Garni

Infobox Settlement
official_name =Garni Գառնի
native_name =
pushpin_

mapsize =150px
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = Armenia
subdivision_type1 = Marz (Province)
subdivision_name1 =Kotayk
leader_title =
leader_name =
established_title =
established_date =
area_total_km2 =
area_footnotes =
population_as_of = 2008
population_total =7415
population_density_km2 =
timezone =
utc_offset = +4
timezone_DST =
utc_offset_DST = +5
latd=40 |latm=07 |lats=10 |latNS=N
longd=44|longm=43 |longs=23 |longEW=E
elevation_m =
area_code =
website =

Garni ( _hy. Գառնի, also Romanized as Garrni; until 1936, Bash Gyarni) is a village in the Armenian province of Kotayk', situated approx. 32 km southeast from Yerevan, notable for its fortress complex. As it lies on the road to the well known monastery of Geghard (further 7 km southeast) it receives a large number of visitors.

In the 3^rd millennium BC the first fortification was constructed on an easily defendable terrain at one of the bends of the Azat river. It was conquered in the 8^th century BC by the Urartian king Argishti I and the site became a military base and the king's summer residence. Several additional buildings were constructed since then, such as the king's palace, baths and the site's most famous and best preserved building, a Parthenon like temple. Of particular interest is the bathhouse, located in the northern part of the site which has a preserved heating reservoir. The interior floor is decorated with a colour mosaic with depictions of Greek mythological figures, such as Tethys. One of the intact inscriptions in Koine Greek reads: "ΜΗΔΕΝ ΛΑΒΟΝΤΕΣ ΗΡΓΑΣΑΜΕΘΑ (Without receiving anything we toiled). The temple was constructed in the 1^st century AD by the King Tiridates I of Armenia and probably funded with money the king received from emperor Nero during his visit to Rome. The temple, resting on an elevated podium, was most likely dedicated to the god Mithras. The roof is supported by 24 Ionic columns on Attic bases. Unlike other Greco-Roman temples, it is made of basalt. It was sacked in 1386 by Timur Lenk. The town contains the ruins of a 4th century church. In 1679 it was destroyed by an earthquake. Most of the original pieces remained at the site until the 20th century, allowing the building to be reconstructed between 1969 and 1979.

In recent years another theory arose among some archeologists. They claim that the temple was actually constructed as the tomb for an Armeno-Roman ruler, probably Sohaemus. In that case it should have been constructed around 175 AD and thus about a century younger than indicated by the first theory.

After the adoption of Christianity some churches and a katholikos' palace were also constructed at the fortification site, but these are now in ruins like most of the other buildings except the temple.

Other sites of Garni outside the fortification site include churches of Mother of God and St. Mashtots as well as ruins of the Havuts Tar monastery several killometers south east from the village. Much of the population descends from people settled in the population exchange of 1829-1830, following the Treaty of Turkmenchay between Russia and Persia.

References

*GEOnet2|32FA881E709E3774E0440003BA962ED3
* [http://world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&des=wg&geo=-17&srt=npan&col=abcdefghinoq&msz=1500&pt=c&va=x World Gazeteer: Armenia] – World-Gazetteer.com
*Kiesling, "Rediscoving Armenia", p. 51, available online at the [http://yerevan.usembassy.gov/armenia.pdf US embassy to Armenia's website]
*ArmenianCensus|178

External links

* [http://www.armenica.org/cgi-bin/armenica.cgi?=2=be=1=bez0000 Garni at Armenica.org]
* [http://www.cilicia.com/armo5_garni.html Description at Cilicia.com]
* [http://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?title=Garni_Temple Garni article at Armeniapedia.org]
* [http://sketchup.google.es/3dwarehouse/details?mid=212f18bb7c3254cd3988cedb05cc0a8d 3D Model of Garni]