Excursion d’une journée
Texte en anglaisHaghpat, Sanahin & the Debed Canyon
North to the Debed canyon for the day: two monasteries that taught and copied books for centuries, facing each other across the gorge.
Demander ne coûte rienAucun paiement sur SafarRéponse d’une personne
L’histoire de l’itinéraire
One canyon, two monasteries.
The road north crosses the high plateau and drops into the Debed canyon, where copper has been mined and smelted since the eighteenth century. Then two monasteries, founded within a few decades of each other in the tenth century: Sanahin, which grew into a school, and Haghpat, which grew into a small town of churches. They sit on opposite sides of the gorge, a short drive apart. Lunch falls between them.
Le déroulement de la journée
Sanahin before lunch, Haghpat after, so the larger of the two closes the day. One break on the road each way.
- Yerevanthe start
- Sanahinthe school
- Haghpatthe larger story
- Yerevanhome
- North over the plateau
- In the Debed canyon
Sur la carte
Où va la journée
La journée elle-même
North over the plateau, then down into the Debed canyon. Not to scale: Sanahin and Haghpat sit within about fifteen kilometres of each other, close to the Georgian border.
Où en Arménie
The day goes almost to the north edge of Armenia and comes back the same evening.
Down into the canyonPAR LA ROUTE
From the plateau the road drops into the gorge of the Debed. The river runs north towards Georgia, and the copper town of Alaverdi sits at the bottom, between the two monasteries.
- 01 / 02
Go to school.
A monastery that became a place of learning.
01SanahinLATE MORNING · THE FIRST STOP
Sanahin was founded in the tenth century. Its name is usually explained as “this one is older than that one”, a claim over Haghpat across the gorge. In the eleventh century it had an academy and a library, and the long vaulted corridor where students are said to have studied still stands.
Below the village, in Alaverdi, a stone bridge from the end of the twelfth century still crosses the Debed. It is on the road below.
After Sanahin, the day stops to eat: a table on the way, near Haghpat or in the canyon below, the host confirmed with your request.
Uneven stone floors and low doorways; dim inside.
À REMARQUERThe library, and the carved cross-stones set into the walls and floors.
- 02 / 02
End with the larger story.
A monastery that grew into a small town of churches.
02HaghpatAFTERNOON · THE LAST STOP
Haghpat was founded around 976 by Queen Khosrovanuysh, and its main church, Surb Nshan, was finished in 991. Over three centuries the monastery added a bell tower, a book depository and halls for its community, until it stood on its hillside above the Debed like a small town.
Inside the complex is its best-known cross-stone, the Amenaprkich khachkar of 1273. Haghpat and Sanahin share one UNESCO World Heritage listing.
Optional · if it fits the day: Akhtala, for its frescoes. Twenty minutes or so farther along the canyon, Akhtala is a fortified monastery whose church walls are covered with paintings from the early thirteenth century. Adding it makes the day about an hour and a half longer.
Whether it fits your day is confirmed with your request.
Slopes, steps and uneven stone between the buildings.
À REMARQUERThe Amenaprkich khachkar, and the canyon from the terrace.
Avant de décider
Cette journée est-elle faite pour vous ?
Idéal pour
- Travellers who want the north of Armenia without a night away
- Anyone drawn to monasteries as places of learning and books, not only as churches
- A day after Garni, when you want the next layer of medieval Armenia
Réfléchissez à deux fois si
- Long car days drain you. About six of the ten to eleven hours are road.
- Uneven stone and steps are hard for you. Each monastery has them.
- You want variety of scenery more than history. This day is two monasteries in one canyon.
WHY THIS IS ON SAFAR
Most days north try to fit in a lake, a forest and the canyon together, and end up giving each an hour. Safar keeps this day in the Debed canyon only: Sanahin and Haghpat with time to see them, and lunch between the two.
Où cette journée s’inscrit dans un voyage
A day out of Yerevan, best once you have seen Garni and Geghard. It goes the farthest north of the Days, so leave a quieter day after it.
L’Arménie, en entierLes modalités définitives sont confirmées avant la réalisation.
Prenez votre temps en chemin
Faites de la route une partie de votre expérience en Arménie, avec du temps pour les points de vue, la cuisine locale et les arrêts qui vous intéressent. Prolongez votre excursion dans le Lori par une nuit près du canyon du Debed, organisée avec notre équipe.
Une journée
Sanahin et Haghpat en une journée complète : environ 10 à 11 heures depuis Erevan aller-retour, dont environ six sur la route.
2 jours, 1 nuit près du canyon du Debed
Sanahin l’après-midi, une nuit près du canyon, et Haghpat le lendemain matin, avec plus de temps à chaque arrêt.
La version avec nuitée est organisée sur demande : indiquez-nous si vous la souhaitez lorsque vous envoyez votre demande. Notre équipe vous répond avec une proposition de programme : le séjour, les horaires, le prix et le partenaire qui l’organise. Ceux-ci dépendent de vos dates et des disponibilités. Une demande n’est pas une réservation. Notre équipe vous expliquera comment confirmer le voyage proposé.
Une nuit de plus signifie plus de temps à chaque endroit, et non plus d’endroits. Les arrêts facultatifs ne sont proposés que s’ils correspondent à vos centres d’intérêt.