The day we travelled there, it was absolutely riddled with other tourists venturing around the Temple and appreciating its history. People from all over the world. The history surrounding the building pertains to what is considered a time before Christianity had really entered Armenia. When the region was still heavily influenced by the Greek and early Romans. Garni Temple a result of an early Anno Domini era King on the Roman side. Right next to the building is something else of great beauty: a Roman era bathhouse. The construction of the bathhouse still very much visible, a beautiful colourful mosaic remains to the left side of the building where it would've once been submerged beneath the water. Large pillars revealed display the method in which the Romans would've heated the water of the bathhouse, leading heat upward through those little pillars into the flooring.
It's astonishing how people so long ago managed to figure such things out, and how they too found beauty in the design of things. The Soviet Union was heavily influenced by this era, utilising columns and mosaics into its own architectural creations. Fascinating how people throughout the ages find similarities in what is beautiful, in how to portray the joy in their lives and add colour to the buildings of comfort and importance. It makes you think of how people so long ago were not so different to us. In their levels of intelligence and problem solving, but also that idea of art and beauty. Even adding the philosophical elements into their mosaics and art. The connection to the Gods.
To some coincidence, the cliffs that the Temple overlook hold naturally forming basalt columns, which are interesting, long shapes of rock that have some hexagonal edges to them. Not quite the same as the round columns, though. Did I also mention that it was insanely hot that day? Well, it was insanely hot. Little shade around. Though inside the Temple the air felt cooler, that cold stone offering some shelter. A beautifully peaceful feeling within. You can really feel the history and the comfort of the area. Connected to the people before that would've once made their way up those same large steps. Perhaps having enjoyed the bathhouse beforehand.
The feeling in places such as these is one that humbles, for sure. Making you realise how fragile time is; how fragile we are. The realisation that those before us really weren't much different. How those before us saw beauty in the world in many similar ways. How they immersed themselves within the natural world while finding ways to reach beyond into the spiritual realm. Armenia pushes forward in a similar fashion. It evolves rapidly these days. It remains highly religious, highly appreciative of its incredibly rich past. And fortunately locations such as the Garni Temple are not taken for granted.