Hello my friends! As promised, there will be a second post from my trip to Armenia, after this one to Garni!
I'm afraid of being my post too long, so i preferred to split it into two, so today I'll show you the second part!
Symphony of Stones
Well, from the Temple of Garni, at a distance of a few kilometers, there is a unique geological phenomenon, which I could not miss! It's called Symphony of the stones, which I found to be terribly accurate description!
It is one of the most well-known and beautiful natural monuments of Armenia . It is said that this natural monument is the result of the collapse of the volcanic rocks!
As you can see on photos, there are symmetric hexagon and pentagon columns, which some of them are nearly 50 meters high!
It is not difficult to imagine how they arose, if we consider that a few kilometers away is an inactive volcano, that of Azhdahak. These magnificent rocks were formed under high pressure conditions due to the cooling and crystallization of volcanic lava. This is how the basalt rock came about
Personally, I was afraid that something would come off, especially since I saw the warning sign, I didn't dare to get too close
Am I the only one who reminds me of the pencils I had when I was at school? 😂
Geghard Monastery
After taking several photos of Symphony of Stones (or pencils if you prefer), we headed to the Geghard monastery! Just ten minutes later we were there! The driver told us that on weekends, due to traffic, it could take twice as long or even more!
It is a medieval monastery that almost all the locals suggested we visit! We couldn't do differently! As we arrived there we instantly spot the rocks surround the monastery.
The monastery is essentially half built and half carved into the rocks.
From my first steps there, I understood the unique energy and atmosphere that this place has!
Despite the fact that from the outside it looks like most Armenian monasteries, the quietness (as not many visitors had arrived there yet) gave you the opportunity to feel and be in sync with all those who passed through here and built and carved this place of worship
Some maintenance and restoration work was done in the monastery,but nothing reduced its beauty
What caught my interest, are the embossed decorative designs around almost every door of the monastery! Incredibly elaborate
A character of decoration that was also extended to the wooden part of the door
As we entered the temple, I had the illusion that time stopped and that I could magically enter this temple, the 13th century when it was almost finished! I hope the photos can convey what I experienced
The absence of iconography, together with the combination of rock and wood, give a more minimalist feel and so close to the Christian spirit
As the sweet candlelight illuminated the decorative rock carvings, they made me want to put down my camera and pray.
So what I did!
In the center of the temple, the rays of the sun, entering from the dome of the temple, dominated and provided the perfect balance between light and shadows
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Below are some of my favorite photos from my entire trip
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I went outside again to photograph the original part of the temple, which is carved into the rock and dates from the 4th century AD
The view from above, gave me the opportunity to locate the mountain Ararat, where, according to the Bible, Noah's ark ran aground
I hope you liked it and I didn't bore you with my chatter! The purpose of the two posts about Armenia was to show a not so popular destination, which is definitely worth visiting! Iam looking forward to your feedback! See you in comments! Kisses!