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Garni Fortress is one of the unique ancient sites of Ancient Armenia and, in general, the whole Transcaucasia. It includes the fortress wall, the Temple of the god Mihr, the palace and secular structures, the royal bath, the dragon monument, the winepress, VII c. church, medieval bridge, chapel, the khachkars (cross-stones) and other historical and cultural buildings and values. The protection zone is 5.1 hectares. According to an Armenian manuscript of the XIV century, Garni was built in BC 2166. Establishment of the settlement, according to V c. historian Movses Khorenatsi, a legend connects with the Armenian ancestor Hayk's grandson Gegham whose grandson Garnik’s name later was given to the Castle of Garni. The earliest and most reliable ancient written mention of the site, in the name of Giarnian, has been preserved in a protocol dating to the first half of BC VIII century in the fortress of Argishti I, ruler of the Kingdom of Van. The settlement is mentioned also by early medieval Armenian chroniclers. The excavations prove that the area was inhabited from the last quarter of BC IV millenium And, almost without a break, life continued here until the late Middle Ages. The first excavations of the Castle were carried out by Nikolay Marr in 1909-1911. Later, prominent archaeologists Babken Arakelyan, Harutyun Martirosyan, Sandro Sardaryan, Emma Khanzadyan conducted excavations. The basis of the Castle research was laid by Swiss archaeologist, traveler and naturalist Frederic Dubois de Montperen in 1834. During the excavations held in1963, not far from the ancient temple, inside the palace hall, the lower half of the basalt dragon monument was found, in the front part of which the cuneiform inscription of Argishti I has been preserved. The defensive wall encircling the site rose in the top of the triangular promontory. On the south, south-west, partly northeast by it is surrounded by inaccessible rocks. In the rest of the section, 14 consecutive rectangular towers and strong walls formed a strong defense system. World-famous painter Martiros Saryan accidentally finds a Greek inscription in the cemetery of the Garni Village: “Helios…Trdat the Great, the Host of the Great Armenia… The Ruler built the Temple and the Fortress for the Queen during the 11 years of his impregnable reign. The Temple was built by up to 1.5 m long, well-worked local bluish quartz (basalt). The walls were lined without mortar - in a dry layer. The stones were fastened with iron nails both horizontally and vertically, and their joints were fastened with molten lead. The pagan temple of Garni is a Greek peripeter with its composition on a Roman pedestal. It is believed that the 24 columns of the monument symbolize the 24 hours of the day. The decoration of the building is distinguished by great mastery of artistic performance. The capitals of the columns are decorated with high-sculpted oval ornaments, coils, the cornice - with lion heads, palm trees and acanthus leafs. Plant (grape, pomegranate, walnut leafs) and animal (lion heads) ornaments specific to Armenian art and their plastic decoration as well as the technique of making basalt sculptures prove that mainly local masters took part in the construction of the Temple. The Temple was dedicated to the god Mihr. Mihr, as a symbol of light and truth, was often depicted fighting the bull (darkness). On the pedestal of the altar inside the Temple was a statue of the god Mihr fighting the bull. The Temple remained standing until the 17th century and was destroyed in 1679 from a devastating earthquake. Unlike many examples of Armenian architecture, the detailed written description of Garni Temple and its image has not been preserved in medieval Armenian written sources, miniatures, frescoes and mosaics. Garni Fortress has retained its role and strategic importance in the Middle Ages as well. In the first half of the 7th century, St. Zion Zvartnots-type church with cruciform foundation, a round plan, central dome was built next to the Temple. The Fortress was completely destroyed during the Arab invasions, but the settlement survived and in the second half of the IX century it grew and became a village. At the beginning of the 10th century, during the reign of King Ashot II Bagratuni, the Fortress as well was restored. In the B.C. XXV cc. Garni was one of the largest and most famous rural cities in Armenia. Remains of early and developed medieval architectural structures have been preserved in the vicinity of the fortress. Among them are Khumarazham Church (IV-V centuries), St. Astvatsatsin (Mother Mary) single-nave church (XII-XIII centuries), “Mashtots Hayrapet“ or “Sumpents Vank“ monastic complex (XII-XIII centuries), St. Astvatsatsin three-nave church (XVII- XIX centuries), chapels, khachkars, etc. #Գառնիիտաճար, #ԱյցելեքԳառնի, #ՍուրբՍիոնեկեղեցի,#Արքունականբաղնիք, #ԵկեքԳառնի, #Գառնիարգելոց-թանգարան, #ArmenianMonuments
