Up The Rocks

Village Garni is 29km away from Yerevan to the south-east, at the dale of Azat river, opposite of which is Khosrov Reservoir. Mihr heathen temple (1st century) is also there. In the gorge below village there stand amazing natural monuments: 20-100m high rocks with basalt columns, similar ones are in Jermuk gorge.

The only fact of climbing those rocks is in 2007, Joe Morgan’s trad climb route, called ‘Margarita’s family’, 35m. We can say that no other climber’s hand has touched those rocks. Having been considered natural monuments by Government decree, they will be taken under protection and it will hardly be allowed to use pitons or bolts, though these rocks still challenge the traditional claen climbers.
Along the rock ascend at about 6km distance crags change into limestone 50-80m high and across the gorge is the Geghard temple, carved out of a mountain (13th century).

photos by Andranik Miribyan