Sisian: Carahunge, the Shaki waterfall and the base for Tatev in southern Armenia
Sisian is a town of 15,000 people at 1,600 metres, on the Syunik plateau, on the road from Yerevan to Goris, Tatev and the Iranian border. The centre does not offer much: a square, a small museum, cafés. What makes it a compulsory stop lies around it, less than half an hour in any direction: a Bronze Age stone circle, a waterfall, a 7th-century church and a monastery at the top of a canyon. It is the natural base for southern Armenia.
Carahunge
Three kilometres from the town, in a grassy field, some two hundred basalt stones stand stuck in the ground, many with a hole near the top. This is Zorats Karer, which tourism calls Carahunge, the "Armenian Stonehenge". Archaeologists date it to the Bronze Age and read it as a necropolis and ritual enclosure; amateur astronomers see in the holes alignments with the sun and stars. Whatever it is, at sunset, with Ararat in the distance, it is a place to stay a while. Free entry, no opening hours.
The Shaki waterfall and Sisavan
The Shaki waterfall, five kilometres away, drops 18 metres down a basalt wall in a small canyon. It feeds a hydroelectric plant, so at times the flow is only released at certain hours; ask in town. In Sisian itself, on the hill, stands the church of Sisavan, from the late 7th century, one of the best of that period in Armenia, with a dome and reliefs of the donors. Hardly anyone goes in.
Vorotnavank and Ughtasar
Fifteen kilometres away, above the Vorotan canyon, is the 10th-century monastery of Vorotnavank, with two churches and a wall, and opposite it the ruins of the fortress of Vorotnaberd. And up in the mountains, at 3,300 metres, the Ughtasar petroglyphs: thousands of carvings of goats, hunters and symbols beside a glacial lake, reached only by 4x4 between July and September, on a full-day excursion.
How to plan it
Sisian is about 215 km from Yerevan, three hours by the southern road, with daily marshrutkas. The usual thing is to arrive from Noravank and Spitakavor, sleep here or in Goris, and give the morning to Carahunge, Shaki and Sisavan before going on to Tatev, an hour away including the cable car. There are guesthouses and a couple of simple hotels.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Armenian Stonehenge?
Zorats Karer or Carahunge, a group of some two hundred Bronze Age basalt stones three kilometres from Sisian, with holes that some interpret as an astronomical observatory.
What else is there to see?
The Shaki waterfall, the 7th-century church of Sisavan, the monastery of Vorotnavank above the canyon and, in summer and by 4x4, the Ughtasar petroglyphs.
Is it a good base for the south?
Yes. Tatev is an hour away, Goris 40 minutes, Noravank an hour and a half and the Iranian border at Agarak three hours. With two nights you see everything without hurrying.
